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NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Contact: Suzanne A. Rains, APR, CPRC
Office: 321-433-7022
Cell: 321-537-6986
Email: rainss@easternflorida.edu
EFSC Writing Centers Feature Free Help
June 19, 2014 - Writing Centers on two Eastern Florida State College campuses provide
writing assistance to students from all disciplines.
The Melbourne Campus Center offers both one-on-one consultations and small-group workshops,
preferably by appointment.
The center’s mission is to create independent writers with strong essential skills.
Towards this aim, the center advises and assists students throughout any stage of
the writing process, in a supportive, comfortable environment.
“Too often, students are fearful of writing and have had negative experiences,” said
Melbourne English Instructor and Writing Center Coordinator, Sharon Cronk-Raby. “I
try to help them become more skilled at writing, regardless of past experiences. I
am a big proponent of the writing process and working in steps. By helping students
understand that writing is a process, not a got-to-be-perfect-in-one-sitting ordeal,
I can help change their writing by changing their thinking about writing — which I
find very rewarding.”
The Melbourne Writing Center is provided by EFSC and there is no cost to students
for its use. Its staff includes four writing consultants — one full-time and three
part-time. Each consultant holds a bachelor’s degree and three hold master’s degrees.
All have significant writing experience.
The consultants assist students with the entire writing process, from brainstorming
to organizing and clarifying ideas. Although the center is not a proofreading service,
its staff teaches the skills necessary for writing success. In addition to assisting
with academic assignments, the staff also helps with other areas, such as scholarship
essays and college admission statements.
“In the writing center, we change lives by helping students accomplish writing tasks
they never thought possible,” said Cronk-Raby. “We make connections with students
and help them think critically and engage in conversations (first with our writing
consultants and then on paper in their writing assignments) that help them grow as
people and as writers.”
Cronk-Raby just completed her third year as a full-time English instructor on the
Melbourne campus. Previously, she was an adjunct instructor on the Cocoa campus for
a year; and before this, she lived in the suburbs of Chicago, where she also taught
English and worked in writing centers.
“I have worked with writing centers in some capacity for the last twenty years. For
the first ten years, I taught middle school within the public school system in Illinois,
and I worked directly with students in the classroom and in after-school homework
clubs on writing skills. For the last ten years, I have been teaching English at the
college level and working directly in writing centers in various capacities.
“Actually, I just started a PhD program, and my dissertation will, in some form or
another, focus on the positive roles a writing center holds within a college community.
Writing is my passion, and I firmly believe that writing centers have a positive impact
on students.”
The Melbourne Writing Center is located on the Melbourne campus in Building 2, Room
125 inside the library. It also has an entry off of the breezeway next to the large
glass window. The center is available to all EFSC students, faculty and staff, Monday
– Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The center’s workshops are offered in the Fall and Spring
terms only. To make an appointment, call 321-433-5605 or visit their webpage on the college website www.easternflorida.edu.
EFSC also provides a writing center on its Cocoa campus in Building 12, Room 221.
This center is available to all EFSC and UCF students, faculty and staff. It is closed
for the summer and reopens in the fall, Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. During
the summer, EFSC and UCF students from any campus may use the Melbourne Campus Writing
Center.
The writing centers’ staff suggest you bring the following to your consultation:
• A printed version of your latest draft
• Instructor’s assignment guidelines
• A flash drive to save any changes made during the consultation
• An open mind and willingness to accept constructive feedback
In addition to in-person assistance, the writing centers also provide students with
valuable writing tips, via power points, posted on the EFSC Writing Centers’ Libguide
website. These power points include:
- MLA (7th Ed.) Resources
- APA (6th Ed.) Resources
- Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)
- EMC 1101: Writing and Grammar
- ENC 1102: Writing about Literature
To view any of these power points please see: https://libguides.easternflorida.edu/melbournewritingcenter