Writing Center Policies

• When entering the Writing Center, writers must first check in by signing the the check-in sheet. This form asks the writer to provide:

• • their name
  • their grade level
  • their class and instructor
  • the assignment type
  • if the instructor needs a proof of attendance

• If the instructor requested proof of attendance and the student notes this on the check-in sheet, the student is still responsible for communicating this to their writing coach to ensure that proof is sent.

• When checking in, the student will denote if their instructor is requesting proof of attendance. This includes both required visits and extra-credit visits.

• If the student notes this on the check-in sheet, the student is still responsible for communicating this to their writing coach to ensure that proof is sent.

• NOTE: A limit has been set. See "Appointment Limits" below.

• During periods where limits are not set, you may ask for a consectuive two 30-minute sessions.

• The Writing Center reserves the right to reschedule or deny an hour-long session if the demand for appointments is high. We will contact the writer to reschedule the appointment if this occurs.

• Appointments can be made for ANY type of writing.

• Appointments can be made up to two weeks in advance.

• If you have to miss an appointment, please cancel at least 12 hours in advance to open up the appointment for another writer.

• Students are encouraged to schedule appointments well in advance of when assignments are due.

• Group sessions (no more than four) are available for writers who want to work with others. Writers should indicate this preference and list the other writers they will be working with.

• Walk-in appointments are allowed in the Writing Center. However, there is no guarantee that an appointment slot will be available, especially near the middle or end of the semester when most papers are due.

• The Writing Center and its website will provide the necessary materials for conducting appointments and for ongoing writing development.

• This will include handouts (print and online), reference books (e.g., grammar), citation manuals (APA and MLA), writing instruments, and journals for note-taking.

• The Writing Center bookshelves will steadily procure books for and about writing for coaches and writers to utilize.

• When collaborating with coaches, there are guidelines for what they can and cannot do for the writer.

• CAN:

• • help you to meet immediate writing goals
  • help with your personal writing concerns
  • help you to improve your skills
  • help you to develop as a writer
  • help with any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to revision
  • help with writing in any major
  • help writers find or get in contact with additional campus resources 

• CANNOT:

• • proofread your paper
  • edit your paper
  • revise your paper
  • write any portion

• These stipulations ensure that the coaches will guide you to become your own best proofreader, editor, and reviser. Writing Center staff's main goal is to help you think and write for yourself, while providing a guide to answer your questions and address your concerns as you write.

• Coaching sessions / Writing Center appointments begin with a discussion of your writing process and your current progress.

• The writer is encouraged to voice their reasons for making the appointment. For example, think of the specfic questions and concerns that you have.

• The coach may then ask the writer to read their paper aloud. The coach or writer may read aloud. The writer reserves the right to not have their paper read aloud.

• The writer may ask the coach to focus on the whole work or on specific sections. Either way, the coach will help identify areas for growth or revision. The coach can ask questions to help the writer reach their own conclusions and/or actively provide advice and feedback on the paper. This depends on the writer's comfort level and goals for the session.

• This process is the same for both native English speakers and ESL students.

• Our coaches understand that many ESL writers are pursuing fluency through line-edits, and coaches are able to address effectively this approach through collaboration, active listening, and discussion.

• Online coaching sessions are synchronous (at the same time) meetings where a writer and coach have a scheduled live discussion and view the paper together over Teams or some other video call service available to both parties.

• Asynchronous (not at the same time) appointments are meetings where a writer schedules an appointment time for their paper to be looked at without them present. A writer would schedule a 30-minute slot and submit their paper to the Writing Center via email or through our sign-up form (if available), as well as any specific questions or concerns that they have. For the full time they scheduled, a coach will read and review the paper and leave comments. The Writing Center will then send the document with feedback to the writer after the appointment is through.

