Appointment Expectations
We are Peers Tutors
As peer tutors, our philosophy aims to minimize the authority dynamics that can play into student-instructor conversations. To that end, our tutors will not evaluate your work. Instead, they will guide you through an assignment based on concerns that are brought within the session. Instructors will always have the final determination of a grade, and the Writing Studio is separate from that determination.
What to Expect from an Appointment
The Writing Studio is an instructional service provided by the English Department and Lower Division Studies operated and maintained by English department graduate students. To promote a learning environment, you can expect to converse with a peer tutor—an experienced reader—about your work and how to amplify your written voice.
Tutors will not compose, line-edit, or evaluate/grade anyone’s work. Instead, tutors will discuss—in real-time—possible ways to improve your work at any and every stage of the writing process.
If you have additional questions, visit our FAQs page or email our Associate Directors at writing@gsu.edu.
Length & Frequency of Appointments
Anyone within the GSU community can make one appointment a day provided a tutor is available.
- Undergraduate students can make one 25-minute appointment per day.
- Graduate students, staff/faculty, students with accommodations, and alumni can make one 55-minute appointment per day.
Appointments that begin late are still beholden to the initial time constraints of the scheduled session. Tutees may cancel or reschedule their appointment up to 5-minutes prior to the original appointment's start date/time. We highly recommend using the text reminder and the iCal feature, to remind you of your appointment.
Please send any questions about appointments to writing@gsu.edu.
Late & Missed Appointment Policy
We allow a 5-minute grace period after the start of the appointment for tutees to join the session (both in-person and online), but after that period, tutors will mark the appointment as "missed."
After 3 "missed" appointments, the tutee's account is frozen. You can re-activate your account by emailing the admins at writing@gsu.edu.
Group Appointments
If you are looking to schedule a group appointment or a larger workshop, contact the Writing Studio's Associate Directors at writing@gsu.edu. We are happy to accommodate group appointments and workshops, but such appointments require additional time for necessary planning.
To schedule a group session, please contact us at writing@gsu.edu and include the following:
- the number of group members,
- desired day/time to meet (please offer several options)
- class
- assignment
We ask that you make arrangements at least one week in advance of your appointment.
"Required" Studio Visits
We are happy to have Georgia State faculty recommend the Writing Studio to their classes. Faculty support plays a significant role in encouraging students to take advantage of the Writing Studio for all composition projects. Studio appointments are open to all members of the GSU community, at all levels, in all programs, free of charge.
The Writing Studio has long-held policies that support students’ ownership and autonomy over their work, both for logistical and pedagogical reasons. Such policies include not writing on students’ papers, avoiding discussion of grades, and keeping private what happens between students and tutors. Pedagogically, we believe such policies support students’ growth as independent writers as they chose when and how to seek writing assistance. Logistically, it is difficult for the Writing Studio to accommodate required visits due to limited resources.
For these reasons, we do not provide verification or details regarding a student’s choice to visit. We encourage professors who assess writing to request students to turn in drafts periodically to show “evidence of writing improvement.”
Community Expectations
Policy of Respect
Everyone who enters the Writing Studio space—both physical and virtual—is considered a peer. Although the composing process is deeply personal, our community of writers must always respect and maintain personal and professional boundaries as we would around any group of peers. At the Georgia State University (GSU) Writing Studio, we expect all members of our writing community to be respectful of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, citizenship status, religious affiliation, ability, and linguistic background. Anyone who attends Writing Studio sessions virtually or visits our campus location must be committed to actively and continuously educating themselves about issues of discrimination and maintaining respectful boundaries.
To that end, below is a list of tutor and tutee rights to highlight the parameters of personal and professional boundaries more clearly:
- Tutors and tutees have the right to refrain from sharing their personal information (examples include, but are not limited to, personal social media accounts, phone numbers, or email addresses).
- Tutors and tutees have the right to stop an appointment if they feel uncomfortable or if any behavior or language from either party is disrespectful or rude.
- Tutors and tutees have the right to refuse to meet with folks who make them feel uncomfortable, disrespected, or unsafe.
- Tutors and tutees have the right for tutoring sessions to occur in safe and public environments and that both parties remain present for the duration of the tutoring session.
