As the Writing Center celebrated its 10th anniversary last week, members of the Editorial Board expressed skepticism about the Center’s impact upon students’ writing. In the past, many members of the Editorial Board had heard less than complimentary things about the Writing Center, and a few had even gone there in the past for writing help, only to be wholly unimpressed by the aid offered.
While we had these reservations, however, we also didn’t want to unfairly convict the Center. With that in mind, we decided to put them to the test during Writing Center Week: we concocted a far below average essay and brought it into the Writing Center for help. The skeptics on the Editorial Board were certain that the Center would drop the ball on this one; others were cautiously optimistic.
As it turned out, the Writing Center came through. The Writing Center tutor who worked on our questionable paper was patient and calm, slowly working through the various parts of the essay that needed work. He made sure to point out the need for a clear thesis, an easy-to-follow train of thought throughout the essay and the importance of making each section of the assignment relevant. His patience was remarkable, and he was unfazed by the challenge of reworking a poorly written paper; he managed to be helpful without being condescending, which is commendable.
More important, it seemed as though the whole Center was functioning like this; there were three other tutors doing similar work that appeared to be just as helpful, and people frequently came in and out with a variety of assignments that needed work. The Writing Center seems to be serving an important need on campus by providing a comfortable, welcoming place where students can get the help they need on assignments, whether that help entails minor tweaking or significant revision.
So counter to our initial doubts, the Editorial Board would like to congratulate the Writing Center on its recent milestone, and compliment it on its growth and development as a service to students. It was heartening to find out that this particular University project is providing the kind of service students expect.