Writing center roosts see consistent use

By Kayla Regan

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Despite fluctuating numbers in past semesters, the KU Writing Center has seen consistent use of its writing roosts this year, especially in the residence halls.

In Fall 2007, consultants working in residence halls held 81 writing sessions. That number dropped to 61 sessions in Spring 2008 but then increased again last fall, with 205 residence hall writing roost sessions.

Terese Thonus, director for the KU Writing Center, said for the past five years the number of freshmen who used the center’s services has been high during the fall semester but decreased in the spring.

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Photo by Tyler Waugh

Kate Feller, Lenexa freshman, got help from the writing center on a paper. She is working on a paper for her Understand the Bible class.

This spring, though, the number of residence hall writing roost sessions hasn’t shown signs of slowing. During the last six weeks of school, consultants held 36 sessions with students in the six residence hall writing center roosts — more than half the number of sessions during the entire Spring 2008 semester.

Given the increased number, Thonus said that the 26 writing center consultants should expect to give students more help than usual during this semester’s midterms.

“Around midterm time is when many professors who are assigning papers in stages are asking for a proposal or an outline,” Thonus said. “This is when students are beginning end-of-semester papers and really take advantage of our services.”

Corbin Hall, which opened the latest residence hall writing roost last spring, has had 24 tutoring sessions in its first semester, more than any other residence hall writing roost that semester.

Sarah Sommer, Fredonia sophomore, lived in Corbin last year and said she sought help from the center before turning in her first college paper. Although she wasn’t disappointed with the advice she received, Sommer said it would still be a good idea for students to check over their own work.

“It’s convenient and it helps me feel better with my paper knowing someone else has read it,” Sommer said.

Thonus said students should always have more than one person review their work, and that it was against the center’s policy for students to meet exclusively with a specific consultant.

Hali Baker, a consultant at the Corbin Hall writing roost, said the majority of the residents she helped expected her to correct their work during the session and nothing else.

“People come in with the idea we’re an editing center,” Baker, Council Grove senior, said. “But we talk with the writer to get ideas about what they want to express in their paper. A lot of times they’ll correct their own mistakes.”

Alex Bergin, writing consultant in McCollum Hall and Leawood junior, said he helped students during sessions by addressing their specific questions and showing them ways to find the answers themselves.

Bergin said each session was unique to the individual, and not a standard tutoring opportunity.

“I try to make it as much as their thing as possible,” he said. “A lot of people come in who aren’t working on it yet, and it’s just a brainstorming session.”

The center helps students with everything from writing a class assignment to putting together a résumé, Thonus said. Although the majority of students use roosts in the libraries or the center’s online consultations, Thonus said the center worked with residence halls to expand students’ support system.

“We’ve always been very excited about it because students who live in those halls can very quickly talk to tutors and get the help they need,” Thonus said. “We’re getting students at the point of need, location, time and task.”

For the Writing Center's hours at each of its locations, visit the Writing Center's Web site.

— — Edited by Susan Melgren

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