Writing Center tutors can help you:

1. Identify your writing strengths and build upon them.
2. Identify areas for improvement, such as:
   • Creating a thesis statement
   • Organizing your ideas
   • Developing and supporting your main ideas
   • Addressing your audience effectively
   • Clarifying your paragraphs and sentences
   • Citing your research sources in the correct format
   • Improving your writing style
   • Using correct grammar and punctuation
3. Revise your first draft.
4. Write from a specific point of view

Tutors do not discuss your writing or tutoring session outside of the Writing Center. However, when asked, the Director of the Writing Center shares information about tutorials with Concordia faculty and staff.

Tutors and student assistants who work for the Writing Center staff enters general information about tutorials into a database.

This information is used in aggregate form only, primarily as a basis for improving and expanding future Writing Center services.

If you have questions about confidentiality or use of student information, please contact the the Writing Center Director, Theresa FitzPatrick, at fitzpatrick@csp.edu.

The Writing Center provides resources in the form of handouts and links on the "Resources for Writers" section of its web page.

You may download and print or save the handouts for later reference. You may add useful links to your list of Internet bookmarks or favorites.

Just a few of the resource topics include thesis statements, annotated bibliographies, APA style, grammar, and avoiding plagiarism.

If you are in a cohort group, you can also schedule an online tutoring session, which mirrors a face-to-face session as closely as possible. Students schedule their appointments in the same way, and then share their document with the Writing Center using Google Documents. The session then takes place online using the chat feature in Google Documents. 

To learn more about how this option works, visit "How to Have an Online Tutoring Session"

Tutors' focus is on you, the writer, not just the assignment you are working on.

Tutors may ask to review your syllabus or assignment sheets. It's helpful if you bring these to your tutoring session.

Tutors may also ask you to read some of your writing aloud. Though this may seem uncomfortable at first, it quickly becomes commonplace.

Tutors do this for several reasons:

• They absorb new information better when they are able to see and hear it.
• You become attuned to the sound of your own language and style.
• You begin to catch unclear passages, unnecessary information, awkward sentences, and grammar and punctuation mistakes, improving your ability to revise your own work.

Appointment length varies; the average appointment is 45 minutes.

You are welcome to use any or all of the following methods of receiving writing support:

Visit the Writing Center webpage for information about hours, policies, writing resources, and more.

Drop in to the Writing Center, located in Luther Hall 116, for face-to-face tutoring during its regular hours.

We schedule all of our appointments online using Google Calendars. To learn how to do this, click on the tab 'How to Schedule An Appointment' on our home page. If you have any questions, please email writingcenter@csp.edu or call 651-603-6233.

Ask a question or submit a draft of your assignment to writingcenter@csp.edu to receive feedback on your writing.

Love your new handout! Whenever you [send handouts] to me, I print them and save them in a folder for references...I so appreciate all the help you have given me over the past 17 months. Thanks so very much!!
-Student, College of Education

I really appreciate your comments and time on my paper. I am learning so much. This not only helps me at school, but helps me at work also.
-Student, College of Business and Organizational Leadership

The Writing Center was extremely supportive and helpful, and it shows in [my student's] re-writes. I believe I will make a change to my syllabus for the future and put some information in it about the Writing Center. It is a great tool that all should be aware of.
-Faculty, Criminal Justice