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.
Tutors also reserve the right to terminate a tutorial if the assignment is due within
two hours of the appointment time.
The staff of the University Writing Center encourages students to make appointments
for tutoring two to four days prior to the day and time desired. If for some reason
students cannot keep their appointments, we ask that they cancel them 24 hours in
advance so that others may be scheduled.
All appointments with a University Writing Center tutor must be made by calling, e-mailing,
or stopping by the Center; students cannot make appointments themselves via GradesFirst.
The University Writing Center reserves the right to cancel any appointment not made
directly through the Center itself.
While walk-ins are welcome and can often be accommodated, we cannot guarantee that
a tutor will be available; tutors will only accept walk-ins if they have the availability.
Tutoring sessions are for thirty minutes; appointments for additional tutoring can
be scheduled should students require further assistance. ESL appointments, appointments
for anyone with a documented learning disability, and appointments with graduate students
last for one hour, if requested.
All appointments must be made by the student who will attend the tutorial. Appointments
may not be made by friends of the tutee or the tutee's parent(s).
Students arriving more than ten minutes late forfeit the appointment and are considered
a no-show. Three no-shows during the semester will result in the loss of appointment
scheduling privileges for that semester.
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 University
Writing Center and the tutor reserve the right to refuse the tutorial.
The University Writing Center exists to help students with the writing process. Therefore,
our faculty and graduate tutors assist students in all areas of that process, for
example: with problems and concerns about developing a thesis, organizing essays and
structuring paragraphs, writing effective sentences, incorporating transitions, addressing
issues relevant to plagiarism, and any number of additional elements involved in the
writing process. Tutors are not responsible for proofreading.
Please note that, while the University Writing Center tutors will help with essays
and writing assignments from any class, they are unable to assist students who are
working on take-home exams or out-of-class exams. Doing so would constitute excessive
collaboration and cheating on said exam.
On occasion the recommendations and instruction students receive in the University
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.
The University Writing Center is not responsible for the final grade on any written
assignment, nor are we responsible for students not implementing and/or incorporating
the tutor's recommendations for any assignment.
