1 . What is the mission of the Writing Center?^

Mission Statement: The Writing Center strives to serve all writers in the academic community at Gonzaga University.  The main goal of the Writing Center is to provide free, non-credit learning support for student writers of all abilities as they produce writing for audiences in curricular, co-curricular, and pre-professional settings.  The tutoring philosophy entails treating every student with respect and approaching each tutoring session as an opportunity for facilitating critical but sensitive dialogue about students' writing processes and writing.  Toward this end, students are welcome to visit the Writing Center at any stage of their writing project, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, and proofreading.  While the Writing Center is not an editing service, tutors are available to help writers develop strategies for self-editing.  In addition, the Writing Center's website provides online resources for writers. Students may come to the Writing Center by their own choice and by instructor referral.  The Writing Center is located just inside the main entrance of the Foley Center Library.

Tutors want to help students in the following ways:

1. To identify strengths and weaknesses in their work as a whole, rather than to provide help in order to generate a higher grade on a paper about to be submitted.
2. To show students how to find and correct their own errors.
3. To advise students about the following features of their writing:
   • Thesis or controlling idea
   • Development or support of the thesis
   • Organization and logical transitions
   • Sentence structure and variety
   • Word choice, grammar, and punctuation

2 . How can the Writing Center help me with my writing?^

Tutors at the Writing Center are prepared to assist students in several ways:

1. To identify and refine the thesis or controlling idea of the paper
2. To work on development or support of the thesis
3. To improve organization and logical transitions
4. To develop effective and varied sentence structures
5. To help with word choice, grammar, and punctuation
6. To show students how to find and correct their own errors

3 . If I stop in right before class, can you proofread my paper for me?^

We can assist you better if you bring your draft to us several days before a paper is due. Since we focus on two or three issues during the tutoring session, another session may be necessary to discuss everything in your paper.

The short answer to the question about proofreading is "no, not exactly." Although we help you to discover and correct errors, we are not a proofreading service. We work collaboratively with you to help you become a better editor of your own work.

Students, not tutors, are responsible for the papers submitted to instructors.

4 . What happens during a tutoring session? How long does a session last?^

During the tutoring session, you'll work one-on-one with a tutor; you'll read your paper (perhaps aloud) and discuss parts of it with the tutor. The session will work best if you have some idea already about what parts of the paper you'd like to discuss and why.

Tutoring sessions usually last 30 minutes.

5 . How can I tell if a particular tutor is on duty?^

You can call the Writing Center at (509) 313-6610 to find out who is on duty.

6 . Do you have any handouts or online materials available?^

We have a number of links to excellent sites on the main page of this site. By following those links you can find APA and MLA documentation styles, online dictionaries, grammar sites, and help with writing for ESL students.

Some of the writing center sites, such as Purdue's Online Writing Center, have excellent handouts available online. Since all Gonzaga students have a handbook that explains the same information, our site does not include additional handouts on writing, although handouts on creating web pages and on using Blackboard are available in the Writing Center.

7 . I'm a distance learning student and can't come to the Writing Center. Is there an Online Writing Center or any way that I can receive help with my papers by sending them to the tutors?^

We currently do not have an Online Writing Center and are not equipped to handle papers submitted online--sorry.

8 . My question isn't covered here. How can I find out what I need to know?^

Stop by the Writing Center in the Foley Center Library during our regular hours and talk to a tutor, or call (509) 313-6610. Our tutors can answer most questions for you.

For more information about the Writing Center, please contact Dr. John Eliason, Director of Composition and the Writing Center.  Thank you.