Policies and Procedures

Critical Discussions in the Writing Center

The Reading-Writing Center's approach is in line with the university's goal of providing an education that teaches students to become critical consumers of information. We aim to support students in honing skills to evaluate evidence; understanding, analyzing, and critiquing arguments; and making their own arguments. RWC consultants carefully read and discuss writing with students. Their role as consultants is to work with students on their material and serve as a critical reader or practice audience. Consultants will do so in a way that is respectful and allows for discussion and, occasionally, disagreement. We ask that students be thoughtful, engaged, and respectful participants during writing center sessions.

In-Person Consultations

If you have a face-to-face writing consultation, please bring a laptop or have a copy of your writing ready at the start of the consultation. If you are feeling sick, please reschedule your appointment or move your appointment to Zoom. Contact us at english-rwc-ds@fsu.edu if you have any problems making your appointment online.

Using RWC Services

The FSU RWC consults with active students, faculty, and staff for up to 90 minutes (1.5 hours) of appointments per week. Students can make one 45-minute appointment per day.

Registered students have the amount of time for their course (between 30-90 minutes per week) and an additional 90 minutes per week. All appointments over the 1.5 hour limit will need to be made by a RWC administrator.

If a student exceeds those limits by using multiple accounts to create appointments, the account will be deactivated for the semester or until further review by RWC administrators.

Appointments

RWC locations gladly accept walk-ins if we have staff available for meetings. To guarantee a meeting with a consultant that best suits your project goals, we recommend that you make an appointment at fsu.mywconline.com and read our consultant profiles.

To make our services available to all students, we limit consultations to once per day and up to two every seven days.

If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it online at fsu.mywconline.com to make your time available to others. After three (3) missed appointments, your account will be deactivated and you will need to request reactivation from the director at english-rwc-ds@fsu.edu

Recording Sessions

We do not record our Zoom sessions. However, at your request, you and your consultant can take notes about what is being discussed during the session. The writing center can send you a copy of the report form about the content covered and any additional resources that would be helpful as you continue working.

Please note: in the state of Florida, recordings must be consented by both parties. If anyone is seen recording a session without consent, staff have the right to ask the person to stop and/or end the session.

Proof of Consultation

After your consultation, your consultant will record notes of the session. At your request, we can email you a copy of these notes in the form of a client report form. This email serves as your official record of consultation. RWC staff will not sign or otherwise complete any other forms to document your visit.

Editing

The RWC will not proofread or line edit for students. Consultants can work with students to learn skills and strategies to proofread and edit more effectively. Additionally, the RWC can provide references for external, professional proofreaders as requested. If you are a graduate student who needs assistance with Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) formatting, please consult the Graduate School’s formatting guidelines.

Academic Integrity

Writers are responsible for knowing and following FSU’s policies about academic integrity in research and creative activity.

Behavior

The Reading-Writing Center and Digital Studio reserves the right to refuse service and/or usage of the facility to any visitor—whether in-person or online—exhibiting signs of rudeness, violence, or aggression. Disruptive visitors will be asked to leave immediately.

Reading-Writing Center consultants cannot take appointments outside of their regular hours. They cannot accept gifts or compensation for writing center services.

Students are expected to abide by FSU’s student conduct code. Failure to do so will result in deactivation of a student’s account and restricting access to RWC-DS services.