welcome to the 2014 ncwca conference - sonoma state university€¦ · welcome to the 2014 ncwca...

18
Welcome to the 2014 NCWCA Conference On behalf of the Sonoma State University Writing Center, we are delighted to welcome you to the annual Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference. As a participant today, you will have the opportunity to meet tutors, writing center coordinators and directors, and teachers of composition who are all here to carry on the vibrant conversation about the important work we do with our students and within our institutions. This conference gives us the distinct pleasure of collaborating with truly dedicated, like- minded individuals: sharing research, trading practical methodologies, and telling stories of our own creative approaches. We invite you to take inspiration from the ideas and people that you encounter today, and return to your own spiritual and physical Center recharged to take on the task that we all hold dear. -2014 Conference Planning Committee

Upload: lydieu

Post on 20-Apr-2018

217 views

Category:

Documents


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to the 2014 NCWCA Conference

On behalf of the Sonoma State University Writing Center, we are delighted to welcome you to the annual Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference. As a participant today, you will have the opportunity to meet tutors, writing center coordinators and directors, and teachers of composition who are all here to carry on the vibrant conversation about the important work we do with our students and within our institutions. This conference gives us the distinct pleasure of collaborating with truly dedicated, like-minded individuals: sharing research, trading practical methodologies, and telling stories of our own creative approaches. We invite you to take inspiration from the ideas and people that you encounter today, and return to your own spiritual and physical Center recharged to take on the task that we all hold dear.

-2014 Conference Planning Committee

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths:

Authorizing Centers and Students

NCWCA Board of Directors

Sheryl Cavales DoolanSanta Rosa Junior College

Leslie DennenUniversity of San Francisco

Magda GilewiczFresno State University

Susan Griffin Sacramento City College

Elizabeth KeithleyUC Berkeley

Tereza Joy KramerSaint Mary’s College

Alberto LedesmaUC Berkeley

Kyra MelloYuba Community College

Loriann NegriSonoma State University

Natasha OehlmanCSU Monterey

Scott Miller, Treasurer Sonoma State University

Dan Melzer, PresidentCSU Sacramento

Conference Organizers

Sheryl Cavales DoolanConference Co-Chair

John B. KincheloeConference Co-Chair,

Webmaster

Scott MillerConference Co-Chair

Loriann NegriConference Co-Chair

Katie PinkstonConference Co-Chair,

Program Design

Eric JenneProgram Consultant

Kaitlin KrebsProgram Consultant

Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference • April 4 -5 , 2014 • Sonoma State University

1

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association

Keynote Speaker

Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Writing Center/WAC Coordinator at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is President of the International Writing Centers Association and former president of the Southeastern Writing Center Association.

His co-edited book, Creative Approaches to Writing Center Work (Hampton, 2008), won the 2009 IWCA Outstanding Book/Major Work Award. His writing has appeared in The Writing Center Director’s Resource, ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors, The Successful High School Writing Center: Building the Best Program with Your Students, The Writing Center Journal, Praxis, and Academic Exchange Quarterly.

Dvorak started his writing center career at Sonoma State University’s Writing Center, where he worked as a tutor and Graduate Assistant Director while earning his master’s degree. His first conference presentation was delivered at the 2001 Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference, and he is now happy to return to his writing center home.

Kevin DvorakAssociate Professor of EnglishWriting Center / WAC CoordinatorNova Southeastern University

“The Art of Writing Center Work: Drawing on and Playing to Our Strengths”In his keynote address, Kevin examines ways in which writing centers determine their strengths and build upon them in order to provide spaces that empower tutors, students, and communities. He calls on us to consider how we can use leadership theories, creative/non-traditional pedagogies, and play to help tutors and students develop authority and authorship.

