By: Madrona Raney
Point Loma Nazarene University introduced a new student resource this year in the Ryan Library: The Writing Center. Undergraduate and graduate tutors have been trained to help students strengthen their writing capabilities, inside and outside of an academic setting, according to Holland Prior, the director of the Writing Center.
Located on the first floor of Ryan Library, the Writing Center is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Online appointments are offered via Zoom on Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m.
Since its opening, the Writing Center has been utilized by a large number of students from all different majors and on all different writing levels.
“Being at the research desk and with the Writing Center being fairly new, the first thing I get asked every week, if not every other day is ‘Are you the Writing Center?’” Eddie Ramirez, one of the librarians at PLNU, said. “I have a theory that it’s attracting a student who wouldn’t normally go to the library but now they need help with their writing.”
The Writing Center staff look forward to seeing this variety of students coming in and using the resources.
“We really want anyone who wants to be involved, to be involved,” said Sophie Cornwell, a master’s in writing student and tutor at the Writing Center.
Cornwell was previously a tutor in the Writing Studio and says she notices a big difference in the amount of people coming in and the “stigma” around the Writing Center.
“My goal would be to help limit writing anxiety,” said Cornwell. “[It’s] a common thing for new freshmen who have never done any college writing before. It’s a lot of pressure and kind of intimidating.”
The tutors are trained to help students format essays, generate ideas, look over grammar and punctuation, construct thesis statements, organize their ideas and more.
Some students have expressed that the Writing Center has been a safe place for them. First-year environmental studies major Avery Plum has visited the writing center on multiple occasions.
“Honestly it’s really nice, the times that I have come [to the Writing Center] they haven’t made me feel like I can’t write,” said Plum.
There is no criteria for accessing the Writing Center, any student can walk in and ask them for help or advice on any assignment, no appointment needed.
Prior was hired two years ago by PLNU to create a resource for students who needed help writing and also to run the College Composition program.
“We communicate through words in all that we do,” said Prior. “Having a place that can support words, how we use words, how we compose our ideas and think through all of our interactions, not just the formal academic assignments, is so important.”
If students need extra help, the Writing Center offers WRI1000, a single-credit writing lab. The course meets on a regular basis and offers individual support. Students who are interested can sign up for WRI1000 through Workday.
For any further questions, email Prior at hprior@pointloma.edu.
To make an appointment, visit plnu.mywconline.com.
For further questions email writingcenter@pointloma.edu
