Re: the tutee's privacy

[SHARON FONG <fongs@nevada.edu>]

Noreen,

I agree with Kevin that report forms can make writing center visits seem
instructor-oriented.  At UNLV, though, we send them anyway, but only when
the student gives permission.  We send them not only to notify the
instructor but also to protect ourselves when a problem crops up.  If a
writer comes to the center and reports back to the instructor that he or
she went over the text with a wc consultant ("So why didn't I get an
"A"?), then the instructor can find out that the writer was there only for
questions about organization (and only in the introduction, at that)--not
the whole paper.  Here, we're still fighting a pretty traditional culture
in which students and professors (not many, but some) still see visits to
the center as "cheating."  The reports allow us to bring the center "out
of the closet" and to let instructors and students know that coming to the
center is a valid part of the writing process.

I'll admit that I wrestle with this question regularly, though.  The
report forms that we send take a good deal of my time since I read every
one that goes out.  Sometimes I have to send forms back to
consultants if the forms seem to say too much or if they have
errors in them.  Also, like it or not, instructors
do then think that we're there to help them, not the students, and they
occasionally aren't satisfied and want more information than we feel
comfortable giving.  

At a recent orientation meeting, a new instructor was even clearly unhappy
that we don't use referral forms here:  she said, "How do I tell you what
I want the students to work on, then?"  I suggested that she speak to the
students directly.  I'm afraid that didn't go over that well.
Perhaps not one of my most tactful moments (but only because I
dislike referral forms so much for the very reason that Kevin mentioned).
Sigh.

Perhaps the climate at the individual school has much to do with the
decision about reporting forms.

Sharon Fong


On Fri, 4 Sep 1998, Kevin Davis wrote:

> Noreen,
>     At the heart of your questions is another one: for 
> whom do you work?  Some WCs clearly work for the 
> professor, using referral forms to bring people to the 
> WC, mandatory report forms to keep the prof posted.  
> I believe this model clearly implies that the professor
> is at the center of the learning process and, therefore,
> at the center of what the WC does.
> 
>     However,  I decided many years ago that our WC 
> would work for students.  As a result, we don't have 
> referral forms for profs to use, and all of our business 
> is walk-in, students who have brought themselves to 
> the WC.  I believe that this model clearly implies that the
> student is at the center of the learning process.
> 
>      That said, here's my answer to your question.  Since 
> some profs give extra credit to coerce students to use 
> the WC and since some students otherwise want their 
> profs to know they've been to the WC, we have a 
> student-initiated reporting system.  At the end of a 
> session, we give the student a summary form, saying
> "If you want your prof to know you've been here, 
> fill this out and leave it with me, and we'll send it to your
> professor."  This approach makes the choice entirely
> the student's, and it makes reporting what went on the
> student's task (we feel less like tattle-tales this way).
> Interestingly, about 90% of our FYC students fill out 
> the form, but less than 5% of our other business.
> 
> I believe my position is in the minority on this list.  And 
> many of the people who disagree with me can offer 
> very good reasons for using other systems.  I urge you
> to look over those other positions, too.
> 
> But the bottom line, to me, is this.  A WC has to have an
> underlying operational philosophy.  The director has to
> be able to comfortably live within that philosophy.  And 
> the ultimate decision on reporting and a lot of other things
> comes from that operational philosophy.  So don't just
> consider WHAT we do, but consider WHY we do what
> we do, and decide what kind of WC you want to build.
> 
> kevin
> 

*********************************************************************
Sharon Stenzel Fong			Director, Writing Center
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Department of English			Office:	(702) 895-3623
4505 Maryland Parkway			FAX: 	(702) 895-4801
Box 455011				
Las Vegas, NV  89154-5011
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