2

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 20143

Conference Schedule Saturday, April 5th, 2014

8:00 am - 9:00 am

9:00 am - 9:15 am

9:15 am - 10:10 am

10:20 am - 11:20 am

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

12:35 pm - 1:40 pm

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

4:15 pm - 5:30 pm

Registration and Continental Breakfast Student Center Ballroom B

Opening Remarks Student Center Ballroom B

Keynote Address: Kevin Dvorak “The Art of Writing Center Work” Student Center Ballroom B

Session One Student Center

Session Two Student Center

Lunch and NCWCA Board Meeting

Session Three Student Center

Session Four Student Center

Reception Student Center Ballroom B

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association

Practical DetailsParkingSonoma State University requires parking permits in all lots 24/7. Please park in any “general parking” lot and purchase permits for all vehicles at a yellow parking kiosk (one is available in each lot). Parking Lot J is most convenient for conference attendees.

Meals• Continental Breakfast will be served in Ballroom B of the Student Center during

Registration from 8:00 am-9:00 am• Boxed Lunches will be available on the balcony just outside the session meeting rooms.• Your name tag will serve as your lunch ticket, so please be sure to wear it when you

are picking up your lunch. SSU has a very scenic campus; if the weather is nice, we recommend you take your lunch and explore the grounds. If inclement weather arises, you may eat in the lounge area or Lobo’s dining room (both on the first floor of the Student Center).

• Water and coffee will be available near the session meeting rooms after lunch.

ReceptionRefreshments will be served at the Post-Conference Reception in Ballroom B of the Student Center, from 4:15 pm-5:30 pm. Come return your name badge and participate in a raffle for some awesome Sonoma County prizes.

Exhibitor TablesPublishers’ tables will be outside Ballroom B throughout the conference. Publisher representatives will be available throughout the day to answer any publishing-related questions.

Problems or EmergenciesThe center of operations will be stationed outside of Ballroom B. If you have any problems requiring immediate attention, contact Loriann Negri, Scott Miller, or any member of the SSU WC sporting a blue Utopia Bear t-shirt.

Have Some Fun with Us!Be prepared to involve yourself in writing games and playful collaborations today! Look for “play stations” and add your own voice. It is the hope of those of us at SSU to compile your creativity as material for our upcoming issue of Ink Tank!, the SSU WC’s own literary journal. We hope to publish your work! We’ll let you know how to request a copy of the volume when it arrives.

4

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 20145

Session Overview

PRE

SEN

TA

TIO

N T

HR

EA

DS:

Play C

enter Identities: Practical Structure

Diverse Practices for D

iverse Students

Center Philosophy

Tutorial B

est Practices  

Session 1 (10:20-11:20) Session 2 (11:30-12:30)

Session 3 (1:45-2:45) Session 4 (3:00-4:00)

Gu

ided

by L

esser An

gels U

niversity of Nevada, R

eno

Writers at P

lay: Th

e How

and

Wh

y of F

un

Activities in

the W

riting C

enter

CSU

Stanislaus

Stop, C

ollaborate, an

d L

isten”

to E

ach O

ther: G

uid

ing Stu

den

ts to E

xperien

ce the P

ower of Sm

all-Grou

p

Writin

g Circles

Saint Mary’s C

ollege

G

etting D

irty: How

to Overcom

e Stu

den

t Resistan

ce to Peer W

orksh

ops

CSU

Sacramento

Sailing th

e Sea of Revision

C

SU Fresno

Master Jed

i 101: Th

e Ped

agogy of M

inim

alism an

d W

riting in

the

Discip

lines (W

ID)

Saint Mary’s C

ollege

Playin

g up

Person

ality Preferen

ces: W

orkin

g from O

ur Stren

gths

Truckee M

eadows C

C

Percep

tions of P

layfuln

ess—W

ithin

an

d W

ithou

t U

niversity of Nevada, R

eno

Th

e Bu

rkean

Wh

iteboard

: Insp

iring

Creativity an

d C

ollaboration

Am

ong

Stud

ents an

d A

dvisers

Saint Mary’s C

ollege

Creatin

g Spaces th

at Welcom

e A

ll Stud

ents

Nova Southeastern U

niversity

Th

e Ben

efits of Particip

ating in

an

Interd

isciplin

ary Writin

g Cen

ter: T

hin

kin

g Critically A

bou

t Writin

g Across

the D

isciplin

es C

SU M

onterey Bay

Art, V

isual L

iteracy, and

Writer’s

Cen

ter Con

versations for E

LL

E

astern Washington U

niversity

U

tilizing A

lternative M

ethod

s in

the C

ontem

porary W

riting C

enter:

