The Writing Center
The Writing Center provides free tutoring for all RWU students enrolled in writing courses or involved in writing-related projects.
Writing Center
To see a peer tutor, students can just walk in (2nd floor Library within the Tutoring Center), no appointment necessary. To see a faculty tutor, students should sign up for an appointment. Students can make appointments at the log-in desk immediately inside the door of the Tutoring Center.
Faculty Tutoring Schedule To see a faculty tutor, students can come into the Tutoring Center on the second floor of the Library and make an appointment at our front desk. Appointments are typically for one half hour. All tutoring, including faculty tutoring, is free of charge to RWU students.
Tamia Burt: Tuesdays 12 noon – 3pm & Thursdays 9 am – 12 noon
Genette Merin: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (days vary) 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
For the Writing Center email tutoring service, please go to the WritingHelp web page, and then follow the instructions to submit your paper for review.
Please like us on Facebook at "RWU Tutoring Centers" for end-of-semester, holiday, or weather-related updates/changes to our normal schedule.
Our Mission
The RWU Writing Center’s mission is to create an environment that is inclusive and collaborative, resists oppressive aspects of writing, and forms connections. Students should feel welcomed and respected sharing their ideas in all writing center spaces.
Tutors will adjust their techniques and methods to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners. Tutors will work collaboratively and empathetically with students to identify and discuss structure, grammar, documentation, word choice, and content, as well as to brainstorm ideas.
Tutors will support and motivate students in the way most comfortable for the individual while still challenging students to examine their ideas and test their assumptions.
Students should feel confident that their time engaging with the tutor has been a helpful part of the revision process and that their voice has been prioritized.
We Believe:
- “Students’ Right to Their Own Language” must be affirmed and practiced.
- Tutoring is a reciprocal learning experience.
- All students have the potential to be effective writers in their own voice.
- It is vital for students to feel comfortable in using their pronouns as well as feel represented no matter their identity.
- Students should feel encouraged and heard regardless of any aspect of their identity.
What We Do
At its best, tutoring involves a conversation between a tutor and a writer about a text. Tutors will work collaboratively with students to identify and discuss grammatical, mechanical, documentation and revision issues, particularly as those concerns affect a reader’s understanding; however, students should not expect tutors to “catch and fix” errors. The tutors are also an important resource for students who want to understand and adhere to the expectations of college writing and are new to the discourse community. Therefore, tutors will also help all students make informed decisions about language choice, tone, and formality. We will work very hard to provide tutoring that is informative, engaging, thought provoking, ethical, culturally competent and, ultimately, helpful.
The tutor will discuss grammatical or mechanical issues that impact the readability of the text as well as “large-scale” concerns such as (but not limited to) the following:
- Is the thesis defined and arguable?
- Does it control the content of the rest of the paper?
- Does the paper address what is asked for in the assignment prompt?
- Does the student have a clear understanding of the material in the assigned text (if there is one) and in their own text?
- Are the topic sentences focused and relate back to and support the thesis?
- Are there appropriate transitional words and phrases to provide coherence?
- Is the organizational pattern the most appropriate?
- Are the most important points supported with sufficient details and examples?
- Is the tone appropriate and consistent throughout the paper?
- Is the paper formatted appropriately, according to the assigned documentation system?
This mission statement was created by students in the Spring 21 WTNG 299: Tutoring in the Writing Center course and the Writing Center tutors.
For students, here are six ways to get the most out of a tutoring session:
- Come in to the Writing Center early in the process. Don’t wait until the day the assignment is due! The stress level for students and tutors is multiplied when there is an imminent deadline looming over a tutoring session.
- Arrive with some part of the process underway. If you want to work on a paper, have a draft or outline at least started. Even if you need help brainstorming, you can still begin that process on your own.
- Know your assignment! Bring your assignment sheet, any pertinent handouts, and/or textbooks to the tutoring session. If you and your tutor have some questions about the assignment, coming in early in the process (as suggested in #1) will allow you the opportunity to confer with your instructor and resume the session when you are sure of the assignment.
- If possible, set the agenda for your own tutoring session. While tutors can review a paper for general effectiveness, it is often more productive if you come in and ask to work on a specific concern.
- Be an active participant. You should be prepared to participate in a dialogue about your writing and work on any specific concerns you have, such as sentence skills, paragraph structure, and thesis construction. We encourage you to take notes during the tutoring session, so you will remember what you worked on. Remember: The tutors are trained not to “fix” papers for students; we will, however, help students become better writers.
- Follow through. Complete the revisions you and your tutor worked on before you submit the paper. If the tutor suggests you come back for additional assistance, be sure you do.