Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

The English Table, a group that meets weekly to help international students learn more about American language and culture, will host a pot-luck style Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, November 21st at 5:30 pm in the Writing & Communication Center (409 Warf-Pickel Hall). American and international students are encouraged to bring a dish to share with the group.

After the meal, all attendees are invited to join us on a trip to the historic Carter Family Fold in nearby Hiltons, VA, where we will be listening (and dancing to) the music of Big Country Bluegrass. The group will leave from the parking lot between Warf-Pickel and the Mini-Dome at 6:45 p.m.

This event is sponsored by the ETSU Writing & Communication Center and the ETSU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society.

If you are interested in attending the trip to Carter Fold, or have any other questions about the event, please contact English Table Coordinator Zahra Pashazadeh (zpashazadeh@yahoo.com or 423-439-7848).

July 3-August 23, 2009

Due to asbestos removal in Warf-Pickel Hall, the Writing and Communication Center will temporarily relocate to Sherrod Library, study rooms 135-137 in the Main Stacks.

The new online scheduling system, which allows students to make and changes appointments at anytime from their home or school computer, is also being piloted this summer.

September, 2008

Former WCC Grad Assistant and Summer Assistant Director Adam Pacton's article "Bringing Socrates to the Center: Socratic Method as Functional Peer Tutoring" published in the Fall 2008 issue of Southern Discourse, a publication of the Southeast Writing Centers Association.


WCC GA Adam Pacton at SWCA 2008

May 14, 2008

WCC Director Rob Russell is proud to announce the birth of his daughter, Lucinda Day Russell-Berry. He's sure she'll complete her first sonnet by age 2 and her first novel by age 5.



February 7-9, 2008

WCC Graduate Assistants Adam Pacton (English), Leslie Valley (English), Katherine Blevins (Speech Pathology), April Massey (English Ed.), and Tiffany Williams (English Ed.), along with Rob Russell, the Center's Director, were selected to present at the Southeast Writing Center Association's 2008 Conference at Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah, GA. Adam's presentation, "Peer Tutoring and the Socratic Method: The Applicability and Usefulness of Elenchus in Writing Centers," and Leslie's, "The Writer's Workshop," will be given in poster sessions on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while Katherine, April, Tiffany and Rob are the speakers at a panel session entitled "Speaking, Listening, and Learning: Meeting the Global Needs of International Students in the Writing Center" on Saturday morning.


WCC GA Leslie Valley at SWCA 2008

November 16, 2007

ETSU students recently competed in the school’s first annual College Bowl Tournament.  ETSU was among nearly 300 institutions of higher education playing College Bowl this season. College Bowl, "the Varsity Sport of the Mind," is a game of academic knowledge and quick recall.  Now in its 32nd year, the College Bowl Campus Program is a popular tradition on America's campuses. ETSU’s Campus Tournament, sponsored the by Writing & Communication Center took place on Friday, November 16, 2007 in 409 Warf-Pickel Hall.

Three teams competed in double-elimination rounds.  The Yellow Team was comprised of Caitlin Chapman, Senior English major, undecided Freshman Melissa Magno, and Adam Pacton, a graduate student in English student.  The Red Team was made up of Lauren Baghetti, Junior in Sports & Leisure Management, Justin Chizmar, Junior in Political Science, Brett Honeycutt, Sophomore in Psychology, and Savannah Whitt, a Junior History major.  The Burgundy Team consisted of Kevin Gilmer, a Senior Psychology major, Chris Henry, a Sophomore in General Studies, and Kelly Marlow, a Sophomore in Business.

Writing and Communication Center Director Rob Russell served as the tournament’s moderator, with WCC Graduate Assistant April Massey, also the school’s College Bowl Campus Coordinator, serving as tournament coordinator, judge and scorekeeper. The Burgundy team emerged victorious, defeating the Yellow Team in a very close final match, 125 to 110. The Yellow Team’s Adam Pacton was the tournament’s high scorer.

February 8, 2007

WCC Director Rob Russell, along with English faculty member Dr. Michael Cody and Mr. Robert Alfonso (ETSU M.A. 1992), led a workshop at the Southeast Writing Centers Association’s 2007 conference on Thursday, February 8 in Nashville, TN. Entitled “With a Little Help from My Friends: Songwriters in the Writing Center,” the workshop focused on the ETSU Writing and Communication Center’s “Songwriters in the Center” workshop series and made connections between the songwriting process, collaborative learning, teaching and techniques for writing and revising. Other participants in the workshop included songwriters Stephen Simmons (stephensimmonsmusic.com) and the everybodyfields (theeverybodyfields.com).


Sam Quinn, Robert Alfonso, Stephen Simmons, Rob Russell, and Jill Andrews at the SWCA Conference in Nashville, TN (2007)