Sup

portin

g Writers w

ith D

escriptive

Gram

mar A

pp

roaches

CSU

Monterey B

ay

Em

pow

ering Stu

den

ts in

Rem

edial E

nglish

Th

rough

Su

pp

lemen

tal Instru

ction

Truckee M

eadows C

C

L

ighten

ing th

e Mood

: Leveragin

g P

lay to Motivate Stu

den

ts and

Tu

tors in a

Profession

al En

vironm

ent

San Jose State University

Match

ing M

issions: A

lignin

g You

r C

enter w

ith th

e Ph

ilosoph

ies and

Need

s of Y

our C

omm

un

ity Saint M

ary’s College

Stru

ctural In

tegrity: Bu

ildin

g a W

riting C

enter w

ith Stu

den

ts in M

ind

Santa R

osa Junior College/Sonom

a State

*OPE

N*

Y

our K

rypton

ite is My Sp

inach

Sonom

a State University

I, Sh

e, We: H

ow an

d W

hy to

Create T

rainin

gs Usin

g Lin

guistic

An

alysis of Con

ference Su

mm

aries T

ruckee Meadow

s CC

Creatin

g the B

est Learn

ing

Exp

erience O

nlin

e Santa C

lara University

P

ossible P

aths: C

hoosin

g E

ffective Feed

back

in O

ne-O

n-O

ne

Tu

toring

CSU

Fresno

Th

e Perils of P

ersona: B

alancin

g a Social M

edia P

ersona an

d A

cadem

ic A

uth

ority U

niversity of Nevada, R

eno

Movin

g from W

AC

to CA

C in

Writin

g C

enters

CSU

Sacramento

Con

versation in

the W

riting P

rocess &

ESL

Stud

ents in

the W

riting C

enter

Santa Clara U

niversity

Usin

g An

d an

d B

ut at th

e Begin

nin

g of Sen

tences

Center for A

dvanced Studies

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association6

Session One 10:20 am - 11:20 am

1A Sonoma Valley

Guided by Lesser Angels: Acknowledging and Building on Our Less-Than-Positive Reactions Bill Macauley, Jessica Ross, Erin Beatie, Erin Goldin University of Nevada, RenoSometimes things don’t go the way they should. Our thoughts, responses, and reactions are not always what they should be, either. Instead of ignoring or hiding these experiences, this session will have some fun with our darker moments and use them for productive development.

Workshop: Sailing the Sea of Revision Joseph Marcure, Elizabeth Alfving, Hannah Richardson CSU FresnoFocusing on the developmental and social aspects of writing, our One-on-One tutoring sessions are grounded in a written conversation that also minimizes tutor and student anxiety. This workshop introduces then gives a firsthand experience of our unique approach to all content-based revision concerns.

The Burkean Whiteboard: Inspiring Creativity and Collaboration Among Students and Advisers Bridget Hanna, Sam Ricci, Tori Stringer, Madeline Bell Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaThis panel explores creativity and collaboration a la the Burkean Parlor. We discuss how to use art to create a conversation in order to topple the walls of perceived authority and promote student success. Participants will co-create a whiteboard to represent the group’s collective identity.

Utilizing Alternative Methods in the Contemporary Writing Center: Supporting Writers with Descriptive Grammar Approaches Lucas Bailor CSU Monterey BayThis presentation covers the debate between prescriptive and descriptive grammar approaches in the context of postmodern theory at a university writing center. Attendees are invited to think of ways descriptive grammar approaches can be used, specifically with struggling writers, to encourage agency and creative expression in academic writing.

