Writing Center

Mission

The Writing Center contributes to the academic, intellectual and creative climate of Bellarmine University by providing support for all writers of the campus community, which includes undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. The writing coaches work with writers at any stage of the writing process and on an array of multi-modal forms of communication including presentations, speeches, and any genre of writing.

Philosophy

The Writing Center is dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of critical and reflective writers. Our pedagogies and practices are rooted in evidence-based research that supports the Bellarmine community as well as larger writing center communities. We are committed to supporting writers as they establish agency inside and outside of academic and professional spaces as thoughtful, critical writers and communicators. 

Diversity Statement

The Writing Center acknowledges the integral relationships between literacy education and the democratization of higher education. We are committed to increasing access to education for all students and the development and practice of anti-oppression pedagogies. We are committed to cultivating a broad-based recognition of the value of World Englishes in intellectual and public discourse. We ally with and advocate for writers from historically marginalized or oppressed groups and for writing that counters traditional accounts of “standard” academic English by extending conceptions of audience, purpose, and meaning.

Services

The services of the Writing Center include individual and small-group sessions, workshops on academic, creative and professional writing concerns, writing groups and writing retreats, and classroom visits upon request to introduce our resources or to provide a tailored, interactive presentation. The Writing Center is not a proofreading or an editing service. The goal of the Writing Center is to support writers in improving writing skills by teaching self-revising and self-editing/proofreading skills.

Scheduling a Writing Appointment  

  • Schedule a writing appointment here 
  • Choose "Writing Center", select "Writing Session" (in-person or online) and then your preferred time.
  • Once the session is scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email. If online, log into the Accudemia and select "Join Now" at the time of the appointment. 

Reminders 

  • Appointments cannot be made less than 24 hours in advance of the requested time. 
  • If you miss two appointments or cancel less than 24 hours in advance of your appointment twice, you will be required to communicate with the Assistant Dean Academic Services, Dr. Dominique Clayton, before you will be able to schedule additional appointments.

Technology Requirements (if online)

  • Computer/laptop, tablet or smartphone device with working microphone and camera 
  • Internet access 

Writing Center Policies

The Writing Center’s policies are designed to best support the writers who utilize our services. The Writing Center is a space for learning, therefore, our policies are designed to ensure that writers experience sessions that will help them gain skills that they can apply on their own for long-term writing and communication practices in accordance with the university’s academic integrity standards.

  • If you are 10 or more minutes late for your appointment, we may mark it as "missed" and give that time to another writer.
  • You may cancel an appointment 24 hours before your session. If you need to cancel within 24 hours, email dclayton@bellarmine.edu.
  • During midterms and finals, we reserve the right to limit writers to one appointment per week to allow the maximum number of people to have appointments
  • The writing you bring must be your original work.
  • The Writing Center does not provide proofreading or editing services. While we are happy to address issues of grammar, syntax, style, etc., our aim is to help writers cultivate their own self-editing and revision strategies.

Contact

Dr. Dominique Clayton
Assistant Dean of Academic Services
dclayton@bellarmine.edu
502.272.8453