About us
A page within Tutoring & Learning Center
In-Person and Virtual Appointments
The Writing Center offers in-person and synchronous virtual appointments to offer help and feedback on any and all writing tasks. We also accept online submissions through the TLC Canvas course (scroll for more information).
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
Hours: M-Th 10-7; F 10-2; Sun 4-7. We can also take walk-ins.
Just have a quick question about citation? Check out our "Resources for Writers" tab!
Where? In the Tutoring & Learning Center, on the 2nd floor of the Murphy Library. For virtual appointments, go to the Writing Center Tutoring Zoom meeting in the TLC Canvas course at your appointment time. Click here to enroll in that course.
How? Use our online booking system; simply click the link above to go through the steps.
Why? To get feedback on any writing assignment, at any stage.
Who? Peer consultants will help any UWL student.
Need to cancel your appointment? Go back to the confirmation e-mail you got for directions.
More questions? Email us at writingcenter@uwlax.edu.
More resources for Student Support? Student Success
Online Submissions
The Writing Center offers feedback on papers submitted online through the Tutoring and Learning Center Canvas course. You must enroll in that Canvas course in order to submit papers to the Writing Center. We'll read your drafts and give you suggestions for revision.
A few tips:
- We aim to provide feedback with 48 hours of submission. (see Note above)
- Expect a tutor to make suggestions to improve your writing rather than actual changes.
- Expect the tutor spend about 30 minutes reading and giving feedback on your submission, focusing on one or two major areas for improvement.
- For more comprehensive tutoring make a synchronous appointment.
Writing Center Director
English
Professor
431B Wimberly Hall
vcrank@uwlax.edu
608.785.6933
Ellie Davis
Major: Communication
Minor: Creative Writing
Ellie is a senior majoring in Communication with the goal of one day working in broadcasting. In her free time she is usually with friends or doing her nails. She also works at The Racquet here on campus and serves at Howies!
Avery Ladd-Winders
Major: Business Analytics
Minor: Accounting
Avery is a senior at UWL and has been a tutor in the Writing Center for three years! He is passionate about business writing, creative writing, and research. In his free time, Avery enjoys hiking in the bluffs, traveling, and hanging out with friends. Avery is also the Vice-President of the UWL Student Association and is excited to advocate for students during this year!
Bret Stelplugh
Major: Regional History
Minor: Literary and Cultural Studies
Bret is a senior at UWL and is entering his third year at the Writing Center. He is most proficient at working with history and English papers and has experience working with Chicago and MLA formats. In his free time, he likes to read, watch movies, and spend time with friends.
Rachel Kohlmeyer
Major: Exercise and Sports Science Pre-PT
Minor: Interpersonal Communication
Rachel is a senior at UWL and this is her third year as a tutor in the Writing Center. She has experience working on all types of papers and especially enjoys working on research papers with students. When not in the writing center Rachel enjoys reading and going for runs in the marsh.
Paige Broker
Major: English - Writing and Rhetoric
Minor: Business Administration
Paige is a junior at UWL starting her first year as a Writing Center Tutor! With her English major, she one day hopes to work in editing, publishing, or copywriting. In her free time, she reads a variety of books, plays volleyball, and snowboards in the winter. Paige also works as a volleyball official on campus for intramural sports!
Megan Jensen
Major: English Education
Megan is a senior at UWL and this will be her second semester as a tutor in the writing center. Megan has lots of experience helping people improve their writing through the education program. In her free time, Megan enjoys reading, roller skating, going for hikes, and hanging out with friends! You can find Megan working at Rudy’s in the summer as well as getting folks signed up to vote as a fellow for Wiscorps!
Sofie Hammen
Major: Communication
Minor: Creative Writing and Digital Media and Design Studies
Sofie is a sophomore at UWL starting her first year as a tutor in the Writing Center. With her Communication major she hopes to work in journalism or news analysis. In her free time, you can usually find her with friends, painting, watching the sunset at the bluffs, antiquing, or volunteering at the humane society!
