Re: Promotions

[VCOMACLN@VicVX2.Vic.UH.EDU]

We, too, are a commuter school.  We share a campus with a junior college so we
have only juniors, seniors and graduate students enrolled at UH-V.  We also
have no dorms. Most of our students are in their 30's, hold down jobs, 
have families, etc., etc.  I understand your frustrations.  Many of our
students come to campus for class and then leave to go to work.  So getting
them to visit our writing center (Academic Center) is very difficult.
Let me tell you what we've done.

We have tied the Academic Center to our Advanced Writing
and Research Course, a required professional/business writing course for 
all our students.  Yes, our students cannot graduate until they have passed 
this course and yes, we force the students to come to us.  As a
requirement of this course, the students have to bring in all of their
out-of-class assignments to be tutored at least once.  We require that
the students receive a minimum of 6 tutorials during the semester.  Yes,
they resent it initially.  But, most quickly realize the benefits and thank
us for making them come in.  We frequently hear, "If you wouldn't have forced
me to come in, I wouldn't have."  

I realize this scenario probably isn't ideal.  I know all the problems
associated with forcing students to do something.  But, with our students, most 
of whom won't do much more than they have to do, it has worked fairly well.
We have been using this system since 1983.  We have gotten the word out.  
Faculty support us, and we do get referrals from faculty.  Students who
are not in the writing class have heard about us, mostly through positive 
comments.  And, even those who have heard about us through some students
complaining about being forced to come in, come see us, maybe just to see
what the complaining is about.  Whatever the reason, the main thing
is they visit us.

Chari Norgard
Academic Center
University of Houston-Victoria