Writing Center Workshops
Prove to be a Big Success

The Writing Center’s series of semesterly workshops continue to be well attended. A total of sixty undergraduate and graduate students from across the disciplines attended our research and writing workshops. And, in its second year, the personal statement workshop, presented by personal statement tutor Judy Adkins, was a resounding success with over 70 attendees. Judy is a TA in the Post-Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships (PGFS) office assigned to the writing center. All workshop presentations are available under “Resources” on the writing center’s website.

JC Library Partners with Writing Center

For details on this expanded service, see Library Corner. To celebrate our partnership, the JC Library instructors hosted a Peanut Butter and Jelly party in the library atrium during midterm week. For further information, contact either Kelly Jeon at kjeon@gmu.edu, or Anna Habib at ahabib@gmu.edu.

Writing Center Trains Spanish Writing Tutor

With support from the Provost’s Office and led by Prof. Rei Berroa, the Spanish department has partnered with the writing center to train writing tutors for students writing essays in Spanish.

Poetry on Demand at Fall for the Book

For the third year, writing center tutors hosted a “Poetry on Demand” booth for the audience attending the literary festival. Tutors wrote short haikus and limericks for passers-by who filled out a questionnaire about the content and audience for the poem they
demanded.

Writing Center Staff Present at IWCA Conference

Associate Director, Anna Habib, and graduate TA/tutors Moriah Purdy and Ryan Call, presented a panel at the 25th International Writing Center Association Conference on how writing tutors position themselves as readers of non-native students’ writing and writing in
the disciplines. Their papers will be posted on the writing center site:
http://writingcenter.gmu.edu.

What Are the Language Backgrounds of
the ESL Clients We See?

Welcome to Our
Peer Tutors from
Across the Curriculum

• Romina Boccia, Economics
• Carolyn Gergel, Biology
• Nya Jackson, Mason Topics Peer Tutor, Public Administration
• Claire Love, History
• Louise Tavey Martin, Administration of Justice
• Cait McPherson, Anthropology/
  Archeology
• Gordon Ramsay, Spanish writing tutor
• Scott Silvestain, Accounting
• Annie Stickney, Mason Topics Peer Tutor, Global Affairs

Congratulations to
Our Writing Fellows

• Mike Dupuy (Engineering 107/
  English 101 with Professors Jeffrey Leaf and Kenneth Thompson)
• Tamara Rouse (HHS 201: Careers in Health Professions with Professors Thomas Henderson and Emil Chuck)
• Shamama Moosvi, Undergraduate Research Apprentice with Terry Zawacki and Anna Habib.

This News from the Center is reported by Anna Habib, Assistant Director of the Writing Center.