1B Alexander Valley

Bennett Valley 1C

1D Russian River Valley

1E Dry Creek Valley

Structural Integrity: Building a Writing Center with Students in Mind Sheryl Cavales Doolan, John B. Kincheloe, Matthew Martin, M. Bryn Schut Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State UniversityIn pursuit of the practical writing center, structure is paramount in maximizing its effectiveness. This panel presentation is comprised of staff members from two writing centers with different structural models: that of Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. Questions will be directed to understand how the differing structures are working to serve their respective student populations, and how those centers—and the greater writing center community—can learn from one another.

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 2014

Session Two 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

7

2A

Writers at Play: The How and Why of Fun Activities in the Writing Center Dawson Vorderbruegge, Danielle Mingua-Lopstain, Ricardo Friaz, Amanda Heinrichs CSU StanislausThis interactive workshop will invite audience members to engage in a host of new playful activities and discuss the theoretical background that drives them. This session will double-dip in both snacking and idea-sharing that will feed your writing center toolkit.

Master Jedi 101: The Pedagogy of Minimalism and Writing in the Disciplines (WID) David Fujii, CJ Cosas, Krista Varela Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaA Jedi Master never pretends to know how her young “Padawan” will fulfill the destiny. In the same way, a minimalist adviser offers questions and perspectives, never stealing control of the disciplinary subject or the expression. After discussing, participants will be invited to role-play a Jedi Master guiding an apprentice.

Sonoma Valley

Alexander Valley2B

Bennett Valley2C

Creating Spaces that Welcome All Students Shanti Bruce Nova Southeastern UniversityThis presentation will share the results of a case-study of the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Writing Center. Results include ways writing centers in the States can create spaces that welcome all students, including presenting a multicultural scenario, developing sensitivity towards difference, and participating in multicultural education.

2D Russian River Valley

Empowering Students in Remedial English Through Supplemental Instruction Isabel Youngs, Annie Monson Truckee Meadows Community CollegeSupplemental Instruction (SI) for remedial English is an avenue by which writing centers can assist students in a practical and accessible way. In this presentation, we will cover the successes and failures of SI at Truckee Meadows Community College and discuss implementation strategies for future semesters.

1F Knights Valley

Creating the Best Learning Experience Online Karlyse Bailey Santa Clara UniversityMore and more, colleges are leaning in to technology, and so how can you adapt in order to ensure the stu-dent’s educational experience does not suffer? How does your choice of font, background color, and profile picture affect their learning satisfaction? Come find out!

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association8

Session Three 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

3A Sonoma Valley

“Stop, Collaborate, and Listen” to Each Other: Guiding Students to Experience the Power of Small-Group Writing Circles Audrey Agot, Brittany Wason, Somel Jammu, Tereza Joy Kramer Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaLamenting some students’ disempowering habits, we created small-group workshops to steer them out of solitary struggle and into a place where they could re-authorize themselves. We’ll discuss grounding theories of collaboration and knowledge transfer and invite participants into writing circles to brainstorm collaborative pedagogies for their student populations.

3C Bennett Valley

Playing up Personality Preferences: Working from Our Strengths Michelle Montoya Truckee Meadows Community CollegePersonality types can influence tutoring styles and affect sessions. Learn how to implement a training program that includes activities related to personality types. Focus will be on practical applications in writing center environments that will contribute to a positive work environment in which tutors’ strengths are recognized.

3D Russian River Valley

Lightening the Mood: Leveraging Play to Motivate Students and Tutors in a Professional Environment Andrew Tucker, Jessy Goodman, Jeff Heid, Ben Aldridge San Jose State UniversityThough the San Jose State University Writing Center functions much like a business, requiring accountability and professionalism from tutors and students, we would not succeed without some levity. By encouraging “play” among our employees, we in turn encourage them to apply those strategies when working with tutees.