- In-person appointments always occur in the Writing Studio (25 Park Place NE, Suite #2420) with two or more staff members in attendance, and the Studio door is always open.
- Virtual appointments always begin via the Writing Studio’s WC Online space (aka Write/Chat) and do not encroach on the tutor’s digital space (examples include, but are not limited to, a tutor’s GSU assigned WebEx account, student/staff emails, or personal Google accounts).
- Both face-to-face and online appointments must be treated with the same respect regarding appropriate dress and professional behavior expected of members of the GSU Community detailed in the Code of Conduct.
- Tutors have the right not to review material with subject matter that they are not comfortable discussing.
Please notify the Associate Directors immediately with a detailed account of the situation at writing@gsu.edu if you experience any violation of the rights provided above.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It is important to keep in mind that plagiarism does not factor in your intent—whether it is committed on purpose or by accident, uncredited use of another's work is plagiarism.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated at GSU. If you have not done so already, familiarize yourself with Georgia State’s policy on Academic Honesty. This policy refers to every piece of writing you do for class. If you are ever unsure what may or may not be plagiarism or if you need help with citations, do not hesitate to ask one of our tutors for help. In fact, we welcome your questions!
We can help you identify potential concerns and how to mitigate potential problems. While we will not “fix” the issue, we will provide our knowledge and other resources to help tutees to the best of our abilities.
Accessibility Accommodations
The GSU Writing Studio uses a combination of resources to make our appointments as accessible as possible.
If tutees have a documented disability with the Access and Accommodations Center, we encourage them to notify the Studio’s Associate Directors by email (writing@gsu.edu) with a copy of the required accommodations letter and an explanation of how we (the directors and tutors) can best support their (the tutee’s) writing instruction needs. That documentation allows us to adjust appointments as needed to accommodate the tutee.
Ramifications for Violating WS Policies
Possible ramifications for violating Writing Studio policies include but are not limited to:
- Email warnings identifying and addressing the concern
- The temporary or permanent suspension of your WCOnline account
- A meeting with Admins of the GSU Writing Studio
- Or, recourse is taken at the university level in line with policies such as GSU’s Code of Conduct, Disruptive Student Conduct Policy, and Sexual Misconduct Policy.
All members of the GSU community can find the full text of these and other relevant campus-wide policies through the Office of the Dean of Students.
Campus Resources
The Writing Studio has a wealth of knowledge about campus resources. Below is a compilation of resources to accommodate needs that fall outside the Studio’s scope:
| Academic Advisor | The University Advisement Center offers drop-in advising services. If you have any questions about your courses, major, or career, make an appointment with your advisor at (404)413-2300 or stop by the 4th floor of 25 Park Place. |
| Academic Coach | An Academic Coach is available to meet with you to go over academic issues you may be experiencing or to support you in reaching your goals. You are encouraged to meet with your coach on a regular basis. Make an appointment by visiting their office at 255 Sparks Hall or by calling (404)413-2692. |
| University Career Services | What does life after college look like for you? University Career Services can help you figure that out. Our office provides resources to assist you throughout your academic journey and propel you to future success. Check out their Student Services through this link. |
| CATLab | The CATLab, along with providing computer access, also provides multimedia equipment for rent to anyone with a Panther Card. You can rent Still Cameras, Video Cameras, Microphones, Tripods, and the like. Check out their website for more information. |
| Dean of Students | Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify me—if you are comfortable doing so—because I can provide any resources that I may possess. |
| Personal Counselor | The Counseling Center offers confidential individual counseling and offers several workshops throughout the semester. |
| Student Victim Assistance |
Your professor is required to report any disclosure of violence committed against or committed by students to the Dean of Students. If you do not wish to report a crime, but need someone to talk to, the Division of Student Affairs offers Student Victim Assistance which can help in almost any case. · 24-hour contact #: (404)413-1965 · If the emergency is urgent call 9-11 · If the emergency is on campus call (404)413-3333 |
| Tech Support & Device Requests | If you are concerned about accessing the internet or tech devices while remote learning, click here for information for internet options and how to submit requests for technology. |
| The Trevor Project |
The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. The Trevor Lifeline is a confidential service that offers trained counselors. Reach Out:
|