Re: Appointments

["Meg Larson" <mgl@svsu.edu>]

When I have appointments set up for me, on my shift, I wait for about five
minutes, and if the appointee doesn't show, I take the first drop-in waiting
for help.  A good many of my appointments are repeat tutees--they really do
tend to show up at the scheduled time, but amazingly, they understand if I'm
busy b/c they were late (about half of those who are late, call).  Most of
my appointments are students who request me or will take me if I'm on, and
they usually try to schedule the appt's for a time when the writing center
is less busy.  I've had to reschedule some of those who were late, but
luckily have never had one storm out b/c they were late and I took the next
student.  We do give preference to appointments, and whenever a drop-in
drops in just before a scheduled student, I will explain to the drop-in that
I have an appointment, and then I will ask the other tutors on duty how long
they will be, and then ask the next available tutor to take the waiting
student.  If this has been covered, I apologize; I haven't had time to
follow this thread closely.

I don't know how other centers operate, but at SVSU, the current group of
tutors contains a majority of tutors who've worked together for at least two
or three semesters--a few of us, two or three years--, and some newbies that
the rest of us "guard" with a watchful eye.  If, for example, a
troublesome/demanding student comes in when I'm on with a newbie, I will
take that student, and it's meant to ease the newbie in gradually.  In the
same vein, if I'm on with a newbie who has spent some weeks observing, I
have no qualms telling that tutor "it's time--go get 'em!"  Our newbies have
always been very conscientious and alert, so the "easing-in" process is not
all that gradual, and I never throw one to the wolves before I think they
can handle it (Eric Gardner can back me up on this).
I guess what I'm really trying to say is that if you have a close-knit staff
in the writing center, which we are at Saginaw Valley, and a benevolent and
vigilant director/co-ordinator, which we have at SVSU, then the problems
that come with appointments vs. drop-ins will usually be taken care of with
a minimal amount of fuss on both ends.

This is not to suggest that we are the exception, and I know that, on this
list, we are the rule.  In fact, I had to take the semester off due to
health problems, but I still am a tutor and still care very much about what
goes on in my center, as well as yours.

M.

"Takes them less than a week to run the Line thro' somebody's House."
                     --- _Mason & Dixon_

Meg Larson
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI  48710
mgl@tardis.svsu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: CPERLIN@umiami.ir.miami.edu <CPERLIN@umiami.ir.miami.edu>
To: wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu <wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu>
Date: Wednesday, October 07, 1998 9:18 AM
Subject: Re: Appointments


>At UM we tried using appointments, but now we don't give appointments at
>all.  We found we lost a lot of time--students were often late for ap-
>pointments, so with a room full of drop-ins, a tutor sat idle.  Those
>waiting for assistance would be very angry with those who sailed in past
>them with appointments.  All in all, it was a negative experience for us.
>We found that our students greatly prefer dropping in.
>Charlotte Perlin
>