Jordan Schultz
Major: Public Health and Community Health Education
Minor: Healthcare Analytics Management
Jordan is a junior at UWL. This will be her second year at the Writing Center and she loves it. She is studying public health looking to work in a non-profit for children and mental health or working within epidemiology. She just started a new job at APTIV where she works with children with disabilities. She loves to play softball, hang out with friends, listen to music, and watch movies. She loves reading literacy narratives and different medical papers since she has an interest in healthcare.
Ryan Rogalsky
Major: Writing and rhetoric
Minor: Digital media studies and graphic design
Ryan is a sophomore starting her first year in the Writing Center! She is majoring in Writing and Rhetoric with a goal of one day working in digital journalism, publishing or becoming a professor. She is passionate about expanding upon students' own bright ideas. You can always find Ryan in the English office working on course fliers, studying in the library, or brewing coffee at Moka!
Ethan Hellenbrand
Major: Physics with emphasis on Astronomy
Minor: Creative Writing
Ethan is a junior starting his first year in the Writing Center, and is most experienced with fiction and nonfiction creative writing. You can usually find him listening to music or playing bass or guitar. He also enjoys video games, movies, TV and fishing.
Natalie Jenson
Major: Public Health and Community Health Education
Natalie is a junior at UWL and a Public Health Major. This will be her second year at the Writing Center and she is so excited! She hopes after graduating to work in the areas of women’s and reproductive health. Natalie has an interest in sexual health promotion and would love to work in that area as well. She had a summer internship at Southwest Health working with rural health issues and really enjoyed it. She loves hanging out with friends, listening to music, and reading. Natalie is most experienced working with APA format and has been able to work with many types of writing styles.
UWL FYWP and WC Joint Position Statement on GenAI and Writing
We understand that for many faculty we’re at a terrifying crossroads—do we contend with Generative AI (GenAI) in our classrooms even though it seems to shift by the minute and we’re all already so overwhelmed by the task of simply teaching writing? Or do we decide, not in my backyard—not in my classroom—and draw a firm line in the sand? In many ways, the decision has already been made for us and some aspects of GenAI are already certain.
With each innovation, we’ve had to decide whether our stance toward our students will be disciplinarian or collaborative – will we police their writing processes or guide them? Will we spend our time ferreting out errors and missteps or offering feedback and instruction? The futility of “catching” students aside, this decision will determine our perspectives on our jobs, our roles as educators, and our abilities to do our work with heart and with balance. GenAI has revealed longstanding weak points in our educational systems—from the highest levels to the classroom and we are at an inflection point where we can (re)examine both our writing pedagogy and our overall philosophies for higher education.
Given the above we must acknowledge that
- GenAI is not a fad, and our students are already using it.
- GenAI is a tool, but how we use it is still under discussion.
- Understanding how to responsibly and ethically use GenAI will be expected in future workplaces.
- Writing instructors should expect that students and colleagues will come to us with questions about GenAI and we should be prepared to share resources and perspectives on GenAI use and writing.
- Because we are the recognized disciplinary and pedagogical experts on writing it is the responsibility of writing instructors to teach students how to use GenAI ethically, responsibly, and transparently.
So, where does that leave us? As two sites of writing instruction at UWL, the FYWP and the WC feel compelled to respond to this moment with some expectations and guidance for GenAI use. Following the recommendations from the “MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI Working Paper: Overview of the Issues, Statement of Principles, and Recommendations” and their “call for faculty involvement in the formation and evaluation of policies about AI rather than a top-down approach (11),” we’re making the first of what is likely to be many attempts to articulate our expectations for the ethical, responsible, and transparent use of GenAI in FYW classes and in the WC.
Ethics
- We are ethically obligated to discuss GenAI in some form in our writing classes and in the WC.
- We are ethically obligated to make sure that all our students have an adequate education on how to use writing tools—including GenAI.
- Taking a punitive stance on GenAI places us at odds with our students and affects our relationships. Ethical teaching requires that instructors resist approaching students from a “deficit” perspective – a belief that our job is to find where the student is weak, unreliable, dishonest, or deceptive.