3B Alexander Valley

The Benefits of Participating in an Interdisciplinary Writing Center: Thinking Critically about Writing Across the Curriculum Tyler Reyes, Mariah Pritchett CSU Monterey BayThis presentation will focus on the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach in a university writing center. By creating an atmosphere of diversity and cooperation while applying reader and criterion-based feedback, writing center tutors have the potential to foster creative efficacy in writing for tutees as well as tutors.

Possible Paths: Choosing Effective Feedback in One-on-One Tutoring Kyle Hoover, Cody Hoover, Shane Wood, Gilliann Hensley-Sanchez CSU FresnoOne-on-one tutoring can present many difficulties, and it may be tough deciding what to do in any given session. This panel helps by introducing and explaining methods that make tutoring easier but that still allow for the flexibility and personalization needed to give effective feedback.

2E Knights Valley

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 20149

3E Dry Creek Valley

Your Kryptonite is My Spinach Jennifer Haigh, Robert Barrett, Michael Eliscu, Theresa DeVega Sonoma State UniversityWhat does student empowerment look like for different groups of students? How can tutors help to facilitate student empowerment in tutorial sessions? When does empowering students go against the grain of traditional writing center philosophy? Please join us for a workshop discussing student empowerment in tutorial sessions, particularly in the context of “good” and “correct” student writing.

3F Knights Valley

The Perils of Persona: Balancing a Social Media Persona and Academic Authority Jessica Ross University of Nevada, RenoA center’s navigation of the mixed-use space of social media raises difficult questions about how to preserve ethos within academic communities. We will discuss the struggles we face when trying to engage with students through social media while still maintaining authority in a writing center.

Moving from WAC to CAC in Writing Centers Setareh Tabrizi CSU, Sacramento“Moving from WAC to CAC in Writing Centers” will be a presentation that draws on research from a cul-minating master’s project that will examine five universities that are well known Communicating Across the Curriculum (CAC) campuses. This presentation will analyze the features of each of these CAC programs and provide advice for ways writing centers can incorporate oral communication.

Session Four 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Sonoma Valley4A

Getting Dirty: How to Overcome Student Resistance to Peer Workshops Anya Connelly, Brittney Farrand, Ambyr Gage CSU SacramentoIn this workshop panel, we will explore the topic of student aversion to group tutorials. We will present theories on this topic proposed by composition scholars Rebecca L. Jackson and Wendy Bishop. We will then lead the audience in three separate fifteen-minute workshops they could model in their own classrooms and group tutorials which attempt to break down the barrier between the commonly practiced superficial peer response students are giving and the kind of deep evaluative peer response that will propel student composition skills tutors and instructors want students to engage in. In order to break down this wall, we propose that as tutors and instructors, we must first dispel the commonly held student belief of what Bishop calls “the solitary genius.” After our three short workshop activities, we will have a ten-minute Q&A and reflection wrap up.

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association10

4B Alexander Valley

Perceptions of Playfulness—Within and Without Angela Spires, Maureen McBride, Jessica Ross University of Nevada, RenoHow can our work in the community inform our campus interactions? How can playfulness in one community inform playfulness in another? This interactive session will engage participants in discussion of past and future playfulness projects and examination of scenarios and potential complications.

4C Bennett Valley

Art, Visual Literacy, and Writers’ Center Conversations for English Language Learners Summer Hess Eastern Washington UniversityVisual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a method of facilitating discussions about art, images, and texts. This year, I piloted the use of VTS in Writers’ Center conversations with English Language Learners. Join me in a discussion about VTS, its learning outcomes, and its alignment with the Writers’ Center mission.

4D Russian River Valley

Matching Missions: Aligning your Center with the Philosophies and Needs of your Community Steven Colson, Holland Enke, Jaq Davis, Reyna Olegario Saint Mary’s College of California Saint Mary’s Writing Center was failing to attract many students or meet community needs. Using a service-learning model, the Center reevaluated its purpose and made practical changes, increasing usage and overall success. We’ll present this case study and guide participants to analyze how their centers align with their campus missions.

