The Undergraduate Writing Center
The Undergraduate Writing Center:
- Is staffed by undergraduates from all backgrounds and disciplines who are trained to collaborate with writers from all backgrounds and disciplines.
- Promotes student agency and supports students as they navigate the challenges of reading, writing, and thinking in college.
- Values difference and the multiplicity of student discourse, and aims to mediate the expectations of the discourses present at the university.
- Strives for engaged and experiential learning, and therefore is not a proofreading service.
- Uses conversation as the venue for assisting students in their endeavors.
Writers might work with us to:
- Review assignments and brainstorm possibilities for responding.
- Conceptualize an idea and think through possibilities for its construction and delivery.
- Develop and revise drafts to fulfill assignments and achieve goals.
- Evaluate and respond to expectations of the assignment, professor, and university.
- Make informed communication decisions based on audience, purpose, and genre and discipline conventions.
- Find and use resources related to writing and editing.
Want to know more? Check out our FAQ page for common questions about the Writing Center.
Commitment to Anti-Racism, Equity, and Social Justice
In the Writing Center, administrators and consultants are committed to anti-racist and inclusive pedagogy. We study the intersections of writing centers and social justice to deepen our understanding of the strategies we employ and the effects of those strategies. We use theories and frameworks such as critical literacy, contrastive rhetoric, critical race theory, and rhetorical listening as we attempt to enact a pedagogy of belonging.
Interested in being a writing consultant?
The Writing Center is staffed by WSU students from all disciplines. Writing Center staff are curious, eager to learn with and from their peers, confident readers and conversationalists, and excited about new ideas.
Students interested in working for the Writing Center should expect to learn about issues of privilege and power as they relate to academic writing and should be eager to counteract these systems through intentional tutoring methods.
Syllabus or assignment blurb:
The WSU Writing Center offers feedback, resources, and support for students as they develop, clarify, and articulate their ideas in writing. Peer writing consultants can work with students at any stage of an assignment from understanding the instructions to developing and revising drafts to proofreading before submission. Whether the focus is on organization, evidence use, depth of analysis, or clarity of sentences, all writers benefit from a conversation about their writing.
Encouraging your students to visit us:
Some faculty give extra credit for visiting the Writing Center. Some faculty use reflection assignments to learn about the student’s experience or about their revision plans. If your class is larger than 50 students and you are going to give extra credit or include the Writing Center as part of the assignment, please reach out to Brooklyn.Walter@wsu.edu to discuss options and to ensure the Writing Center is ready for your students to visit.
Verifying student visits:
The Writing Center offers date- and time-stamped business cards after consultations. Students are asked to complete a brief exit survey to verify their visit, as well.
Class visits:
We are happy to swing by your class to talk about the Writing Center and to invite your students to come work with us. Typically these visits last between five and fifteen minutes and are more of an ‘overview’ than a lesson or a workshop. We can certainly tailor our spiel to your class or a certain project. Email us at writing.center@wsu.edu to discuss.
Support for instruction and assignments:
We are eager to collaborate with faculty on assignment design, in-class workshops, reflective post-consultation assignments, or any other initiative or intervention. Please reach out to us at writing.center@wsu.edu.
Students can find writing support on the Tri Cities, Vancouver, and Spokane campuses.
Global Campus students and any student unable to visit an on-campus Writing Center are encouraged to use eTutoring. Go to eTutoringOnline.org, select Washington State University from the list of participating schools, and follow the first time log-in instructions to gain access.
We also recommend:
The North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center offers a robust “tips and tools” page for writers.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (the OWL) provides comprehensive resources for composing, revising, end editing your own essays, and for help with citation.