If you’ve braved the humidity early this past week and found a way through the dust balls of construction lining Park and University to Helen C White, you may have noticed that YES! The Writing Center IS open for the summer. Actually, we have already finished our first, and surprisingly busy, week of appointments. Personal statements, cover letters and resumes have been filling up our half hours, while new and returning ongoing dissertators and thesis writers have been establishing relationships with instructors they will be spending a quality hour with for the next eleven weeks (or more…).

After a week of swiveling around in my chair at the desk, I’ve already started to notice a couple of things that I really enjoy about working in the summer. First, escaping the humidity for a couple glorious hours of air conditioning has been nice  – as a reminder, our computer lab is open whenever we are open this summer if you need a cool and quiet place to get some work done.

Also, although our staff and schedule is reduced for the summer months, efforts clearly have not been. Enrollment for our wide array of summer classes has begun  –  check them all out at our website www.writing.wisc.edu. It is furthermore really fun to watch how much more relaxed and personal the writing center is over the summer. Early this past week, while I was scheduling an appointment for a girl new to the writing center, the instructor she was scheduled to meet with just happened to be sitting in our waiting area checking her email, and after she asked her what she would be bringing in next week, they started chatting excitedly about her summer project until the girl had to zip off to class, smiling. Even just listening to instructors discuss their recent appointments while entering records helps demonstrate the atmosphere of the summer session  –  one instructor’s first appointment of the summer concerned a new iPad app he was currently working on, and I also got to see a full copy of a man’s dissertation, graphs included, that he printed out specifically for his instructor to read, just for fun, because their schedules clashed and they were no longer able to meet with each other.

So, in case you missed it, YES, the Writing Center is up and running already, with a newly published list of classes, updated photo board of instructors, schedules and appointments through the first week of August, an air conditioned computer lab, fabulously enthusiastic instructors and supporting staff, and maybe even free muffins if all the baking I’ve been doing stops getting consumed by my older brother. So, as always, feel free to stop by or give us a call anytime. We would love to help you out this summer!

Martha Ferris UW-Madison `13
Writing Center Receptionist