Dry Creek Valley

I, She, We: How and Why to Create Trainings Using Linguistic Analysis of Conference Summaries Allyson Stronach, Isabel Youngs, Julian Jacobs, Michelle Montoya Truckee Meadows Community CollegeTo develop effective conference summary trainings for our tutors, we analyzed pronoun use, summary length, and verb constructions in conference summaries using a corpus linguistics program called SketchEngine. In this presentation, we will discuss our methods/results, training development, SketchEngine’s potential uses, and the role of quantitative analysis in writing centers.

4E

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 201411

Conversation in the Writing Process & ESL Students in the Writing Center Mary Robinson Santa Clara UniversityConversation often leads to clarity of thought and ideas as well as conception of questions and new ideas. But, what does this developmental conversation look like for ESL students? Exploring questions like this through a blend of scholarly research about conversation’s role in the writing process and a unique perspective and experience working with ESL and nonmainstream students, this discussion and presentation will examine conversation in the writing center, and further explore how ESL and NNS writers can gain authority over their writing, and have their voice, imagination and ingenuity color the writing between themselves, their audience and their institution. Using And and But at the Beginning of Sentences Kristjan Bondesson Center for Advanced StudiesOne of the most helpful strategies in tutoring is helping writers understand various powerful uses of transitional words and phrases. The simple words and and but are cases in point--two words that traditionally have been sometimes forbidden as sentence-openers. The presenter will share example published sentences using initial and and but and help participants develop surprisingly powerful ideas for helping writers use these transitions effectively.

4F Knights Valley

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association12

Post Conference Reception 4:15 pm - 5:30 pmAfter Session Four, please join us back in Ballroom B for refreshments

and a raffle.Please return your name badges for a chance at raffle prizes.

Please also return the conference evaluation form provided in your folder at that time.

Many Thanks

We gratefully acknowledge and thank all the many talented and generous people who helped bring this conference to fruition. At Sonoma State University, special thanks go to John Kincheloe and Katie Pinkston, SSU Writing Center Assistant Directors and Conference Planning Dream Team; Elaine Sundberg, Associate Vice President for Academic Programs, whose continued support of the SSU Writing Center has allowed it to be the utopian playground that it is; Provost Andrew Rogerson and the SSU Academic Affairs team for their generous support now and throughout the life of the SSU Writing Center; Tyler Wedeking of Conferences & Events Services, for his diligence and attention to detail; and of course, Scott Miller, SSU Writing Center Director for his vision, and Loriann Negri, SSU Writing Center’s fearless Coordinator for her seemingly endless inspiration and energy.

Many thanks for the support from publishers Macmillan/Bedford St. Martin’s. A special thank you to publishers Macmillan/Bedford St. Martin’s, NorthLight Books, Oliver’s Market, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Starbucks, VJB Winery, and Gold Toe Socks for their generous donations of raffle gifts.

Special thanks to the Writers’ Consortium and the Instructionally Related Activities Fund of SSU, sponsors of the SSU Writing Center’s literary journal Ink Tank! The Consortium is generously co-sponsoring conference refreshments and presenting the concluding reception as a release party for the current edition of Ink Tank!

Thanks also go to the NCWCA Executive Board for their guidance and counsel, as well as the IWCA for their financial contribution to this conference.

Thank you to Ali Haselbeck and Brennan Beck for their artistic contributions, which inspired much of the conference literature.

Thanks especially to the SSU Writing Center tutors, the heart, the brilliance, and the drive behind everything that happens in the space we call our home, for volunteering their time and talents. Without their help, this conference would not have been possible.

Many heartfelt thanks to our keynote speaker, Dr. Kevin Dvorak, and to all the conference presenters for their wisdom, thoughtfulness, and insight. Finally, the biggest of thanks to you for attending the 2014 Conference – may you be inspired to continue authorizing yourselves and your students to play to, from, and with your many strengths.

