Re: Info request on utilization

[Sara Kimball <skimball@uts.cc.utexas.edu>]

Neal, if your center is just a year-old baby, then I'd be careful about
comparing its utilization to that of better established writing centers.
That would be about like comparing a toddler's uncertain steps to a bigger
kid's running around.  It takes time for baby writing centers to grow and 
to be utilized fully.

 We started small in the fall of 1993 just working with students in
writing and English classes and being open 36 hours a week.  The first
semester  I was relieved when we had just over 500 visits, and we
had plenty of days when people sat around without much to do that year.
Last year, our third year, we had just under 5,000 visits and  were open
the equivalent of 68 hours a week by the end of the semester (we have 3
remote sites that opened at various points during the year).  This was an
11% increase over our second year, and we're looking at an increase at
least that big this year I suspect. Our sessions average just over 40
minutes and many weeks the appointment book is pretty full (we do a mix
of drop-ins and appointments).  At least during the middle of the semester
I suspect the greatest limitation on the amount of business we can do is
space.  With 7 or 8 sessions going at once our room gets very noisy,
though we're not at the point where we do that all the time. If
one-year-old writing centers are still toddlers, then we've hit that point
in adolescence where we're always raiding the refrigerator, consuming huge
amounts of food and growing out of our shoes and clothes at distressing
intervals.

So I'd use figures from older centers to set goals, at least for yourself,
but I'd be careful about what I said in public.  Above all, never tell a
dean that if you open a writing center students will just naturally flock
to it.  It takes time, work, publicity, and building a reputation.

Sara Kimball
UT Austin  



On Tue, 5 Nov 1996, Neal Lerner wrote:

> WCenter folks:  Sorry if this message is a repeat, but it doesn't seem to
> have shown up yet on the list.
> 
> Once again, I turn to your collective wisdom in order to save my butt.  I
> met with my division chair yesterday, and he stressed that the utilization
> of this writing center was perhaps the most important criterion for the
> bean counters of the college.  Thus, I'm wondering about comparing this
> number to other institutions.  Of the number of hours you're open, how many
> of those are spent with students in one-to-one conferencing?
> 
> I know how enormous a role context plays in all this, so perhaps you could
> tell me a bit about your context.  The background here--the WC I direct is
> in its first year at a small college (1400 total students/~175 first-years)
> with a science/technology focus.  If you'd prefer to e-mail me this info
> privately, feel free.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
>         Neal Lerner
>         Mass. College of Pharmacy
>         nlerner@mit.edu
> 
> 
>