"What is the mission of the Writing Center?"

Briefly, we aim to help students become better, more confident writers. To this end, we use the writing they've brought to us as the springboard to a conversation about writing. We don't take a student's paper from them, "fix" it, and then hand it back; instead, we talk with them about their habits and practices as writer and their ideas for the project they're working on. If they have a draft, we read what they have written and counsel them about the choices they can make to achieve their goals. We do not edit or proofread for students. 

"Who works in the Writing Center?"

The Center is co-directed by faculty from the Writing & Rhetoric program. Our Writing Consultants come to us from a range of graduate programs and undergraduate majors. Our graduate student consultants are hired because they have a strong background in teaching, in working one-on-one with students, and/or as writers. Our undergraduate student consultants are hired after taking a course focused on writing center theory and pedagogy.

"How can I encourage my students to use this resource?"

• You can add the following statement to your syllabus:

The Writing Center offers free, one-on-one help with all aspects of writing at any stage in the writing process. To make an appointment, go to www.writingcenter.virginia.edu. The Writing Center will not proofread papers or talk with you about grades, but we can help you break through those "stuck" moments, provide feedback about a draft-in-progress, and help you give a final review to a nearly-finished essay. 

• You can request a visit to your class, where we will give a 10-15 minute overview of our services.
• You can talk with your students about your own writing process and how seeking feedback from others has helped you improve a piece of writing.
• You can request a flyer to post on your office door.

Please help us reduce the stigma around utilizing this resource by encouraging ALL of your students to take advantage of it, rather than directing only the students who seem to struggle with writing to use it. 

"I would like to know if my students visit the Writing Center--is there a way I can be informed?"

If students tell their consultant that their instructor or coach would like to be notified of their completion of an appointment, the consultant will add that person's email address to the post-session report form, which summarizes what the student and consultant worked on together.

"What is the most important thing I can tell my students about the Writing Center?"

That the Writing Center is not the place where "bad" writers go. ALL writers need to share their work-in-progress with someone else--experienced writers do it, successful writers do it, "good" writers do it. There is no shame in visiting the Writing Center; it is not a punishment or a sign of failure.