East Central Writing Centers Association

Three Western Michigan University Writing Center current and former staff members represented our school at the 29th East Central Writing Centers Association Conference, which was held at Bowling Green University in Bowling Green, Ohio March 15-17.

Elena Adkins and Kim Ballard joined a round table discussion of the history of the Michigan Writing Center's Association titled "Reaching Out/Remaining Local: Construction Stories from a State-Wide Writing Centers Association." Other participants included Jill Pennington, Lansing Community College Writing Center Director; Ellen Schendel, Grand Valley State University Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors Director; MaryAnn Crawford, Central Michigan University Writing Center Director; and Scott Russell, University of Michigan at Flint Writing Center Coordinator.

Kim Ballard also joined WMU alumni Jo Doran, who is currently a tutor at Purdue University's Writing Lab, for a roundtable titled "A Writing Center Is Not The Writing Center." Additional speakers in this session included Jule Wallis, a tutor at Wayne State University's Writing Center; Sharon Estes, a tutor at The Ohio State University Writing Center; and Doug Dangler, Coordinator of The Ohio State University Writing Center.

Elena Adkins also presented a paper titled "Digital Tutoring Spaces: Effectiveness, Theory, and Problems."