About the First-Year Composition Program

Dr. Deborah Coxwell Teague, Director of First-Year Composition

All of the teachers in the First-Year Composition Program want you to feel welcome and encouraged by your experiences in 1101 and 1102. Following is some information which may help you understand the program and its policies.

Attendance:

You must be present at all class meetings of ENC1101 and 1102 in order to participate in discussions, in-class writings, and peer response groups or workshops. A great deal of the work of improving your writing happens with other writers and other readers. It's a little like a lab: you can't perform the experiments or watch the demonstrations if you aren't present. You really can't "make up" the work that goes on during class.

The attendance policy for ENC1101 and ENC1102 follows the university policy, which states that a student may be absent for no more than two weeks of class. That means that you may miss no more than a total of four classes in a Tuesday/Thursday or Monday/Wednesday class, or no more than a total of six classes in a Monday/Wednesday/Friday class. Missing more than four days in a TR or MW class, or missing more than six days in a MWF class, is grounds for failure.

Always try to tell your teacher BEFORE class that you will be absent and find out what assignments you will miss. Always tell your teacher why you missed class. She or he will want to know. If you do find yourself with an excessive number of absences and your teacher tells you that you've failed the course, you may go to the Registrar's Office in the University Center and sign up for the forgiveness policy. Register for the class again the very next semester, and your new grade will be the one calculated into your GPA.

The Reading and Writing Center

On the second floor of the Williams building is a place specifically designed for students to get help with their writing. If you aren't doing well with your writing, or if you just want to do better and get more experience as a writer, call the Reading/Writing Center (RWC) and make an appointment to see a teacher. If your ENC1101 or 1102 teacher suggests you go to the RWC, you should go. Almost all students who go there say they are glad they did. The RWC is located at WMS 222-C.

All teachers in the RWC are college writing teachers (you might see your 1102 teacher there!) and are trained to help you with any aspect of writing from your ENC1101 or 1102 class, another class, or just something you've been working on. The students you will see in the RWC might be graduate students working on their dissertations, poets working on new creations, or fellow 1101 and 1102 students working on papers for class.

You can sign up for credit hours (1, 2, or 3 hours) of ENC1905 and have a regular meeting with a teacher every week. You can also call for a single appointment and be a "walk-in." When you call, the person answering the phone will arrange a time when you can come to the Center.

Call 24 hours ahead: 644-6495. The Center is open 9:00-4:30, Monday-Thursday and 9:00-2:00 Friday.

Complaints:

As Director of the First Year Composition Program, I supervise all the teachers of ENC1101, 1102, 1142, and 1145. If something is dreadfully wrong in your class, you should come see me in my office in 222-E WMS. If I'm not there, check my office hours and come back, or leave a message and tell me where I can call you.

The first thing I'll probably ask you, though, is whether you've talked to your teacher about this problem, privately, during her office hours. So you might try that first. See if your teacher can't explain things to you.

Dr. Deborah Coxwell Teague
Office: 222-E WMS
Office Phone: 644-3164