1. Appointment scheduling and management:  

   1. Students schedule and manage in-person and online appointments using uvm.myWConline.com (for any student enrolled in an undergraduate class) or uvm.myWCOnline.net (for any student enrolled in a graduate program). Students who need assistance scheduling or managing appointments can drop by the Writing Centers reception desk on the Ground Floor of Howe Library, email writing.center@uvm.edu, or call 802-656-1958. 

   2. Appointments are encouraged. Students without appointments are welcome to drop by our reception desk to see if a writing tutor or consultant is available. Drop in students are not guaranteed service.

   3. Appointments begin at the start of the hour and last 50 minutes. Students are expected to arrive on time, ready to work, and to end sessions on time. 

   4. Students can modify their appointments in myWCOnline before an appointment (up to 1 hour for undergraduates and 2 hours for graduate students). Modifying an appointment allows the student to change their modality from in-person to online (or vice versa), to edit their goals, or to attach materials to share with their writing tutor or consultant during their appointment. 

2. Cancellations and Missed Appointments 

   1. Students can cancel appointments in myWCOnline before an appointment (1 hour for undergraduates and 2 hours for graduate students). If a student has not canceled an appointment and is not present within the first 10 minutes, they will lose the appointment and will be marked as missed.  

   2. After three missed appointments, a student’s myWCOnline account will be automatically disabled from scheduling appointments, and the student will be automatically notified by email. To have a disabled account re-enabled, the student must meet with either the Undergraduate Writing Center Director or Graduate Writing Center Coordinator, depending on the student’s enrollment status, to appeal. Students can start this appeal process by emailing writing.center@uvm.edu.  

3. Appropriate use  

   1. Students are expected to be physically and mentally engaged and present, whether a session is in-person or online. Writers should come prepared to work collaboratively by bringing any materials that might be helpful for their project and process, such as assignment, instructions or rubrics; any work-so-far (notes, outlines, drafts); instructor or peer review feedback; or other appropriate resources.  

   2. Writing center sessions can provide opportunities to improve a student writer’s process and product, but writers, tutors, consultants, and instructors should have reasonable expectations for the pace of a writer’s development and improvement. 

   3. Writing tutors and consultants help writers develop their skills and move forward with writing projects. Coming to the writing center is not a substitute for interacting with instructors and attending classes. Writing tutors and consultants work with writers and should not be asked to complete work for writers. 

   4. Writing tutors and consultants are not instructors and should not be asked to predict a grade or pass judgement on how a product will be assessed.  

   5. Writing tutors and consultants can and do assist writers in learning the skills they need to avoid plagiarism, cheating, collusion, and fabrication, but responsibility for the work completed and/or submitted by any student who has visited the writing centers remains with the student. 

   6. It is the responsibility of students working on exams to ensure their instructor permits them to seek support from the Writing Centers.  

   7. The Writing Centers do not share information about student attendance without a student’s permission. Students receive a client report form via email after every writing center appointment, and they may choose to forward those to instructors, advisors, or others as evidence of attendance.  

4. Respect for peers. Writing tutors, consultants, and students must treat each other with respect. Unprofessional or inappropriate behaviors will not be tolerated. Everyone is expected to maintain appropriate noise levels and minimize distractions, such as excessive phone use or side conversations.  

5. Respect for space and resources. Writing centers spaces are reserved for writing tutoring and consultation. Our spaces are stocked with resources to use during sessions, and some handouts are available for writers to take and use outside of our spaces. Writing center computers, printers, print books and other guides are the property of the Writing Centers and should not be removed from our spaces. 

6. Refraining from disruptive behaviors. Disruptive behavior is any action that interferes with writing tutors’ or consultants’ ability to provide support during a session or interferes with other students’ ability to benefit from support. Examples include but are not limited to:  

   1. hostile or aggressive activity, or threats to safety,  

   2. making disrespectful or derogatory comments,  

   3. being under the influence of alcohol, recreational drugs, or controlled substances, 

   4. refusing to engage,  

   5. violating professional boundaries, including sexual harassment or sexually suggestive behaviors,  

   6. dominating conversations or repeatedly speaking over others,  

   7. defacing property or equipment,  

   8. disregarding established guidelines, norms, and practices 

7. Compliance with University Policies: writing tutors, consultants, and students must follow UVM’s Code of Student Conduct and adhere to the standards of UVM’s Code of Academic Integrity. Everyone who comes to the Writing Center on the Ground Floor of Howe Library must comply with the Expectations of Library Behavior established by the Library Dean’s Council. 

8. Consequences: As life-long learners, any of us may at times fail to meet these expectations. Students who violate or disregard these behavioral expectations will be referred by writing tutors or consultants to the Undergraduate Writing Center Director or Graduate Writing Center Coordinator. They may also have their session terminated by their writing tutor or consultant and be required to leave the Writing Centers spaces. The Director or Coordinator will review the referral and provide an opportunity for the student to provide their perspective. This could result in imposition of behavioral contracts, limits on access to the Writing Center, and referral to the Center for Student Conduct, the Dean of Students, or the Center for Academic Integrity. 

Questions or concerns about whether a student, writing tutor or consultant, or staff member has adhered to these expectations can be directed to writing.center@uvm.edu, 802-656-1958, or by using this Contact Us form, which can be submitted anonymously or not.