Graduate Writing Consultants
The Writing Center Office Assistants are responsible for various administrative duties including but not limited to greeting writers, scheduling appointments, referring writers who arrive for appointments to the consultant they are scheduled to work with, answering the phone, and referring writers to other appropriate campus resources. In addition, Office Assistants help manage various activities within the Center including publicity, assisting with planning and putting on Writing Center events, managing projects and assisting consultants, and supporting the needs of the administrative staff. Office Assistants should be able to take initiative in the Writing Center when it is noted that a task needs to be completed or begun.
This position requires a self-starting individual who is friendly, dependable, service-oriented, patient, and positive. We are particularly interested in applicants who have familiarity with (or interest in learning about) managing public social media accounts. Office Assistants need to possess good communication skills, strong time management skills, and an eagerness to be part of a supportive on-campus student community. Office Assistants must be able to provide clear and courteous information about the Writing Center while remaining friendly with students who may be stressed or confused when they request our services. Further, office assistants should endorse and embrace the Writing Center’s mission. Preference in hiring is given to capable applicants who have previously used the Writing Center and will bring diversity to our current staff.
Prospective Office Assistants must be available to work a minimum of 8 hours total across at least 3 business days (Monday-Friday) per week. Hours per week will vary quarterly based on the availability of all assistants, typically OAs can expect to be scheduled for 4 – 10 hours per week.
Writing consultants fulfill three primary roles: (1) peer writing consultant, (2) Writing Center representative, and (3) Writing Center team member. Each quarter, consultants are scheduled for a certain number of hours per week, the majority of which will be spent consulting with writers, observing other sessions, and otherwise developing their consulting skills. In addition, consultants are expected to represent the Writing Center as needed by answering the telephone, visiting classes, and demonstrating Writing Center services. Lastly, consultants will serve as team members to propose and execute individual and group projects with various administrative tasks that benefit the Writing Center community and its service to our campus.
Undergraduate Writing Consultants work one-to-one with undergraduate and graduate students on a variety of writing activities and projects. Primarily, these activities will take the form of academic papers for coursework. Other writing might include scholarship applications, personal statements, cover letters, and conference papers. In addition, consultants might also work with students for extended periods on longer projects. Consultants are expected to conduct student centered consultations taking into account the demands of the assignment/writing task and the concerns of the students.
Considered professionals in training, new writing consultants are required to enroll in English 3090: Tutoring Writing: Theory and Practice during the spring quarter (SQ23) before their first year on staff. This 5-credit course engages consultants in the professional scholarship of rhetoric and composition, culminating in a research project focusing on a particular learning or writing issue or question the student wishes to engage more deeply. Beyond the course, ongoing observations, in-service workshops, discussions, staff meetings, and further research enliven the Writing Center community. Staff members actively participate in professional organizations and attend and present their work at conferences, with some projects achieving publication. Please note: Because training takes place in the Spring, the Writing Center expects new staff to start work in Fall 2023. If you are planning to study abroad or for some other reason will not be on campus during Fall 2023, please consider applying for the following year.
Undergraduate Writing Consultants will work approximately 30 weeks of the academic year for a minimum of 5 hours per week. Work hours will be scheduled for the same times each week with adjustments based on scheduling needs of the Undergraduate Writing Consultant and the Writing Center, including finals week and weekend hours. Undergraduate Writing Consultants are expected to participate in quarterly training sessions (including a session in late September), monthly meetings, and mentoring activities throughout the academic year.
The Writing Consultant GA’s role is to provide writing support for undergraduate and graduate students through one-to-one consultations, group workshops and writing events.
While the majority of the consultant’s work will be one-to-one consultation with individual writers, the graduate consultant is expected to work with writing center faculty and other faculty members and other graduate students to assess writing needs and to help develop resources to support students. These resources can include developing writing workshops, writing tutorials, and analyzing program data. The graduate assistant will be expected to coordinate writing initiatives such as writing groups and writing retreats.
In addition to this role, graduate students will be engaged in professional development activities such as reading and reflecting on writing center and writing studies scholarship.
Writing Consultants GA work one-to-one with undergraduate and graduate students on a variety of writing activities and projects. Due to their specialized knowledge and training to think in the complex manner that graduate work invites, the Writing Consultant GA position prioritizes working with graduate students who come to the Writing Center. The Writing Consultants will work with clients on everything from academic papers for coursework to scholarship applications, personal statements, cover letters, and conference papers. In addition, Writing Consultants GAs might also work with students for extended periods on longer projects, such as senior theses or projects, master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations.
Consultants are responsible for assessing the needs of students and for determining the most appropriate type of feedback for a given assignment. Training will be provided in such topics as antiracist and anti-oppressive tutoring practices, working with students from diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds, integrating references to the text, demystifying assignment genres, and understanding different types of scholarship, graduate school, and professional school applications.
Considered professionals in training, the Writing Consultant GAs participate in ongoing observations, discussions, staff meetings, and research. They actively participate in professional organizations and attend and present their work at conferences, with some projects achieving publication. The Writing Consultants GAs will complete their training under the mentorship of the Director of the Writing Center and/or the Assistant Director.
Writing Consultant GAs will work approximately 30 weeks of the academic year ranging from (5-15 hours/weekly). Work hours will be scheduled for the same times each week with adjustments based on scheduling needs of the Writing Consultants and the Writing Center, including finals week and weekend hours. The Writing Consultant GAs are expected to participate in quarterly professional development workshops, monthly meetings, and mentoring activities throughout the academic year.