• IMPORTANT:

• • These sessions can be incredibly helpful for those who are genuinely unable to come to the Writing Center. Thus, they will mainly be reserved for students who are verifiably unable to attend.
  • These are for accomodation purposes and will not become the main form of interaction at the Writing Center. If you need one of these services, email us and request it with a detailed reasoning.
  • We are open to synchronous Teams meetings much more than we are open to asynchronous meetings. As we grow, however, this may change.
  • Writers may NOT contact coaches afterwards for clarification or further feedback outside of scheduled appointment times.
  • If writers have questions, they may email the Writing Center directly.
  • Asynchronous appointments are NOT editing sessions. The coach will NOT make any changes to a writer's paper. If requested, a coach can proofread certain portions of a paper, but these must be specific requests. A writing coach's main priority is rarely grammar or spelling.
  • There is NO guarantee that a coach will get through the entirety of a paper, especially if the work is too long, the writer requested many forms of feedback, or the file is shared incorrectly.

• The process detailed in the above "Appointment Structure" is the same for both native English speakers and ESL students.

• Our coaches do understand that many ESL writers are pursuing fluency through line-edits and other proofreading methods. Coaches are able to effectively address this approach through collaboration, active listening, and discussion.

• If a draft exceeds ~1500 words, then there will always be a chance that the writer and coach cannot discuss everything in a 30-minute time frame.

• It is crucial that writers let coaches know what their questions and concerns are early in the session to guarantee that those will be addressed first and foremost.

• If a writer needs more assistance with a larger work, they are encouraged to reserve multiple appointments throughout the week.

• You may reserve one a day.

• The Writing Center reserves the right to enact a limit if the demand for appointments is high.

• The Writing Center currently has a limit. You may only reserve one (1) 30-minute session per weekday.

• We reserve the right to lift and change these limites depending on demand.

• Limits are implemented to:

• • ensure that everyone in the community we serve has an equal chance to access our services.
  • make time for writers to process the conversations had in their sessions.
  • provide writers a chance to practice the skills discussed with coaches to further develop their voices, skills, and confidence.

• Please, plan to be a few minutes early to your session to ensure that you receive the full time.

• If you are 7+ minutes late, your appointment will be automatically canceled.

• If late, your slot may also be forfeited to walk-in appointments.

• If a writer repeatedly does not attend the appointments they reserve, the Writing Center reserves the right to bar them from reserving further appointments until they meet with an administrator to discuss the absences.

• The Writing Center will always contact writers to flexibly reschedule if there is a scheduling conflict with their appointment.

• The Writing Center can also experience scheduling conflicts. These can occur when coach schedules shift or we experience emergency circumstances. The Writing Center will always contact the writer to let them know if their appointment needs to be rescheduled.

• The Writing Center reserves the right to reassign a writer's appointment to another available coach without notice. This type of reassignment will always be within the same time slot.

• After every appointment, the writing coach is responsible for writing a review of the appointment's content. Attendance (time of arrival), focus, and progress are recorded in the Coach's Review.

• The Writing Center's main purpose and goal is to help every student, faculty member, and staff member grow as writers. To achieve it, the Writing Center focuses on empowering your voice, cultivating your writing skill, and guiding your practice.

• All writing in the Writing Center must be the writer's and not the product of coaches or the result of plagiarism.

• Asking, coercing, or attempting to force a writing coach to write part of a paper or the entire paper; to participate in acts of deception regarding the authenticity of a piece of writing; or to knowingly participate in misleading faculty, staff, or other coaches will result in immediate suspension of Writing Center privileges. Additionally, the process for reporting academic dishonesty will begin.

• Plagiarism (e.g., copied work, stolen ideas, AI-generated text, etc.) is wholly unacceptable in the Writing Center. If malicious use of plagiarism is detected or revealed to an employee of the Writing Center, the process for reporting academic dishonesty will begin.

• Writers can only make appointments for their own writing projects. Writers may not reserve appointments on behalf of other writers.

• Writers may make appointments in groups for collaborative projects or designate a group leader to visit the Writing Center on behalf of the group. Only one person must make the appointment and must detail how many will be joining them (no more than four).

