Day 2
Concurrent Sessions F – 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM (EST)
F1
Bo Liu, University of Oklahoma, Supporting Multilingual Writers Voices with Online Feedback During the Pandemic
Multilingual writers have to engage in online writing consultations due to the pandemic, leading to a lack of face-to-face empathy and empathy during consultations, so writing centers should adopt and deploy subversive tactics and subterfuge to better support the voices of multilingual writers. This presentation will propose three main forms of subterfuge (1) accommodate multilingual writers’ needs; (2) provide a variety of comments on writers’ papers; (3) connect feedback to Writing Center pedagogy in this pandemic.
Lucas Street and Yussra Semma; Augustana College; The Easy Fix?: Subverting and/or Adapting to Asynchronous Expectations
Advice letters or marginalia: which approach to asynchronous feedback is more efficient, yet effective at promoting writers’ growth? Come learn how our writing center piloted asynchronous feedback and how each of these two approaches was received by tutors and tutees alike. We’ll share survey data of students’ reactions to our fledgling “feedback via email” option and compare it to the literature on best practices for asynchronous commenting in the writing center.
Olalekan Adepoju, University of Louisville, Linguistic politeness in asynchronous writing center consultation: A focus on the headnote genre
Writing centers’ transition to online tutoring for synchronous and asynchronous consultations in response to the ongoing pandemic has warranted a retooling of tutoring practices. Studies on writing center discourse practices have not paid attention to examining written feedback consultations through the ambits of discourse analysis. This proposal examines the headnote genre from discourse and genre analysis perspective to describe how tutors utilize linguistic politeness tools for supporting the writers to ensure a successful tutoring.
F2
Alexandra Hill, St. Lawrence University, Mental Health Accessibility in Writing Centers
Amongst the myriad advocacy literature in writing center scholarship, there is a dire lack pertaining to the mental health of tutees. I assert that writing centers need to utilize a flexible approach inspired by Universal Design for Learning [UDL] to foster accessibility for tutees with mental health struggles. In this solution-based presentation, I offer a list of possible approaches that include changes to the design of the writing center itself, both logistically and pedagogically, and the inclusion of UDL-inspired, mental health-specific tutor training.
Caitlin Ray, University of Nebraska Omaha, The Subversive Bodymind: Disability “life hacks” and acts of care in the Writing Center
As a disabled writing center consultant and graduate student, “subterfuge” is a second language to me. In this presentation, I share how disability “life hacks” are exchanged in disability spaces as an act of care, and how these disability-informed strategies shape my approach to my consultations. By doing so, I not only help students write papers, but also help them develop effective (if unconventional) “hacks” to succeed in an university that often works against them.
Ciara Swan, University of the Pacific, Bridging the Divide: Inclusion Ready!
During this presentation, a professional writing tutor will discuss the importance of cultural sensitivity, tone, inclusivity, and access when developing instructional materials for graduate students. The presenter will focus on how they developed handouts, videos and launched a canvas course site to provide formatting support and bridge cultural awareness amongst writing center staff.
F3
Heather Carroll, Abby Vidruk, Mary Price-Gargano, and Sophia Rogney; Carthage College-Kenosha; Uncovering Linguistic Bias Through Writing Center Training
In response to our institution’s recently established Anti-Racism Plan of Action, we took on the question of how to best support college-level writers while also valuing linguistic diversity. For most of us tutors, the process of understanding that linguistic bias exists on our campus was eye-opening. We are eager to share our personal journey and what it means for our Writing Center.
Concurrent Sessions G – 11:20 AM to 12:35 PM (EST)
G1
Sonia Charales, Haydee Fuentes, and Larry Ramirez; Austin College; Multilingual Tutors in Undergraduate Writing Centers
In this panel, three multilingual tutors will discuss their experiences in an undergraduate writing center. Tutors engage in subterfuge in demystifying the writing processes of discourses and utilize a type of subversion in using multilingualism in predominantly English-spoken institutions. Panelists will examine how their experiences as multilingual students of color influence their tutoring practices. They will invite the audience to consider different perspective on tutoring and how multilingual backgrounds benefit the growth in academic.
G2
Elizabeth Parfitt, Jay Mular, Lily Najjar, and Emily Harris; Penn State University; Writing Tutor Hacks: Negotiating Knowledge with Free Online Resources
This session will explore how peer writing tutors can utilize free online writing “hacks” to help tutees complete writing projects in timely and efficient ways. By exposing these programs–their uses, limits, and complications–tutors subvert the idea that better writers equal independent and unadulterated writers. Tutors will explore a variety of free online writing resources that don’t “cheat” the system, but–when used with purpose–can help students navigate institutional demands on their time and mental health.
Concurrent Sessions H – 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM (EST)
H1
Sarah Shea, Rebecca Troeger, Jacob Cuevas, Erin Turban, Reva Bourassa, and Katelyn Lamprey; University of Connecticut; Campus Wellness and Individualist Narratives in the Academic Center
We will explore wellness activities hosted at our tutoring center and their potential for subverting or reinforcing problematic narratives that normalize exhaustion and burnout. In light of concerns about mental health and online learning during the pandemic, we will share the results of a student wellness survey and their implications for the impact of wellness initiatives on college campuses. Round table participants will reflect on wellness as a subversive practice in the writing center.
H2
Elizabeth Miller and Courtney Cook, Abilene Christian University, The Multimodal Writing Center: Reclaiming the Value of Face-to-Face Tutoring through Online Resources
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, writing centers will face new pressures to justify the costs of in-person services, and students who have become accustomed to virtual education may prove reluctant to visit a writing center in person. This roundtable seeks to evaluate the value of face-to-face tutoring and answer the question: How can writing centers utilize increasingly popular technology and online tutoring practices to encourage students to take full advantage of writing center resources?
Concurrent Sessions I – 2:50 PM to 4:05 PM (EST)
I1
Niah Wilson and Abby Bernard; Montana State University; Radical Reciprocity in Online Spaces
This session will follow a workshop format. First we will provide an overview of the studio model and the concept of “participatory hospitality” (Eodice 2019). We will then offer participants the opportunity to engage in a simulated online studio based off of the studio model by Grego and Thompson (2007). We will share the online tools we have developed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as they foster participatory hospitality.
I2
Erin Zimmerman, Kevin Blume, Emily Favoloro, Timothy Buchanan, and Layla Barati; University of Nevada Las Vegas; “I Didn’t Sign Up For This”: Motivating Assigned Graduate Assistant Tutors
This “Something Else” presentation centers on what motivates tutors originally assigned to work in a writing center to become invested in the work and request continued employment. The presenters will share perspectives from the UNLV Writing Center’s graduate assistant consultants and will open up conversation to attendees to help us all learn from one another and understand how to engage tutoring staff who are not inherently motivated by or invested in the work.
IDEA Meeting – 4:10 PM to 5:10 PM (EST)
The NCPTW Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accessibility working group reconvenes to continue the work of helping to create safer and more just writing centers, institutions, and organization. This includes critically accessing NCPTW practices and procedures, enacting policies to address the unique and contextual needs of peer tutors, inviting new contributors to the NCPTW, and supporting the planning committee for the 2022 NCPTW in Omaha. All conference participants are invited to join the meeting, especially those of you interested in getting more involved with—and creating positive change within—the NCPTW.