University Writing Center (UWC) Policies

UWC Guidelines for Students:

•   Cell Phones:  The UWC is a cell phone free zone.  If a student opts to take (or make) a call during a tutoring session, she or he needs to leave the center to attend to the call  thereby ending the tutoring session. 
•   Interrupting Sessions:  While the center is a friendly, lively place with lots of conversations across the tables, it is important to refrain from interrupting tutors and students during their tutoring sessions.  The same respect will be given to you during your session.
•   Rude Behavior:  Tutors have the right to terminate a session if a student is acting in a rude, inconsiderate, or inappropriate manner.
•   Dropping Off Papers:  We will not work on your paper without you present.  
•   Printing:  As long at the printer is operational, students are welcome to print the paper (and accompanying materials) on the day of the session.

A Writing Center Approach to Feedback:

All writers benefit from sharing their writing with multiple audiences.  Therefore, the UWC offers free one-to-one writing help to students from all disciplines at any stage of their writing process.  Our effort is for you to become better writers, not necessarily to produce better papers - but as a result of the consultation process, papers generally improve.  With that in mind, please know that the kind of feedback you will receive in the UWC may be a bit different from what you are accustomed to.

UWC Tutors WILL . . .

• Read and respond to your papers from courses across the curriculum
• Help you explore your ideas
• Listen actively and encourage you to develop strategies to address your individual writing concerns
• Support all stages of the writing process, from gathering ideas and evidence to polishing the finished paper
• Offer information and suggestions rather than issuing directives about what to do
• Respect  your privacy
• Respect differences in learning styles, linguistic background, and cultural experience

UWC Tutors WON'T . . .

• Write any part of your paper for you
• Correct your paper
• Help with a take-home exam without the explicit permission of the instructor
• Speculate about a grade or comment on the design of an assignment

UWC Tutors CAN'T . . .

• “Fix” a paper one or two hours before it is due
• Come up with all of the ideas or tell you what to write
• Help with content knowledge - our tutors have not necessarily taken your class