Re: Identity crisis

[csjhs@eiu.edu (Jeanne H. Simpson)]

Sharon, others,

I keep reading--and have written--on the issue of faculty attitudes toward
the status and/or rank of the writing center director.  My question: since
the writing center is, by definition, largely a student service, how
important is faculty perception of these issues, when you get right down to
it?  That faculty need to think the center does its job? Yes. But that is
not clearly connected to status or rank, as the evidence on this list
demonstrates.  The quality of a center is as much a function of its tutors as
it is of the status/rank of the director, maybe more.

If the writing center is affected directly by curricular decisions made by
faculty, I can see the issue there. Or if the writing center offers credit
(which is also a curricular issue).  

But if faculty don't write the checks or assign the space or attend the
center, why is their opinion so important?

I reiterate my point that I don't think students care a whit whether the
director of the writing center is faculty or not, tenure-track or not.
I think the writing center director cares a lot. I don't know what faculty
actually think about this. Not convinced they care that much. 

And has any real research been done on this? How do we know if it matters
or how much?  Anybody done a survey?

Jeanne Simpson
csjhs@eiu.edu