Dixie State University is expanding on an idealistic route as the Writing Center engages in its new off-site tutoring program.
Although this program is fairly new, the tutors and coordinators in the Writing Center are looking forward to a semester of reaching out to all students across St. George.
“Our first [official] sessions were at Campus View Suites on Jan. 31,” Writing Center Coordinator Robert Gray said.
Here at DSU there are two on-campus locations students can attend but four in total within the local community: Campus View Suites, U PLAZA Language Lab, The Harbor and the Hurricane Education Center.
Locations provided are specific to where Gray and the tutors felt they were needed most.
“I was having a conversation with an English professor here at DSU, and she mentioned that Northern Arizona University has a unique program where students can meet writing tutors at a local Starbucks,” Gray said.
Gray said the idea of off-site tutoring was intriguing to him; he then presented it to the Writing Center tutors who collaborated with Gray to decide on which locations to provide students with tutors.
The purpose of this tutoring program is to provide a place for students where they can be comfortable meeting in a less formal atmoshpere and discuss writing topics with tutors, Gray said.
This environment is especially represented in the U PLAZA Language lab with tutor Ryan Gibb, a junior English major from Grand Junction, Colorado.
“I’m posted in an area where kids generally study,” Gibb said. “So [students] will come in and see me… and they’ll say ‘Oh that’s a good idea, I should get help on that paper.’”
Gibb is able to work with the students in the language lab because he is bilingual and has the advantage of understanding the students and helping them better articulate their written work.
Like Gibb, some tutors who are specified in a major or skill will help students in that field.
Tutor Brittany Bennett, a senior English Literature and History major from Mesquite, has been working for the Writing Center for two years. This transition into an off-site program has not yet altered her feelings toward tutoring.
“There are so many challenges because there’s so many different varying levels of ability… but you just do your best,” Bennett said. “The goal…is to improve your strategies and writing over time…and thats really exciting.”
Although the Tutoring Center does not follow suit in providing off-site tutoring for students, the Writing Center does. So if you are in need of free tutoring, schedule your next appointment at writingcenter.dixie.edu.
