Re: Tutoring in dorms

[tarversj@winthrop.edu (JO KOSTER TARVERS)]

WINTHROP UNIVERSITY                               Electronic Mail Message
                                        Date:     22-Aug-1996 07:47pm EDT
                                        From:     Josephine K. Tarvers
                                                  TARVERSJ
                                        Dept:     English
                                        Tel No:   (803) 323-4557

TO:  Remote Addressee                     ( _smtp%"wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu" )


Subject: Re: Tutoring in dorms

Judy, I know this response is a little late--our node has been down again. (The 
sys op said, with a straight face, "We have a little cold in the node." Why the 
faculty assembly didn't kill him, I'm not sure. :-) )

Anyway, I very much support everything that has been said about negotiating and 
building resources. But I wanted to add a note to Sara's experience with RA 
tutors. Our RAs have to put on four "programs"--two academic and two 
social--each term. These are much-despised requirements. I get a lot of the RAs  
as students in my prof. writing class, and I have started encouraging them, for 
the major proposal that course requires, to develop an academic program on 
college writing to submit to ResLife as their project. Since I guide the 
proposal they develop, and offer them the run of the Center's resource file to 
help them put their proposals together, I know the programs are fairly sound, 
and they have a professionally-produced proposal that ResLife is happy to 
approve. Since they share ideas like a frat term paper file, what's happened is 
that there are now about six good programs on college writing circulating among 
the RAs in the dorms. They all include a promotional spot for the Center (and 
I've told the RAs they can always call me for brochures, since one of the 
requirements for their programs is to give out a handout). Subversion, yes, but 
from within--now Residence Life is grateful to _me_ because I'm helping the RAs 
with their programming.

If you have access to the RAs (as opposed to ResLife), or to people who teach 
the classes RAs take, this might be a way to get _good_ advice into the dorms...
hope it helps.

Jo T.

-------------------
 Jo Koster Tarvers
Department of English and Writing Center
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733 USA
(803-323-4557 voice) (803-323-4557 fax)
tarversj@winthrop.edu