A Helping Hand from PSU

Your professor gives you a detailed rubric to your first five-page paper, wishes you the best of luck, and sends you on your way. Passive voice, parenthetical citations, slippery slope, but what does it all mean? Some students are fully capable of sitting down and transferring their thoughts down on paper; for those who need some help along the way, there's Plymouth State University's Writing Center.

The Writing Center is located on the lower level of the Lamson Library and is there to provide students with a quiet and relaxing environment. Within this environment, students can set up weekly appointments to meet with peers and professionals about a wide range of assignments. Personally, it's my savior! Questions about work cited pages, quotations, any style of writing are all available in the writing handbooks provided by the center. After all, it is located in the library.

We are all striving for A's aren't we? Out- lines and sloppy copies can only work for so many papers. Everyone has hit that point when they slam their head against their desk in hopes of magically stirring up some ideas. Well, here's a better idea. Set up an appointment to check out a sample "A" paper. This guide was submitted by professors from students to provide an accurate example of an extraordinary composition.

However, don't feel limited to composition. The staff at the Writing Center will also assist students with speech writing and development in becoming a skillful reader and writer. These skills do not pertain solely to English majors. Plymouth State University's Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is a program that promotes education in writing to all departments of academics. WAC coordinator, Dr. Michelle Fistek, is determined to assist students in becoming efficient writers while assisting professors in teaching these tactics.

This is a great tool for students to reflect and improve upon their own writing. It is a great feature that should be taken advantage of and is usually something that most professors strongly advise. In addition, you're efforts won't go unnoticed. The staff at the Writing Center takes the time to understand your assignment, your difficulties with the assignment, and the requirements of the professor you are writing for. Courtney Horvath, a senior at PSU, states, "my favorite part about the Writing Center is that when I go, whoever I am working with takes the time to read what I wrote and asks me what I was hoping to accomplish in my paper". This information compiled in an email will be sent to your professor in recognition of your strive for a better comprehension of their requirements. So don't settle for C's, call the Writing Center at (603) 535-2831 to set up an appointment! The Center's hours include Monday through Wednesday 9am-9pm, Thursday-Friday 9am-5pm, and Sundays 6pm-9pm.