Center for Writers hold open house
Written by Dustin Eckroth Friday, 23 October 2009 08:00
The NDSU Center for Writers held an open house Tuesday, Oct. 20, to celebrate the first annual National Day of Writing. Students were encouraged to visit the Writing Center in the lower level of the library from 3:00 to 5:00 pm to meet the staff, play games and enjoy free Halloween treats.
The open house was held for those who are unfamiliar with the Center for Writers. It was a good way for individuals to learn how the staff can help improve writing skills, find appropriate sources for assignments and assist non-native speakers of English in their written and spoken work.
“We try to have three tutors available at all times; one graduate, one undergraduate student who handle scheduled appointments, and another undergraduate student who takes walk-ins,” Mary Pull, the director of the Center, said. “The students that we hire are strong writers who are recommended by instructors.”
While the staff at the Center is happy to assist students improve their work, Pull wanted to point out that they are not there to write or rewrite papers or criticize the assignment a student has been given, but rather to enhance a student’s learning experience.
In addition to term papers, the Center is also happy to assist with other assignments such as speeches, resumes, research proposals and news articles. The Center for Writers is also able to give occasional presentations to classes on various topics at a teacher’s request.
Students are encouraged to come the Center for Writers and come often. It is available so the staff is able to help students all the way through the revision process, starting from rough draft to final copy. The tutors at the center are happy to give suggestions on APA and MLA style, topics, which the tutors feel, can be challenging for some people.
The Center for Writers was started in the 1980s under a grant and became part of NDSU’s English department in 2004. Pull stated that this year is shaping up to be one of the Center’s busiest yet, but that will not stop them from scheduling consultations with first-time students. The Center averages 1,300 to 1,600 consultations per semester, but Pull expects to see at least 2,000 this fall.
The open house was a part of an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of good writing skills for people in all fields, not just English majors. “Bad writing can have a major impact on companies. A mistake in a written document can cost an engineering company thousands or millions of dollars,” Pull said.
