Featured Photo by Elise Sandlin
Story by Elise Sandlin
Middle Tennessee State University celebrated the 45th anniversary of the University Writing Center on Tuesday by gathering for food, poetry and fiction readings, and fellowship.
The Writing Center, also known as the Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center after a beloved former MTSU English professor, is a safe place for all MTSU students and faculty to have help in their writing process. From half-baked ideas to full essays, employees of the writing center are available to walk students through the process that works best for them and help them leave with the tools they need to succeed in their writing.
The open house celebration welcomed students and faculty from different colleges around MTSU, as well as some retired admin who visited the campus for the special 45th anniversary. There were refreshments, decorations and some performances to honor what the Writing Center has meant to students and faculty alike for nearly five decades.
MTSU senior Brianna Raines has been working for the Writing Center since her sophomore year of college. Majoring in English, Raines says tutoring has broadened her perspective, not only as a writer but in meeting so many students with different experiences and unique backgrounds.
“Their essays are often deeply personal,” Raines said. “There’s a level of trust there, for them to allow us to look over it with them and want to work on it. It’s a really rewarding job.”
The Writing Center is made up of tutors from different colleges and majors in order to offer the best diversity for students looking for help with their work.
Grace Choi, an MTSU senior majoring in music business, started working for the Writing Center this semester. She specializes with students at the College of Media and Entertainment and understands their assignments better than many English majors would. Choi appreciates the “come as you are” environment that the Writing Center creates for students.
“This isn’t a place for judgment or a level of accomplishment,” Choi said. “It’s not intimidating. Having that peer-to-peer connection is such a great environment. We’re a certified safe zone.”
For students looking to use the Writing Center’s resources, appointments are available at their website with face-to-face meetings, online live chats and document drop options offered. Additional support is provided under the Resources for Students tab to the left.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
