Academics
Writing Center
Director: Ms. Virginia Bower (email Ms. Bower)
Location: Renfro 133 (schedule)
Phone: (828) 689-1379
The Mars Hill College Writing Center, located in Renfro Library, room 133, offers free writing tutoring for all MHC students. Writers are encouraged to make an appointment, but drop-in visits are welcome, time permitting.
Writing Center tutors are trained to provide assistance at all stages of the writing process, from prewriting to revising final drafts, and they work with writers in all disciplines. Whether you’re working on that first essay for freshman English, tweaking a major research paper, or polishing your résumé for a job application, the tutors in the Writing Center can help you become a better writer.
Who We Are
The Writing Center is staffed by trained peer tutors, students with strong writing skills and a desire to help others. Tutors are nominated by members of the faculty and receive training before working with other writers. To become a peer tutor, students must have successfully completed English 111 and 112 (or 113).
Ms. Virginia Bower Writing Center Director & Associate Professor of English
As an associate professor in the Department of English, I teach all levels of writing at MHC; in addition, I direct the college Writing Center, located in Renfro Library. As director of our Center, I supervise, train, and work with peer tutors in order to help them provide the best quality tutoring for MHC students. I take writing seriously, and insist that “what you write is what you are.” Writing is thinking, and as such, students who take the writing process seriously will see improvement not only in their writing but also in their thinking in general. In addition to being a teacher, I consider myself a lifelong learner; I’ve taken classes in Italian, landscaping, micro-economics, memoir writing, and Indian cooking. When I’m not teaching, training, or taking classes, I’m most likely running, hiking, gardening, traveling, or having fun with my feline companions. I hope that all students will take advantage of the support provided by the Writing Center to help them improve their writing, their grades, and their overall academic performance.
Our tutors….
Rachel Connor I am a senior majoring in English and Spanish, and I aspire to be a travel writer and linguist. Because I am also a Writing Fellow and Bonner Scholar, I am passionate about writing and serving others. So come see us in the Writing Center!
Heather Lane I am a junior double majoring in Graphic Design and English, and I hope to help edit the content and layout of magazines in the future. I am a Grayson scholar and a member of Sigma Tau Delta, and I look forward to working with you in the Writing Center!
Jaimie Little I am a senior and a major in zoology here at Mars Hill. I love animals and would love to work with wolves after college. In addition to being a member of the soccer team, I am a Grayson scholar and am involved with various organizations around campus and in the community. I look forward to seeing you in the Writing Center!
Jordon Crawford I am a junior at MHC majoring in Zoology with a Regional Studies minor. I love helping people and animals, and I hope to have a career working in the field of animal care or research. I’m also a Bonner scholar, so I am involved in lots of volunteer work throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you in the Writing Center!
Stephanie Hargis I am starting in my senior year here at Mars Hill and I am an English major. Writing is what I love to do, and I’ve been writing for fun since the 4th grade. I hope to do something with writing for a career after I finish at MHC. I’m also a Bailey scholar and I volunteer at the public library in Mars Hill.
Corrine Roberts I am currently a junior here at Mars Hill. I am an English major as well as a Religion and Philosophy minor. I am also a member of the soccer team, Sigma Tau Delta, the Christian Student Movement, and the Challengers program here on campus. In the future, I hope to become an English professor at a liberal arts college. Hope to see you in the Writing Center soon!
Wadeana Dickey I am a senior organismal biology major with an environmental studies minor. I have always been passionate about reading, writing and learning. I am a Bonner scholar, a member of Sigma Tau Delta, and am planning on going to grad school. I love helping people and animals and so I am ecstatic to be working in the Writing Center. Hope to see you there!
Maggie Mills I am currently a freshman majoring in integrated education with a minor in psychology and specializing in reading. I am on the MHC swim team and am in the MHC Honors Program. Writing and reading have always been a passion of mine! I can’t wait to be working with you in the Writing Center. Hope to see you soon!
What Students and Faculty Should Know about the MHC Writing Center:
Tutoring sessions are limited to 45 minutes maximum. If your assignment requires more time, please make an additional appointment for later in the week. Also, we have a 10-page maximum restriction on all assignments. These parameters help to encourage students seeking writing assistance to be actively engaged in the tutoring experience.
Appointments Available
Feel free to stop by the Writing Center to make an appointment for a tutoring session. While appointments are not necessary (and drop-ins are welcome), an appointment will assure you the time you need with a tutor. Appointments can only be made AT THE WRITING CENTER!!
What We Do
Peer tutors in the Mars Hill College Writing Center WILL...
- assist with writing assignments at any stage of the writing process
- provide kind, considerate, and professional tutoring
- help writers develop a clear sense of "the next step" for writing assignments once they leave the Center
- tutor up to 10 pages of text per 45-minute session
- complete a tutoring report for each student who receives help from a tutor in the Writing Center
Peer tutors in the Mars Hill College Writing Center WON’T…
- write papers for students
- correct written work (tutors work with students to find problems and to eliminate them)
- give students topics (that’s up to students and/or their professors)
- guarantee an "A" for having visited the center (students who seek help with writing assignments at the Writing Center will most assuredly improve in their writing, which is the main goal of the center)
- work on assignments that are longer than 10 pages (if your assignment is longer, you must return for a separate tutoring session for each 10 pages)
