As classes get underway and assignments pick up, students can turn to the Binghamton University Writing Center for help keeping coursework up to par.
Located on the second floor of Library North, the Writing Center is available to students of all majors and assists them in honing their work. Student tutors are available to students to assist with essays, research papers, proposals, lab reports and other writing assignments.
The BU Writing Center has been around since the 1980s, but according to director Paul Shovlin, it has grown a lot over the past 15 years. He said the number of sessions held has doubled since 2000 to around 1,000 per semester.
“Students come for all classes and we get a mix of undergraduate and graduate students who request help,” Shovlin wrote in an email. “Many students do come from first-year writing, WRIT 111. We are particularly knowledgeable of that course because it originates in the Writing Initiative, the name of the academic unit that also hosts the Writing Center and a campus-wide writing Coordinator.”
According to Zaheera Shabbir, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience and a Writing Center tutor, the Center tutors students with a variety of goals.
“Many of the students with whom I interact are international students who work very hard to enhance their knowledge of English grammar and syntax, faculty expectations and expectations about academic honesty,” she said.
The Writing Center aids students in understanding their assignments, selecting topics, developing structure and creating flow and transition. However, the tutors do not fix papers or proofread, but rather teach students how to do it themselves.
First year tutors enroll in a class that teaches them different tutoring and teaching philosophies. According to Shovlin, the process of selecting tutors is very competitive, consisting of a rigorous application process, 3.0 minimum GPA and a series of interviews.
“Our tutors are not paid, but part of an academic practicum in which they tutor, read and discuss pedagogy, and develop a philosophy of tutoring over the semester,” Shovlin wrote. “We have a mix of undergraduate and graduate tutors. Our tutors have gone on to become Fulbright scholars, enter medical and law school or pursue graduate programs at Ivy League institutions.”
According to Amanda MacDougald, a senior majoring in English and a tutor at the Writing Center, tutors learn a lot about different writing styles through their work with a range of students.
“I was able to learn a lot about the issues that can arise when we insist that there is a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ way to write, especially in an academic setting,” MacDougald said. “Now, preserving the writer’s individual voice is much more important to me in my instruction.”
Shabbir said all of his students have different strengths and weaknesses, and to be a good tutor one must acknowledge this.
“We all learn at a different pace and it is important to acknowledge this so that I can cater to my students in the ways that they need, all the while maintaining an encouraging and amicable demeanor,” Shabbir said. “We see a lot of different kinds of assignments, from business assignments to psychology research papers and even graduate theses. I have learned a lot about the different topics and concepts presented in the papers themselves.”
Students can utilize this free service by booking an appointment online or stopping by the Writing Center, open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Shabbir said that his favorite part about being a tutor is seeing his students progress.
“I think the best part about being a writing tutor is feeling that I’ve contributed to the evolution of their writing,” Shabbir said. “I enjoy when my tutees return for another session with me and express how much of a difference I have helped to make.”