When you visit the Writing Center
We, the Transylvania University Writing Center staff, value collaboration, respect, and interdisciplinary engagement as we work with patrons to develop writing skills and cultivate confidence that will make not only for better writing, but for better writers. Whether you are new to the Writing Center, a frequent visitor, or anything in between, please find below the sets of expectations that guide each and every session that takes place.
At the Writing Center, we can…
Consult with you on any kind of writing — for example, essays, lab reports, presentations, research proposals, applications, etc.
Examine an assignment prompt with you in order to understand the assignment’s expectations and goals.
Help you to develop editing and proofreading skills, as well as a familiarity with citation styles such as MLA, APA, and Chicago.
Collaborate with you to improve the organization, style, tone, and clarity of a draft as you work towards the final product.
Provide and implement brainstorming strategies to use as you approach an assignment and work to identify, narrow, or broaden your writing topic.
Help you to construct a well-supported argument with a thesis and evidence.
Create an action plan that will help you achieve writing goals outside of the Writing Center.
Help you understand instructor feedback and implement suggested changes.
Assist you with searching for and identifying useful sources, as well as paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and responding to those sources.
Work with you to develop skills and strategies that will bring you greater confidence as a writer, researcher, and thinker.
Advise you at any point in the writing process, from brainstorming to outlining to drafting to revising.
Direct you to other academic resources such as the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), library staff, and learning skills specialists
At the Writing Center, we can’t…
Write any portion of your paper. The Writing Center adheres to Transy’s policy on academic integrity.
Ensure that all the work required to complete an assignment will be accomplished in a single session.
Guarantee that a writing center consultation will improve the grade an assignment earns.
Evaluate a professor’s assignment or comment on the grade a paper should receive
Promise to catch every single error, though we will help you develop strategies to avoid them in your writing.
Tutor you in course content. (For help with course content, please visit our neighbors in the ACE Tutoring.)
We expect our patrons to:
Maintain a respectful attitude towards TUWC staff and other TUWC patrons.
Collaborate and engage in productive dialogue with the staffer throughout the entire session.
Use technology (laptops, cell phones, etc.) only as relevant to the work of the session.
Come prepared to the session with the assignment prompt, along with other available and relevant materials, to help the staffer understand the assignment.
Respect staffers’ time by booking (and canceling if necessary) appointments at least one hour prior to the appointment time, arriving punctually, and adhering to the time parameters of the appointment as booked.
Have a sense of priority when bringing multiple assignments to one session, as working on one assignment may take up the entire session.
Gain verbal consent from the staffer to record a session.
Patrons can expect our staffers to:
Maintain a respectful attitude towards TUWC patrons and other TUWC staff.
Collaborate and engage in productive dialogue with the patron throughout the entire session.
Use technology (laptops, cell phones, etc.) only as relevant to the work of the session.
Offer feedback to patrons that is always constructive and respectful, never harsh or demeaning.
Respect patrons’ time by arriving punctually and adhering to the time parameters of the appointment as booked. A staffer will only cancel an appointment in the case of an emergency.
Prioritize higher-order concerns (organization, structure, development of ideas) over lower-order (grammar, spelling).
Guide patrons through a writing process through peer collaboration.