- Uploading student work to plagiarism detectors is unethical because students have not given consent for their work to be shared with the AI machine.
- GenAI should not be an opportunity for student surveillance and surveilling students may reinforce existing biases faced by many of our students, especially BIPOC students.
Responsibility
- Faculty are responsible for providing students with guidance on how GenAI is used in their classes. (More about this under “Transparency.”)
- Students are responsible for communicating with faculty when they have questions and/or are uncertain about if their use of GenAI meets course expectations.
- Faculty are responsible for helping writing students to develop critical literacy skills, including how to use GenAI as a tool for intellectual and ethical exploration of ideas at any stage of the writing process.
- The Writing Center’s stated mission is to support students from all disciplines in becoming more effective and confident writers; this mission includes meeting students where they are and not judging how they approach writing tasks, which may mean helping them see how and when to ethically and effectively use supports like GenAI or other technologies.
- The Writing Center works with students from many disciplines and must help students understand and abide by their professors’ guidelines and policies regarding GenAI.
Transparency
- Faculty are responsible for creating accessible policies in their syllabi and course assignments for the appropriate or expected use of GenAI, including how students should cite their use of the tool. Failure to acknowledge or discuss GenAI with our students may lead to misuse of this tool.
- Faculty should also be clear about their own gaps in knowledge and understanding of new technologies and, therefore, open and responsive to learning from students about them and negotiating with students about how these new tools can and should be used in their classroom.
- If faculty choose to limit or restrict use of GenAI, they should be clear about why and identify what skills and concepts they value that would be undercut by using the tools.
- The Writing Center should regularly ask clients to talk about how they have used GenAI and what their assignment guidelines say about it to promote productive and ethical use of the tools.
- Writing Center tutors should describe how the tutor used GenAI writing assistance during a tutoring session if a client is required to verify their use of the Writing Center (via reporting slip or email to professor).
Approved by the Composition Committee spring 2024.
WRITING CENTER GENERAL INFORMATION
Write here. Write now.
Writing Center Mission
As a unit within the Tutoring and Learning Center, the UWL Writing Center supports students from all disciplines in becoming more effective and confident writers in both academic and professional situations. We provide space for students to generate ideas, collaborate, draft, write, revise, and edit in a supported environment. Trained undergraduate peer consultants work one-on-one to engage students in dialogues that meet their immediate needs in relation to specific writing projects and also support their development as writers. We believe that writing is a powerful tool not only for communicating existing ideas but for discovering new ones; that learning to write is a life-long process; and that all writers benefit from sharing work in progress with knowledgeable, attentive readers.
We offer feedback and support for writers who are
- learning new genres and styles for academic disciplines.
- developing, revising, or polishing reports and essays.
- gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing research materials.
- seeking to elevate their writing styles.
- developing application materials for scholarships, graduate programs, and jobs.
Writing Center consultants are here to assist you with all of your writing needs. Use our computers, our reference books, our couch, our staplers, our tables--but most of all use our friendly and knowledgeable staff.
What should I bring?
To get the most from your session, please bring a copy of the assignment as well as any notes or drafts. Feel free to bring in electronic versions of your work as well. Although consultants can help at the last minute, the sooner you can come in the better. Peer consultants encourage writers to be as independent as possible. We ask questions and build scenarios designed to help writers find and analyze their own problems.
Who will I be working with?
The Writing Center consultants are UWL undergraduates from many different majors, such as Psychology, Chemistry, Biology, English, Accounting, History, ESS.
Who visits the center and why?
On any given day, you are as likely to see a biology major as an English major, a freshman as a senior--or even a graduate student--using the Writing Center. Some people are working on their resumes, others are brushing up on APA documentation, and still others are discussing paper topics or overcoming writer's block. The people who visit the Writing Center are a diverse group, but they all share a commitment to improve their writing.
Want to become a Writing Center Tutor?
We are no longer accepting applications for tutoring positions for the 24-25 school year. Please consider applying again next year! We will welcome applications from students in any major. To apply, fill out an application.
Contact
Virginia Crank, Writing Center Director