Franklin & Marshall College January 2017
Writing Center
Diagnothian Hall
Room 200, (717)-358-3866
INFORMATION
For
Prospective Writing Center Tutors
Because the development of critical writing skills stands at the center of the Franklin Marshall curriculum, the student writing assistants (tutors) in the F&M Writing Center perform an essential service in the life of the college. For over thirty years, we have been able to maintain a highly-selective corps of some of the school’s finest students. (Seven of the last sixteen winners of the Williamson Medal have been Writing Center Student Writing Assistants.) Once hired, tutors are trained as paraprofessionals, knowledgeable in the skills of writing and interpersonal communication. They offer writing-across-the-curriculum consultations for the entire college community, helping students to become better thinkers and writers.
Writing Center tutors hold paid positions, which normally last until graduation, and work 8–10 hours a week. The current rate of pay is $9.00 an hour. In late August, before they begin their work, tutors must participate in a series of training sessions that continue during weekly staff meetings throughout the year. This training is mandatory—students who cannot make the training dates cannot be hired as writing tutors.
We plan to appoint at least eight new tutors for the 2017-2018 academic year.
To apply, please follow the procedure described below. All materials should be submitted electronically.
1. Fill out the application form (attached here). Send the completed form to .
2. With the application form, submit a 3–5 page graded paper you have written recently for a course, preferably a paper that shows your analytical ability. Email the electronic version of the paper to .
3. Ask a member of the F&M faculty to recommend you in writing to Prof. Frick, Director of the Writing Center and the tutors who serve as members of the Hiring Committee. The faculty member must be able to comment on both your ability to write and your rapport with peers. (If you need to, ask different faculty to comment on each point.) Try to ask someone who teaches in the department of your declared or potential major. We like to have tutors and recommendations from faculty in departments throughout the college. Recommendations can either be sent in on letterhead or emailed to .
4. Write an impromptu essay for us between Monday, February 20th and Friday, February 24th. You will need 50–80 minutes, preferably between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Please make an appointment for this essay either in-person at the Writing Center or by phoning 358-3866.
5. Interview with the hiring committee between Monday, March 20th and Sunday, April 2nd. Please schedule an interview in-person at the Writing Center when you write the impromptu essay
6. We hope to announce final selections no later than early-April 2017.
APPLICATION
For Writing Center Writing Assistant
2017-2018
Name: Date:
Telephone: Graduation Year:
Major: Minor:
1. Provide the name of the faculty member(s) you have asked to write a recommendation for you on the basis of your writing ability and your rapport with peers.
2. Choose a recently graded paper that you consider representative of your writing. Attach a copy of the 3–5 page graded paper, including your instructor’s comments, to this application. A word document or scanned copy is preferred, but a hard copy is acceptable.
3. Submit a typed paragraph in which you characterize the qualities of the writing in the paper you have chosen; explain why this paper is a representative example of your writing. Be sure to discuss the ways in which you expressed your creativity through this piece of writing. If this particular essay does not allow you to address this issue, then add a second paragraph in which you describe the ways in which expository essays can also be creative.