The Writing Center Philosophy
The Writing Center is a friendly place where students may receive help with their writing and know they will be treated with respect and kindness in a non-threatening atmosphere. Students can work on whatāfor many of themāis a difficult, mysterious, and stressful task. We try to demystify the writing process, working with each individual writer who seeks our help to find a way of proceeding that works best for him or her.
Though we work to ensure that all clients leave the Writing Center with a clear idea of what they need to do to improve their paper, we do not feel that this is enough. We are passionately dedicated to the goal of helping our clients become more self-sufficient writers. We want them on their own to put into practice the skills and techniques that they learn in sessions with our writing assistants. No writer is ever entirely self-sufficient -- even the best and most professional writers seek input and advice from others -- but what the best writers do have is the learned ability to serve as their own readers and editors, to question their purpose for writing and their effectiveness in communicating information and ideas. We are always working on ways to help students achieve this sort of independence; to this end, we urge students to make multiple appointments for every writing project and to come to The Writing Center with every writing assignment they receive. Moreover, we try always to be learning ourselves, from our clients, from each other, from faculty across the disciplines, from writers and researchers in the field, and from our own experiences as writers.
The Writing Center is located in the Student Success Center in the L.C. Norton Library
To make an appointment, call 318.487.7160, or go to the Writing Center and sign up in the schedule binder. Walk-ins are welcome if appointments are available.
Contact Information
Dr. Julie Driessen, Professor of English & French
Director of the Writing Center
Division ofĀ Language and Literature
318-487-7445
julie.driessen@lcuniversity.edu
What We Do
The Writing Center is a free academic support service sponsored through the Humanities Division that allows students to work one-on-one with trained assistants on any aspect of their writing project. Most of our clients are students who are working on class assignments. We generally help students:
- grasp the assignment and what it requires of them
- understand how their own writing is and isnāt working
- learn strategies for writing tasks (how to brainstorm, organize, etc.
- practice the art of revision in both re-seeing and rewriting
Our approach to assisting, then, is first and last to ask questions and help student writers to discover their own purpose for writing and means by which this purpose can be best achieved. In the best case, this process becomes a habit of mind which students subsequently practice on their own. We aim at rendering ourselves unnecessary to the student in the future when he or she acquires the habits of being able to think through a topic, organize ideas, anticipate and counter objections or questions, illustrate by data or example, check and repair sentences and so on. To that end, we strongly urge students to make multiple appointments for each writing assignment they bring to us. A single visit is of much less value in the long term than multiple visits.
If there exists a misconception about The Writing Center, it is that it functions primarily a proofreading service, that we provide a sort of one-hour martinizing to "clean up" student papers. That is not what we do. Everything we do is aimed at empowering the student writer to write effectively without our intervention, and proofreading studentsā papers for them would be counter to this aim. In view of our limited time and resources, we try to concentrate efforts where they will do the most long-term good. For example, we would ask, āHow can you make this paragraph more coherent or persuasive?ā as opposed to āWhich pronoun case is used before a gerund?ā This does not mean that we do not address grammar and punctuation problems, because we do. We work with students to help them recognize and correct their errors and patterns of error as well as introducing them to useful proofreading techniques.
Writing Center
Appointments: Call (318) 487-7160, email writing.center@lcuniversity.edu, or go to the Writing Center to sign up in the schedule binder. Walk-ins are welcome, if appointments are available.
Location: Student Success Center in the LCU Norton Library (ground floor)
M: 8 am - 9 am, 10 am - 12 pm, 2 pm - 4 pm, 6 pm - 8 pm
T: 12:30 pm - 2 pm
W: 8 am - 9 am, 10 am - 12 pm, 2 pm - 4 pm, 6 pm - 8 pm
TH: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm, 6 pm - 7 pm
F: 8 am - 12 pm
Online Writing Center
No appointment needed, Available to All LCU Students
Available after hours and weekends
For online writing assistance, visit the chat room during the hours listed below:
http://libraryh3lp.com/chat/la-college-writing-center@chat.libraryh3lp.com
Sundays: 1 pm - 4 pm
Meet the Writing Center Assistants
Delaina Doyle
Hi! My name is Delaina Doyle, and I am a sophomore English major. I have had a strong passion for writing and helping others since I was a kid, and I plan on building a future upon those areas of interest. My ultimate goal and dream job is to one day become an editor for a publishing company. This is my second semester working in the Writing Center, and I have loved every second of it! I look forward to meeting new people this semester and helping others develop the same love for writing that I have!
Breland Morris
Hi! Iām Breland Morris, and I am a junior English major with a History minor. Writing, grammar, and linguistics are some of my favorite things to study. I also enjoy reading, traveling, art, and photography. This is my second semester in the Writing Center. I am happy to help you with your writing in any way I can, whether it is brainstorming, adding final touches to your work, or anything in between. I hope to help you feel confident in your writing, and to feel welcome to reach out for any extra help if needed. Iām so excited to work with you this semester!
Eden Sliman
Hey! Iām Eden Sliman, and I am a sophomore English major with a Spanish minor. I have served as a Welcome Week leader, am part of the Honors Program, and participate in Chorale. However, this is my first semester in the Writing Center, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this program! I look forward to furthering my own writing skills as I help those who utilize the Writing Center, and I am thankful for the opportunity to help people in a field in which I am passionate. I am here to help in any way I can. I am excited to work with all of you!