The Writing Learning Center

Want to write more effectively? WLC writing tutor services are free and available to all students. Whether you're new to college-level writing or an excellent writer, it's important to have a second pair of eyes on something you've written. 

Announcements

The WLC is open from now through finals week, and we'd love to help you finish the semester strong in all your writing projects! 

Find us in Fraser 208, next to Fraser Hall Library. 

If you have any questions, please email Dr. Gillian Paku (she/hers): paku@geneseo.edu.

Conventions of College Writing

You can access the self-enrolling version of Conventions of College Writing here if you'd like to work independently or check up on details of academic sentence structure, punctuation, usage, grammar, research strategies, or major documentation styles. This free OER resource has been edited for Geneseo students and will appear on your Brightspace dashboard when you enroll. 

We will help you with all types of writing assignments, including:

If you've ever asked a friend or roommate, "Does this sound okay to you?", visit us today!

Spring 2024 Hours 

• During the Spring 2024 semester, our default mode of operation will be in-person, meeting in Fraser Hall, Room 208. Please enter via the door just inside Fraser Hall Library. Masks are optional. The WLC is also offering the options of Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, screensharing, and shared documents. Remote writing tutoring works well! Occasionally, tutors will offer entirely remote shifts, but in general, the choice of remote or in-person meetings will be yours when you book. 
• Sunday: 2 - 7 p.m.
• Monday – Thursday: 2 - 10 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday: closed.

Schedule an appointment 

Click Here To Meet Our Tutors

Select a tutor and appointment time using Navigate. The usual length of an appointment is 30 minutes. The easiest way to book an appointment is to click on the link of a tutor's name in the schedule below. If you'd like to see everyone's availability, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Navigate and sign in
2. Click on “Get Assistance” in the upper right
3. In the drop-down menu, select “Academic Support” and the relevant type of service: “Tutoring”
4. In the next drop-down menu, select “Writing Learning Center"
5. The system should show availabilities and you can select a day and time for an appointment with one of the WLC tutors. The usual length of an appointment is 30 minutes.
6. You can leave a note letting your tutor know if you'd prefer to attend via videoconference rather than in person in Fraser 208.

You and your tutor will receive a confirmation email in your Geneseo email account and via an event that will appear on your Google Calendar. When the time comes for your appointment, you can meet your tutor in Fraser 208 or click on the link in that email or in the Calendar event to open a videoconference. Decide together whether you want the cameras or captioning on. 

Share a copy of your writing via something like Google docs; the tutor needs to be able to see your writing and you both need to be able to point to and edit it. All Geneseo students can access Google docs, and if you haven't used Google docs before, your tutor will help you. 

Fill out the pre-session form to let your tutor know what you want to talk about

Tutor schedules: click on a name to see that tutor's availability and to book directly with them.

Click Here To Meet Our Tutors

What to expect

You will meet (or videoconference) one-on-one with a trained tutor, typically for 30 minutes, but you can work for 60 minutes if you and your tutor both have the energy: writing isn't effortless. Tutors will not write your assignments; in accordance with antiracist writing pedagogy and our recognition of your right to your own language, we also will not automatically standardize written expression unless you specifically request that move. Instead, we will help you:

• Brainstorm
• Organize your thoughts
• Write a thesis
• Find and maintain your focus 
• Develop and support your ideas
• Clarify your argument
• Decide on grammar and style choices
• Navigate your right to your own language
• Investigate different writing strategies to discover what works best for you

Getting the most out of your visit

• Share your assignment sheet or prompt! 
• Share a printout or a digital copy of your work. Notes and outlines are useful if you don't have a rough or full draft yet. Your tutor will want to comment on and/or annotate your work, so they need a copy of it.
• Take notes while you're in the session: rely on a written record of your conversation with the tutor rather than on your memory.

After your appointment, follow up by:

• Booking another appointment: we're always happy to see you again for the same assignment.
• Seeking out a tutor you work well with.
• Giving us your feedback! Fill out this form

Notes

• Our work space is quiet.
• Fraser 208 is big enough for adequate social distancing. Tutors work one-on-one, and there aren't more than two tutors scheduled simultaneously to maintain a safe environment.
• Our staff respects your confidentiality as well as your health.
• When you collaborate on your written work at the WLC, you are taking advantage of a service that almost everyone uses to their benefit in their academic career.

Please contact Dr. Gillian Paku (she/hers), Director, with any questions or comments, or at any time if you are interested in applying to work as a tutor: paku@geneseo.edu. The WLC actively seeks diversity when hiring and welcomes applications from all majors. Please note that hiring takes place in the spring of the academic year for positions beginning in the fall, so applications are typically due by early March.