Writing Center Policies

Who We Are, What We Do, and What to Expect

The UHCL Writing Center is a learning support center that offers face-to-face, online, and workshop-based consultations. We will assist you through any phase of the writing process — from brainstorming and development to organization, citation, and revision. During your session, a consultant will set revision goals with you to help you become a better writer. Our sessions are conversation-based, whereby a consultant will discuss your writing with you, rather than edit your work.

Before your consultation starts, we welcome you to:

• Relax and get comfortable in our space.
• Grab candy, water, and/or coffee (we would appreciate it if you’d use a lid for your drink, especially when you’re at a computer station).
• Ask more questions about who we are, what we do, and what to expect.

We ask you to schedule appointments in a way that supports your growth as a writer.

• We welcome you to make up to 2 appointments per day and 5 appointments per week. This approach is grounded in the best practices of the Writing Studies field, whereby we recognize that writers seeking consultation are most successful when they have time to think and revise between appointments.

We appreciate your commitment to being on time and attending your scheduled consultations.

Such professionalism on your part helps us manage the daily operations of the center. If you’re more than 15 minutes late or don't cancel ahead of time, we may mark you as a “no-show,” and you may lose your appointment to a walk-in client. The third time you are marked as a "no-show," you are put on a drop-in only basis, and your online access to our schedule is disabled. Once a new semester begins, your account will be re-enabled and you start with a clean slate.

We look forward to working with you on your writing and helping you abide by UHCL's code of ethics.

We are happy to help you with your writing, but not with the writing of others; in other words, we will not work with someone attending a session in your place. Along these lines, we will also help you with citations as they pertain to your writing, so that you are aligned with university academic honesty policies. Because of our commitment to ethical academic practices, you will need to consult with your instructor about whether it is acceptable to receive assistance from the Writing Center on any take-home exams.

We are happy to work with groups and have a few best practices in mind when we do so.

Our individual appointment policy applies to our group policy: up to 2 appointments per day and 5 per week. This means that you may have 5 appointments per week, regardless of whether they are group or individual appointments. Whenever possible, we would like all group members present for the session. With that said, if one or more group members are absent, the consultant will help the present writers draft revision questions to ask the absent writers. During a given week, we can help you individually or in a group, but you will still be allowed just two appointments per day and five appointments per week.

We will treat you with respect as a writer and person, and we, as consultants, receptionists, and administrators, expect the same from you.

Our team fosters a space grounded in good energy, inclusivity, kindness, and professionalism, and we appreciate you helping us sustain such an environment. By making an appointment and visiting the center, you agree to our above statements and commit to helping us maintain a positive and professional environment.