The UST Center for Writing has been in existence over 30 years providing assistance to writers at any stage of the writing process and for any course. The center is staffed by both undergraduate students (from a variety of majors) and graduate students (from the M.A. Program in English).
The center is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday in Room 361, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts. The center also is open from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center.
The center will open formally for the semester on Friday, Sept. 18, although consultants are available in person and online before that date.
To student writers, the center provides:
- One-on-one individualized conferences with peer consultants on their writing for any course.
- Assistance at any stage of the writing process. The center encourages students to come in if they need help getting started, understanding the assignment, organizing their ideas, arriving at a strong thesis, incorporating evidence effectively, and revising for clarity.
- Help with editing, style, proofreading, and grammar. The center helps with grammar but is careful not to do the work for writers. "We always start our conferences reviewing the assignment, the stated criteria, the main point of the paper, the organization, and only then dive into the draft itself," said Dr. Susan Callaway, director of the center and associate professor of English.
- Online consulting, although many writers prefer face-to-face conversation as they revise. The center follows the same methods online as used in person, although it more typically works on drafts online.
- Online resources. Through the center's Web site, students can access information on a variety of documentation styles as well as links to online resources providing guidance on research, revision, and documenting resources and avoiding plagiarism.
- Confidentiality. "Our conferences are confidential so that your students may come to see us but choose not to inform you of this; we won’t either," Callaway said. "But we encourage them to do so – we encourage them to let you know that they are taking their writing, their learning, and your course seriously."
For faculty members, the center offers:
- Class visits. Contact Callaway directly to request a class visit.
- Brochures. Contact the center to request brochures for students.
- Online resources. These include handouts specifically for faculty: “What We Do and How We Do It”; “How to Encourage Your Students to Come to the Center for Writing”; and “The Extra Credit Opportunity” on how to integrate the center into courses.
For more information, see the center's Web site or contact Callaway, (651) 962-5602.
