Writing and Reading and Comprehension, Oh My!

Twitter: @Abigail_EF

Email: fryea@findlay.edu

There are so many different opportunities to better your studies at The University of Findlay, and the Writing Center is just one of them. If you are feeling stressed out about a paperor about writing a thesis, The Writing Center can help ease some of that stress.

The Writing Center offers various services to students of all classes and majors, and they’ve been doing it for quite a long time. Dr. Courtney Bates, Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center, explained just how long the Writing Center has been around.

“Since 1993, we’ve past a quarter-century of supporting students’ writing,” said Bates. These services have been benefiting students, both tutors and those seeking tutoring, for years.

“Tutors learn a key idea that they pass on to all writers: there’s no such thing as good writing or bad writing—or bad and good writers,” explained Bates. “All writers get stuck and unstuck when writing. The Writing Center helps people stay motivated when writing and helps them learn methods to keep writing and revising.”

The Writing Center can help with all types of classes, too.

“While we have high-usage classes, like English 106, I’d say that most students who come in value getting careful feedback from a well-trained peer,” said Bates. Students come in and enjoy the easygoing atmosphere that lacks judgement.

Dr. Bates expressed how much she enjoys working at the Writing Center as well, stating, “My favorite thing to see at the Writing Center is people coming back.” She also explained that she likes seeing familiar faces.

“Since there are different formats (walk-in, email, face-to-face, and different tutors), we have about 15-20 undergraduate tutors each academic year. Writers should return to find session types and tutors that are a great fit,” said Bates.

This can also apply to students who come into tutoring, and then come back as tutors themselves.

“We even have Graduate Writing Center tutors who help people working on a master’s thesis or PhD dissertation—all writers have more to learn,” expressed Bates.

Younger and older students alike enjoy using the services that the Writing Center offers.

Jessica Seifert, a senior Animal Science Industry major, relayed how much these services helped her throughout school.

“I have used [The Writing Center] multiple times and it has enhanced my writing experiences,” said Seifert. She continued with how helpful the tutors were during her first years at Findlay.

“I think my writing improved as a student. I just threw all of my thoughts on the paper and the Writing Center helped me arrange those thoughts into a well-developed paper. And helped me get an A,” Seifert expressed.

The Writing Center has improved the learning experience for students, including Seifert, and there is no plan of stopping it. Bates explained how she would love to see the Writing Center grow on campus.

“I’d love to see donors invest in the future of the Writing Center,” said Bates. “This year, we are lucky to have the International Writing Center Association host its conference in Columbus, Ohio, which is close enough for our tutors to participate, and we even have an undergraduate researcher, Leandra Hess, presenting on a panel with me.”

There are many projects Dr. Bates would love to see for the Writing Center, so the future is as bright as it is for the students that come in!