Program saw record number of students visit last semester
USC's writing center saw a record number of students last semester, and with its newly expanded space, its leaders hope to keep that momentum going.
The renovations began a week before spring break and have nearly doubled the center's space.
Located on the seventh floor of the Byrnes building, the center saw an unprecedented 2,500 students last semester, and Graham Stowe, its associate director, hopes that these numbers will grow now that space is available to accommodate even more students.
"We were crammed in our other space and it was loud and hard to get things done," Stowe said. "This expansion allows more space for learning and writing, which is what we are all about."
Improvements include an entirely new room fully equipped with computers, which the center hopes will eventually become a place for students to come in and write.
The renovations were funded by the English department and were included in the writing center's budget.
Though most students that come to the center are first-year and graduate students, the center is open to all students, faculty and staff.
"Our driving philosophy is that we just talk about writing with people, so people come in and sometimes we won't look at the paper," Stowe said. "Instead, we will talk about what the paper is about and help them develop ideas."
The center has 14 tutors on staff, most of whom are graduate students in an English masters program, but a peer tutor program is being established for undergraduate students to help their peers in their writing process.
"A huge number of studies show that peer interaction is incredibly important and incredibly useful for both the client and the student-worker," Stowe said. "Both the students leave a session feeling better about themselves and their writing."
The writing center is open Monday and Wednesday until 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday until 7 p.m.