The North East Writing Centers Association (NEWCA) Annual Conference

The University of Vermont
“Ctrl/Alt/Del”
April 12-13, 2008

“The Northeast Writing Center Association is a regional affiliate of the International Writing Center Association (IWCA). This annual conference is a full-day event providing writing center tutors, staff, faculty, administrators, and scholars with opportunities to interact with colleagues from other writing centers in the Northeast. This conference includes workshops, panel presentations, and presentations on writing center research, as well as a luncheon. During the conference, NEWCA members will also vote on issues relevant to the functioning and governance of the association.”

Conference Website

Conference Program

SAW Presenters
Laura Greenfield, SAW Coordinator
Kirsten Isgro, SAW Assistant Coordinator
Kim Parent, SAW Assistant Coordinator
Vidya Raghavan ‘08
Supriya Sharma ‘08
Kirbi Kidd ‘10
Sarah McKnight ‘11
Jihye Sharon So ‘11
Mika Weissbuch ‘11

Presentation 1 Title
“Restarting the Science Writing Mission: New Approaches to Specialist versus Generalist Tutoring, Confidence Building, and Advertising”

Presentation 1 Abstract
By sharing the results of our writing center's recent initiatives with the departments of chemistry and biology, the interactive panel presentation will explore the challenges and opportunities writing centers face when seeking to provide writing resources to students in the sciences.

Presentation 2 Title
“Alternative Contexts for Writing Center Theory: Mentoring ESOL Students in a Public Speaking Class”

Presentation 2 Abstract
What can we learn from existing writing center theory to offer effective mentoring in public speaking for ESOL students, what theories stand to be deleted, and what alternative theories might we imagine? This dynamic panel will discuss the challenges and rewards of combining a public speaking class for ESOL students with peer mentors from an advanced peer mentoring course.