As the 2021 Fall Semester comes to a close and professors assign final papers, the Writing Center receives increased traffic and students looking for feedback on their many essays. To help relieve some stress from frantically writing students and provide a fun space for them to work on their projects, the Writing Center is hosting a write-in after hours.

“Students are going to need help … with exams and sometimes during exams, the Writing Center can be super busy,” Lena Ostergren, a tutor in the Writing Center, said. “[We wanted] to have an event where people can feel comfortable and if they need to ask quick questions while they’re writing something they can.”

The Writing Center Write-In will offer hot chocolate, cookies, games and music for people interested in working on their papers, discussing thesis ideas or just hanging out. The event will start at 6 p.m. and run until 9 p.m. on both Tuesday, Nov. 30 and Wednesday, Dec. 1.

“We really just want it to be a welcoming space where students can get projects done. I know sometimes it’s hard in dorm rooms and even in other public spaces at this time in the semester,” Rachel Hauch, assistant director of the Writing Center, said. “So we thought it’d be fun to invite students to come here to work on those projects, and then hopefully they’ll want to come back next semester.”

The Writing Center normally allows for drop-in tutoring sessions, but in this last week before finals, they see people on an appointment based schedule only. Making an appointment can be daunting for some students, especially if they have never been to the Writing Center before. 

“I wanted to just have a space where the Writing Center could be there because sometimes it’s hard to get the motivation to sign up for an appointment,” Ostergren said. “I think people will need help and it will be nice to have a comforting environment for that help.”

This event is also a way for the Writing Center to improve awareness of their location and services. After COVID-19 forced tutoring appointments to be online, many students were unaware of the Writing Center’s presence on campus or simply did not want to put in the effort of editing their paper with another person in a virtual setting. 

Now that classes are back in person and the Writing Center’s somewhat hidden location in 111G Harden Hall is open, they are hoping to attract more students. 

“[We are] raising awareness for the location of the Writing Center where it’s at and letting students know that we’re here and we’re here to help, so hopefully next semester, they’ll feel more comfortable coming back,” Hauch said. 

While there will be a few tutors available at the write-in, the goal of the event is not to provide intensive help with students’ essays. If anyone is looking for more one-on-one assistance with their paper, they can make an appointment by emailing [email protected].

The write-in is designed as a comfortable work and hangout space with free snacks and other people to bounce ideas off of or get feedback from. 

“It’s gonna be a super fun event and be very welcoming to anybody, even if you are not even working on writing and just want to come in and sit down and grab some snacks,” Ostergren said. “You can just talk and chat about different stressors and it’ll be a good time.”