Writing
As part of Yale's effort to improve the quality of undergraduate writing, the Yale College Writing Center has assigned a writing tutor to each of the twelve residential colleges. Each tutor is available for ten or more hours a week to assist students with essays and other writing projects for undergraduate courses across the curriculum. The Bass Writing Tutors have had a great deal of experience in drafting and revising prose—as classroom teachers of expository writing or as professional editors and writers—and they provide an important resource for both students and faculty. Tutors usually meet with students by appointment on a one-to-one basis to discuss rough drafts of work in progress or essays already graded by instructors. Students seek out writing tutors for help with all kinds of assignments, from two-page reports to senior essays, from creative writing to articles for professional journals. They are also welcome to consult writing tutors for help with applications for fellowships or for graduate and professional school.
Students can also get writing support from the Writing Partners, specially trained undergraduates who hold drop-in hours at the Writing Center. Writing Partners can give feedback at any point in the writing process, from brainstorming to final revision.
Instructors who believe that a student's written work needs more attention than they can reasonably offer should suggest that the student seek an appointment with a residential college writing tutor. A student may meet with any of the twelve tutors, not just the one assigned to his or her college, and needs no referral from an instructor or a dean to make an appointment. Some tutors have special expertise in teaching English as a second language; the staff of the Yale College Writing Center has additional resources for ESL writers. For more information about the Bass Writing Tutors, please consult the Writing Center Web site or contact Alfred Guy, director of the Yale College Writing Center, 35 Broadway, second floor, 432-7492. Instructors who have concerns about the written work of a student whose first language is not English should contact Suzanne Young, assistant director, at 432-7519.