• The Ink Spot (KSU Writing Center) staunchly believes in the value of each individual's unqiue voice/writing style. While it is our duty to the university and to writers to provide the tools to grow as a writer in an academic genre, it is NOT our duty to standardize your writing. This runs the risk of robbing writers of their interests, experiences, diverse backgrounds. and unique contributions to the evolution of academic writing.

• The Writing Center does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.

• For more information, review KSU's Discrimination and Harassment Policy.

• Harassment, discrimination, violence, and any other dangerous or disrespectful actions will result in Writing Center privileges being revoked.

• If accepted for appeal, the appeals process will involve meeting with a Writing Center administrator wherein stipulations for restoration will be discussed.

• Writing coaches are not allowed to share their personal contact information with writers when working in an official capacity at the Writing Center. Personal contact information may include personal email addresses, social media account information, personal phone numbers, or any other contact information. Any inappropriate or forceful attempts to procure a coach's contact information will result in the revoking of the writer's Writing Center privileges.

• If contact information is known due to proximity or other circumstances, writers MAY NOT use said contact information to ask coaches for writing assistance at any point, especially outside of their Writing Center hours. Any reports of inappropriate or forceful attempts to receive assistance outside of their Writing Center capacities will result in the revoking of the writer's Writing Center privileges.

• Before conducting consultations, coaches and administrators should:

• • ensure that the writer has checked in.
  • help them to feel comfortable.
  • ask if the writer is comfortable with them sitting next to them. (Writers reserve the right to ask for space.)
  • explain how our writing appointments work (if necessary).
  • emphasize that the appointment is interactive.
  • directly explain that the writer will do all of the writing.
  • have the writer explain their reason for making the appointment (questions, concerns, and goals) and provide the assignment sheet.

• Writing coaches and administrators will courteously assist writers with any stage of the Writing Process, from brainstorming to revision.

• Writing coaches and administrators will respectfully and kindly collaborate with writers. It is the coach's duty to guide the writer, answer questions, and address concerns.

• Writing coaches and administrators will always respect and encourage writers, understanding that all writers are talented and capable of growth regardless of background or proficiency.

• Harassment, discrimination, or violence from writing coaches to writers or one another will not be tolerated.

• Writing coaches may not discuss any writing appointments outside of the Writing Center to maintain the privacy of the writer.

• Writing coaches are not responsible for assisting with writing outside of their Writing Center hours. Coaches may report any inappropriate or forceful requests for assistance to the Writing Center administrators.

• Writing coaches are encouraged to recommend the Writing Center to others.

• Writing coaches are encouraged to answer questions about the Writing Center OR may kindly redirect questions to Writing Center administrators or the Writing Center website.

• Writing coaches are responsible for always completing a Coach's Review for every appointment where the writer was present. These reviews will concisely detail appointment attendance (time of arrival), focus, and progress.

• These are to be written and posted within 24 hours of the appointment.

• If an instructor has requested the Coach's Review, it must be written, posted, and emailed to the instructor within 24 hours.

• The Writing Center as a workplace will be a comfortable, safe, and stimulating environment for writers and coaches alike.

• It will offer exceptional opportunities for learning and ongoing professional development.

• Writing coaches and administrators will maintain an appropriate level of professionalism by:

• • arriving on time and prepared to work.
  • dressing and behaving in a manner befitting their position in the academic community.
  • treating everyone around them with respect, especially in regard to the writers before, during, and after appointments.
  • maintaining ethical standards.
  • receiving ongoing professional development.
  • being able to work a schedule that does not interfere with prior academic or personal priorities.
  • being self-reflective practitioners.

• Administrators, specifically, will:

• • be available to coaches and writers for guidance and advice.
  • be models for appropriate professional behavior.
  • advise and make suggestions to coaches as to behavior, helping a writer, how to develop as a coach, etc. where appropriate.
  • provide coaches with ample opportunities to improve their understanding of Writing Center theory and practice.
  • provide coaches with ample opportunities for self-reflection.