The Program’s focus is not on producing perfect essays but on
helping students improve as writers.
Writing Associates Do
- Offer 50-minute appointment-based, one-on-one tutoring on any stage of the writing process:
- researching
- outlining/brainstorming
- drafting
- responding to instructor comments
- developing ideas, thesis, enthymemes, and arguments
- revising
- Give students the agency to take responsibility for their own writing improvement
- Help students clarify their ideas by asking open-ended questions
- Model how to find and solve writing problems
- Encourage students to seek additional assistance from their instructors in office hours
- Refer the student to their GE or instructor for grading questions or concerns
- Send a follow-up email to the student and instructor, which
- helps the student remember the content of the session and recommendations for next steps
- provides the instructor with evidence of the appointment and the details of the session
Writing Associates Don’t
- Interpret texts, suggest connections, provide thesis statements, or otherwise do the work of development or revision for the student essay
- “Fix,” proofread, or edit student essays
- Discuss grades
- Reteach or replace course content
- Replace the help students receive from faculty or Graduate Employee teaching assistants
- Teach writing or produce perfect essays
When scheduling an appointment 
- You will need your course number and your instructor’s name
- You must book at least 24 hours in advance
- If you are ill or recently exposed to COVID-19, please request a Zoom session under appointment notes
Questions? Contact Dr. Kristy Bryant-Berg, Director of Writing Associates, kbryantb@uoregon.edu