Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I come to the Writing Center?
Who can use/come to the Writing Center?
What happens during an appointment?
Where is the Writing Center, and what are the hours?
Can I request a particular tutor?
How long will my appointment be, and how often can I come in?
What should I bring to the appointment?
Will my professor know that I have come to the Writing Center?
Who can I contact if I have a question or comment about the Writing Center?
What happens if campus closes due to weather or other events?
Why should I come to the Writing Center?
The Writing Center is here to help students improve their writing skills. So if you would like to improve your essays and Regents' Test scores, you are welcome to make an appointment with us. All appointments are free.
Who can use/come to the Writing Center?
Any student registered and enrolled at UWG for the current semester
can use the Writing Center.
Bridges students may also come by if they make an appointment, and/or they can use our chat function. The login information is in the packets that were passed out during the presentation.
What happens during an appointment?
You meet individually for thirty minutes with a tutor who is also a faculty member or an English graduate student. During the tutorial, the tutor will work with you on specific concerns you may have such as thesis statements, development, comma splices, topic sentences, readability, etc. Be aware that higher order concerns such as development of ideas will always be addressed before lower order concerns such as grammar.
What are your policies?
- Students may be dismissed from the University Writing Center if they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others. Such behavior includes – but is not limited to – speaking disrespectfully to the staff, tutors, and/or to other students. Each dismissal of this kind will count toward the no show policy (see below).
- We reserve the right to terminate a tutorial that is not productive and we will not issue verification slips for these tutorials.
- While appointments are not mandatory, we recommend them because we cannot guarantee an available tutor for walk-in students.
- If you need to cancel an appointment, you must do so 24 hours in advance (for Monday appointments, we must be notified by Sunday). For a student who makes an appointment for the same day, appointments must be cancelled 1 hour before the tutorial. This is so we have time to give your appointment slot to other students. If you do not cancel 24 hours in advance, you will be considered a No Show.
- If you are 10 minutes or more late to your appointment, you will not be able to have it because it will be given to a walk-in and you will be considered to be a No Show.
- After three No Shows in one semester, you will not be permitted to use the Writing Center for the remainder of the semester.
- To prevent excessive collaboration between students and tutors, the UWC will not permit more than one visit per tutor per assignment. That is, if you work with Tutor X on your first essay, you not be able to have another appointment with Tutor X until your second essay.
- Students should bring the following with them when they arrive for an appointment: the assignment sheet or topic; writing materials—pen and paper; the text(s) on which the assignment is based; and, if students are unable to formulate a list of ideas, an outline, topic notes, free writing, a thesis, or a rough draft, they must have, at the minimum, an agenda that enumerates or articulates the tasks to be accomplished during the session. If a student does not have anything to work on, the Writing Center and the tutor reserve the right to refuse the tutorial.
- On occasion the recommendations and instruction students receive in the Writing Center may, for numerous reasons, contradict those of their classroom teacher. In these instances, the policies and procedures of the course instructor are the “default” position.
Where is the Writing Center, and what are the hours?
The Writing Center is located in TLC 1201, diagonally across from the Java City in the atrium (look for the mural). For Fall 2009 semester, we are open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 10 am to 7 pm, Thursdays 10 am to 3 pm, and Fridays 10 am to 1 pm. We open Monday, August 31 and the last day we are open is Friday, December 4, the last day of classes.
Are appointments required?
They are not mandatory but encouraged. We cannot guarantee that walk-ins will be able to see a tutor.
How do I make an appointment?
To make an appointment you can come by TLC 1201 or you can call us at 678-839-6513.
Who will be my tutor?
Your tutor will be a faculty member of UWG or an English graduate student.
Can I request a particular tutor?
Yes, you may, but please be advised that each tutor only works three hours per week, so it may be difficult to satisfy your request. Also, you may only see each tutor once per paper unless the Manager makes an exception. However, all of our tutors are excellent, so anyone will be able to work with you.
How long will my appointment be, and how often can I come in?
Each appointment is 30 minutes. Sorry, no exceptions unless it is cleared with the Manager or the Director under extraordinary circumstances.
You may come in no more than two times per day, or three appointments in one week.
What should I bring to the appointment?
Please bring your assignment sheet (or guidelines for scholarship work), a hard copy of your essay (if your essay is on disk, we cannot guarantee a free computer for tutorial work. Always bring a print-out), and any resources you may need help citing.
What is a workshop?
A workshop is a special presentation the Writing Center holds each week on a specific writing topics such as Quote Integrations, Passive versus Active voice, and Introductions and Conclusions. Click on the Workshop tab to the left or here for more information.
Do you do group tutorials, and if so, can one member of a group bring in an essay that the entire group has worked on?
Yes, we do have group tutorials. We ask that as many group members as possible come to help make the essay cohesive.
Can you help me cite sources?
Yes. We also have style guides online in the Resources section and an MLA style guide in the Workshop section.
Can you help me with grammar?
Yes, but we do not proofread essays. So, if tutors notice a particular grammar problem, they will teach you how to recognize and correct the error. We expect you to learn how to proofread your own work.
Will my professor know that I have come to the Writing Center?
Other than specific requests, your professor will not know of your attendance. You may request a verification form for your tutor to fill out at the end of the session.
Who can I contact if I have a question or comment about the Writing Center?
You can contact the Director, Maren Henry, at mhenry@westga.edu or 678-839-4159 and/or the Manager, Denise Slavinski, at dslavins@westga.edu or 678-839-5312.
What happens if campus closes due to weather or other events?
If campus closes for any reason, the Writing Center closes as well, and no workshops occur. If you have an appointment, please call us the following day at 678-839-6513 to reschedule.