Writing Center Aids in Students’ Success

Anna G. Agee, staff writer

The Writing Center at PVCC is a student service located in the Main Building in room M617. PVCC students come to the Writing Center from over 100 different classes. Professor Jenny Koster is an English professor at Piedmont and coordinator of the Writing Center. The center’s tutors are experienced and come from various backgrounds.

There are ten tutors who work for the Writing Center. Allison, Anuj, Jenny, Marcia, Monica, Nic, Phoebe, Ruth, Skye, and Vickie are the passionate tutors who are ready and willing to help PVCC students succeed in their writing. These tutors all have unique experiences.

Nic traveled the world in his twenties and is now in his second year at PVCC as a student. Students can go to Nic if they want help expressing themselves more in their writing. Alongside him, Marcia taught composition at NC State for eight years, Blue Ridge Community College for two years, and now works at PVCC while also working as a part-time attorney. Different assets that these tutors bring to the table are unsurpassable and can be helpful to the students.

There are numerous problems students at PVCC face when writing papers or essays. Koster says many students come to the Writing Center to review their papers before sharing them in peer workshops or before submitting them for grading.

When asked what the most common problems students came to the Writing Center with, Koster said, “Many have problems with sentence structure, run-on sentences, comma splices, and they want to fix those kinds of mistakes.”

The Writing Center has proven to be a great resource for all students to use. Many professors at PVCC encourage students to use the center because of the reputation it has built.

Over the past years, the Writing Center has received approval ratings ranging from 96-98 percent and received an approval rating of 100 percent a few times. The Writing Center has an overwhelmingly positive reputation among students and staff. The tutor’s friendliness plays a big role in this.

Koster said students who come to the Writing Center three or more times for a class are 20-30 percent more likely to earn a passing grade than the other students.

She says that “… students who use the center will become better writers.”

Although, she also says, “It won’t happen in one visit, but it will happen over time.”

The Writing Center at PVCC is staffed with friendly tutors and easy to use. To set up an appointment, students can drop by M617 or call 434-961-5499. Tutors are also available for students to drop by and get immediate assistance.

Koster said, “Come and see us!”