Re: An idea for NWCA

["Dr. Beth Rapp Young" <youngbr@email.uah.edu>]

I agree, the NWCA home page links are great.  I have certainly used them, 
and enjoyed the serendipity of finding something other than what I 
initially started looking for.  (Better even than browsing the shelves in 
the library, because I can do it sitting down with a drink in hand!)

I was thinking that it would also be nice to have all forms of a certain 
type--such as all syllabi, all evaluations, etc.--be in one place so we 
didn't have to spend time surfing the web to find them here and there.  
Plus, many writing centers don't have web pages (I know ours doesn't).  
Plus some of these things may not appear on the web pages.  I mean, who 
would post a consultant training manual?  Or a lesson on how to teach 
listening skills to consultants?  Or end-of-year reports to our deans?  
Or publicity booksmarks?  (OK, actually, it might be nice to post 
some of these things, but there may be internal documents we don't 
really want to post.)

So let's say we each put together a copy of these things, plus a disk 
with the information on it.  We'd label everything: "training syllabus," 
"record-of-session form," "consultant manual," etc.  (We might have to 
decide on categories ahead of time and send out a call for materials.)

NWCA (assuming available staff time & $) could collate packets of 
photocopies & figure out the cost of copies and mailing per packet.  
Distribute a list of what's available, with the price.  Then whoever 
wants to could send in a check for, say, $5.20 for all the collected 
training syllabi, the NWCA person would slap a label on the packet, and 
out it would go.

The diskfiles would be posted, also in collections according to what they 
are, on the NWCA homepage.  We could download from the web, or send email 
to the listserv ("get syllabi" "get evaluation forms" etc.) and receive 
within minutes a file of everything collected--for free!

If we wanted to get fancy, someone could collect all the wcenter posts on 
particularly helpful subjects (open space vs. cubbyholes in the writing 
center, how to use [or not use] grammar checkers in the center, etc.) 
and put them in one file on the listserv &/or the homepage.  On the 
homepage, &/or in the wcenter welcome message, could be a list of what 
files are available.  Then we could download this information, too.  It 
would be easier than searching the archives, which are organized by 
date.  Sure, maybe we'd miss a related post here or there, or some 
interesting angle wouldn't be included in the collection, but it would 
still be great to have the info easily at hand.  Especially when you 
consider that many wctr directors will balk at searching the archives 
(despite Lady's great directions!).  And those who are new to the list 
won't necessarily know what to search for.  

This is somewhat like belling the cat--who would be able to do it?  It would 
involve lots of time, especially in the beginning.  I know _I_ don't have 
the time, and I don't imagine I'm busier than anyone else.  But wouldn't 
it be great?  

BTW, Joan, I'll for sure be at the NWCA meeting at CCCC.  It's one of the 
CCCC events I look forward to each year!

Beth

Dr. Beth Rapp Young
U of Alabama in Huntsville
YoungBR@email.uah.edu