By Celina Beer (UFV Alumna) – Email
Print Edition: February 18, 2015
UFV has decided to cut off one of its student services, the Writing Centre (WC), and replace it with a peer-tutoring-based Academic Success Centre. Many students feel the university is cutting services; the university claims the WC is just being repurposed — that the help will remain the same. As a former student, I decided to contact The Cascade because I realized I was the closest thing to a peer tutor, having worked at the WC for most of my UFV career.
Being at the WC gave me the opportunity to see the common student’s struggles and work alongside the instructors. I saw a lot; I learned a lot. Because of this experience, I feel comfortable giving my opinion on the WC’s disappearance: professional instruction gives the Centre more than just a mature instructor. There is no way a student will be capable of producing even a fraction of the service that is currently available. UFV executives are kidding themselves if they think otherwise.
The first reason is obvious. The WC staff is composed of professors while the new centre will be composed of peer tutors. The instructors are experienced. They already know that one professor has unreasonably high standards, so they provide extra appointments. They know nursing students have limited availability but are desperate for help with papers, so they expand their hours. They know BUS 100 students will struggle with their enormous group report, so they provide a project-specific handout as well as impeccable examples of the finished product.
The second reason instructors are integral is less obvious. At the WC, a student can pick up citation guides and pamphlets on various issues, including avoiding plagiarism and how to write an annotated bibliography. These handouts are popular with students and their PDFs on the UFV website can provide assistance when writing an APA paper (originally thought to be an MLA paper) the night before a due date.
These handouts are created, discussed, and maintained by WC instructors to reflect common issues and stay current. As English professors, the instructors can communicate with their colleagues regarding academic standards, and as WC staff they receive resources and information about new writing trends.
A former friend at Queen’s University has even told me that she gave our UFV handouts to her students because she found them so helpful. In other words, these resources are gold and UFV has a small fortune. Without the instructors, I am uncertain that these resources will continue to be accurate and available.
Not only do WC staff have exposure to the struggles of aspiring paper-writers, they can make students aware of technical program requirements, master’s degree applications, and resumé dos and don’ts. They give class presentations and project-based workshops, advise other professors on their own marking struggles, and facilitate the annual writing prize competition. While tutors are capable of picking up skills and noticing trends, a two- or three-year stint will not be enough time to build this knowledge or facilitate faculty needs.
Finally, I believe the instructors are an important part of the “writing service” because I tried to do their job and failed. For three years I handled appointment scheduling and facilitated a couple student questions as a front desk person. As I became more comfortable, I tried to get more involved; I tried formatting strange citation styles, sharpening introductory paragraphs, and consoling crying students, but my naïveté overpowered my ability with each challenge. I knew no matter how many papers I had written or classes I had taken, I was still a student trying to learn the same things. The WC taught me how to be a better writer but, as a student, I was not going to master writing instruction.
VP academic Eric Davis claims that this service is not being “cut.” If all goes as planned, this is the surface truth. Even as a student I provided help. My issue is with the illusion that peer tutors can replicate what professional instructors have built and maintained.
If the UFV administration genuinely believes in keeping the WC service intact, the new centre needs a new structural plan that retains the same professional help. If we save the instructors, we save the service.
If administration goes through with their decision, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Nadeane, Dana, Shurli, Gloria, Kim, Faye, Graham, and all the past and present instructors, good luck. Thank you for giving your time and providing us with a home for so long. We all know you deserve better.
