Renee Tomcanin
Help for all those impossible papers is just around the corner. The new Writing Center is open and ready to help students with any kind of writing from English to biology.
The new center is located on the third floor of the Mansion in rooms 32, 33 and 34. The goal of the center is to help students improve their writing skills in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.
Dr. Ted Blaisdell, who along with Cabrini graduate Rachel Slaughter are running the center, said that creating a laid back feeling is something he was directed to do. The Writing Center is billing itself as home of the Rough Writers and is using the horse as the mascot.
“A cavalier is nothing without his horse,” Blaisdell said. “A student needs excellent writing skills.”
A student can expect many things when he or she arranges a meeting at the center. Blaisdell, Slaughter and a group of peer tutors will be available at many hours to sit down and discuss papers with students within the next week.
The advisers will sit down and give constructive criticism on papers from any course. They will take a more diagnostic approach to tutoring. Instead of fixing errors, specific problems will be addressed. It will be up to the student to correct most grammatical errors. “It is like exercise. You benefit by doing it yourself,” Blaisdell said.
What students can expect is help in communicating ideas and understanding assignments. According to Blaisdell, most students can write well, but they have trouble understanding what a professor wants them to write about. The tutors at the Writing Center will help a student read through the assignment and syllabus and help them interpret what the professor wants. The Writing Center will help the students see what the assignment is.
Assistance in writing will be available for students of all writing levels, but Blaisdell sees it as best for those in an intermediate level. Those are students who have the mechanics but just need to sort through the clutter to develop a good paper.
The Writing Center will also be reaching out onto campus to help. On Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, representatives will be in different residence halls. Students from all halls and off campus can come and use the service. “We don’t proofread, but we’re a big help,” Blaisdell said.
The Writing Center is also looking for peer tutors. Anyone interested should have a 2.75 G.P.A. and a 3.0 in writing classes. They must have excellence in writing and be able to give constructive criticism. Anyone interested can see Blaisdell or Slaughter in the Writing Center.