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 201413

Publisher Representatives:Travis LongMacmillan/Bedford St. Martin’[email protected]

Sonoma State Writing Center:Founded in 1997, the SSU Writing Center has occupied three different sites since its inception, all within the walls of, first, the old and, currently, the new Sonoma State University Library (we and the Library now being housed in the Schulz Information Center). The Center is now and always has been a unit of Academic Affairs rather than a subsidiary of an academic department. Funding has tended to come from a mix of California Lottery funds and various student fees. Dr. Scott L. Miller has been the Director since the Center’s founding. The Center serves all students, faculty, and staff (and sometimes members of the greater community) at Sonoma State University, through tutoring, writing-across-the-curriculum information and workshops, various writing-program support services, and sharing of information, ideas, and passion regarding writing. The Center has always worked on the peer-tutor model, tutors being nearly universally undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in degree programs at SSU. Tutors and administrative staff have come from a wide array of majors and have gone on from SSU to successful careers in education or many other fields. The Center hosts a campus club, All Write!, and produces a campus literary journal entitled Ink Tank!, which actively seeks and cultivates submissions from students who tend not to think of themselves as writers - students such as our pre-baccalaureate (“remedial”) clientele. A longstanding series of writing “playshops,” as well as what we hope is a playful spirit, help us create a space for writers that we hope is qualitatively different (while still honoring and supporting) the normal writing spaces of the modern acade-my.

101 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert ParkNext to the DoubleTree Inn(707) 585-3500 • maryspizzashack.com

Legendary pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads and more all made from scratch using Mary’s original recipes.

Open all day, complete menu available for dine-in, take-out and delivery

Original Recipes. Original Shack.

Original Recipes. Original Shack.

Playing to, from, and with Our Strengths: Authorizing Centers and Students

The Northern California Writing Centers Association14

Notes

NCWCA 2014 Conference • Sonoma State University

2014 Conference • April 4 - 5, 201415

Notes

H

H

HH

HH

H

H

H

H

H

H H

H

VM

VM

HM

HM

NicholsH

all

Health

Center

Carson H

all

SchulzInform

ationC

enter

Stevenson

Hall

Darw

in Hall

Ives Hall

Soccer

Pool

Softball

SalazarH

all

PersonTheatre

RecreationC

enter

Student Center

Library

Zinfandel

Cooperage

Vine Street

Zelkova Lane

Laurel Drive

Bldg. 49Pool

Vine Street

East Cotati Avenue

Vine Street

Sequoia Way

Cypress Drive

Petaluma Hill Road

Alumni

Grove

Athletic Fields

Baseball

TrackObservatory

ButterflyG

arden

Donald & M

aureenG

reen Music C

enter

Joan & Sanford I.W

eill Hall

ProposedM

astercardPavilion

SchroederH

all

McC

abePlaza

BoilerPlant

Alumni

Amphitheater

SouthEntrance

EastEntrance

North Entrance

Rohnert Park Expressw

ay

Juniper LaneR

eserved Parking

Parking &Inform

ationC

enter

Parking &Inform

ationC

enter

General

Parking

General

ParkingG

eneralParking

General

Parking

General

Parking

General

Parking

General

Parking

General

Parking

General

Parking

Com

mencem

entLaw

n

InternationalH

allBookstore

Com

mons

FieldH

ouse

FacilitiesServices

P.E.

TheArbor

Art

ETC

ETC

Lake

Lake

Lake

(One W

ay)

West Redwood Drive

Residential Community

LotB

Lot C

Lot DSpecial Perm

it Only

Lot J

Lot F

Lot G

Lot AR

eservedParking

Lot MLot L

AS

C

AS

C

Lot OLot N

Lot H

Lot E

East Redwood Drive

Library

Anthropological Studies Center

Environmental Technology C

enter

Parking Permit M

eter

Residence H

all Parking

Bus Stop

Technology High School

Cam

pus Tours

Vietnam Veterans’ M

emorial

Holocaust & G

enocideM

emorial G

rove

Police & Parking Services

Cam

pusM

ap

707 664-4444 / Police Bldg.for em

ergencies, dial 911

10/29/13

H