University Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC) can help students with any kind of communication project (written or oral) and at any stage of the creative process.

We can help your students:

• clarify their ideas
• narrow their topic
• organize their information and research process
• strengthen their argument
• consider alternative points of view
• overcome writer’s block
• cite and document sources and paraphrase without plagiarizing
• revise for clarity and coherence
• edit for brevity
• proofread for errors
• practice oral presentations

We can’t, however, do all of these things in one 45 minute session. Learning to communicate effectively is typically a slow and labor-intensive process, but working with a UWC consultant can make your students more attentive to details and more confident—two keys to effective communication.

Your students can take advantage of our help by:

• making an appointment for a consultation at our Evans Library or West Campus Library location
• submitting a paper to our Online Writing Lab (Get Help Online)
• reading information from our extensive handouts (available online and in hard copy)
• listening to our student-focused podcast, Write Away.
• calling our Write Line (845-2160) or stopping by our front desk at Evans or West Campus Libraries with quick questions

For graduate students, we also offer:

• Dissertation and Thesis Advising (DATA) program, which assigns a specific consultant to work with a student for up to 10 sessions (eligibility requires an approved proposal)
• Graduate Writing Groups, for students who have completed a proposal and begun writing
• Workshops geared to graduate student issues such as writing proposals, literature reviews, seminar papers, or articles

Experience tells us that is best not to require visits, but we have also found that faculty suggestions exert a strong positive influence. We hope you will ensure your students know about our services and that you will encourage them to make an appointment. To help you get the message across, a consultant can visit your class or organization and do a short presentation. The consultant will introduce your students to the University Writing Center and the services we offer. To request a visit, simply fill out a request for the Overview of UWC Services. 

We have a video tour of the University Writing Center available, as well as a video on how to make an appointment.

We suggest a statement like the following on your syllabus. Feel free to copy and paste this one for W courses:

The University Writing Center (UWC), located in 214 Evans Library and 205 West Campus Libray, offers one-on-one consultations to writers. UWC consultations are highly recommended but are not required. Help is available with brainstorming, researching, drafting, documenting, revising, and more; no concern is too large or too small.  UWC consultants will also help you improve your proofreading and editing skills. If you visit the UWC, take a copy of your writing assignment, a hard copy of your draft or any notes you may have, as well as any material you need help with. To find out more about UWC services or to schedule an appointment, call 458-1455, visit the web page at writingcenter.tamu.edu, or stop by in person.

And for C courses:

The University Writing Center (UWC), located in 214 Evans Library and 205 West Campus Library, offers one-on-one consultations to writers preparing documents, slides, or oral presentations. UWC consultations are highly recommended but are not required. Help is available for all of the steps of the writing and speechwriting process including assistance with brainstorming ideas, narrowing the topic, creating outlines or drafts, and presenting a speech to an audience. UWC consultants can help you practice your speech with a real audience or develop visual presentation aids like slides and handouts. Consultants can also help you improve your proofreading and editing skills. If you visit the UWC, take a copy of your assignment, a hard copy of your draft or any notes you may have, as well as any material you need help with. To find out more about UWC services or to schedule an appointment, call 458-1455, visit the web page at writingcenter.tamu.edu, or stop by in person.

 Students using the University Writing Center must agree to the following ground rules.

1. Got a quick question? Visit the front desk. If it will take longer than five minutes to answer, you will need an appointment.
2. We do not discuss grades.
3. Papers you bring to a UWC consultation must be your original work. We can help you learn to document your sources, if you ask.
4. Unless you notify us, your appointment may be forfeited if you are more than five minutes late.
5. It’s up to you to establish the direction and content of the session and be an active participant.
6. Information from a session may be used for research, but your name will not be used without your permission.
7. Consultations are limited to one per day.  Graduate students are limited to no more than 10 consultations for their theses or dissertations.

If you have questions or concerns about how we help you or your students, contact UWC Executive Director, Valerie Balester at v-balester@tamu.edu.