Several members of the Boise State Writing Center presented research at the joint conference of the International Writing Centers Association and the National Council for Peer Tutors of Writing held Oct. 16-19 in Columbus, Ohio. This conference’s theme was “The Art of it All,” which focused on the artistic and artisanal elements of the one-to-one teaching of writing, and it featured writing center researchers from around the world.
Melissa Keith, director of the Writing Center, presented research on positive, relational labor as a critical component of mentorship. Additionally, graduate assistants Amanda Micheletty and Gretchen Wagner, and undergraduate consultants – Amanda Hawks, Kailee Jones, Miranda Kuehmichel, Madison Martinez, Jesus Rivera Orozco, Annika Severts, Emily Thorsen and Rachel Whitaker – presented their research on topics. Those topics included serving non-traditional students, those from traditionally marginalized communities and writers with PTSD, and practices related to technical writing, the use of plain language and the importance of educating writers about avoiding oppressive language.
With 11 participants in total, Boise State had the largest institutional representation at the joint conference this year.
In addition to receiving travel funding from the Writing Center, the undergraduate researchers received individual travel grants from the Associated Students of Boise State University and the graduate researchers received travel grants from the English department. Hawks and Orozco also received support from the McNair Scholars Program.