NOVA The Gaston College Writing Center Newsletter

Writing Center Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Held at RCB Grand Opening

By

Stephanie Tolliver Osborne, Director

The Robinson Classroom Building Dedication and the ribbon-cutting for The

Gaston College Writing Center were held on Friday, March 25th. A large audience

gathered to hear speakers reminisce about William Marcus Robinson, a local man

who loved Gaston College so much that he left his farm and land in trust to it. At

the time he made it, his gift was the largest to ever be bestowed upon Gaston

College. In that same giving sprit, the Belk Foundation awarded the Writing

Center a generous grant, just over $96,000, in its pilot semester to support

excellence in student learning and writing across the curriculum. Although the

Center has been serving students since January, this occasion marked the official

grand opening. Just one day prior to the ribbon-cutting, the Writing Center had its

biggest service day to date, assisting 56 students during business hours. After

remarks made by various GC administration, faculty, and staff members, guests

were invited to attend the ribbon-cutting upstairs. Belk Foundation representative

Frank Matthews cut the trademark Gaston teal ribbon in the Center‘s doorway,

celebrating its success and promise of future achievements. To date, the Writing

Center has served more than 700 students in person, and more than 100 students

through its online tutoring options. Having only been open nine weeks at the time

of the ribbon-cutting, the Writing Center had already served 16.9% of the more

than 6,500 curriculum students enrolled. In addition, not only have we met all of

our semester goals outlined in the initial proposal for the Center, but also

exceeded them by significant margins:

Service Provided Semester Goal

Students Serviced

Actual Number

of Students Served

Exceeded Goal by

Individual Coaching 50 721 1,342%

Online Essay Submission 100 119 19%

Workshops 50 287 474%

TOTAL: 200 1,127 463%

As I have watched the Writing Center grow from its original design (my ideas

on paper, collected from research and past professional experience managing a

corporate learning center) into a living, functioning entity that serves students and

employs professionals, my expectations have been far surpassed. Within our

beautiful Center and our adjacent office space, we are changing students‘ lives

and positively mentoring our community‘s future workforce. I have been

overwhelmed by the amount of support the Writing Center has received from Dr.

Skinner, Dr. Ammons, Dean Heather Woodson, and the entire faculty who has

entrusted us with their student writers, knowing that we serve them with integrity,

honesty, and a sincere desire to help them grow into competent, independent

learners. Plans for expansion to both Kimbrell and Lincoln campuses are

underway, with support from campus deans Joe Keith and Rosalind Welder.

Currently, students on these campuses are served online only, unless they come to

the Dallas Campus to the physical location.

April, 2011 ISSUE # 3Attitude

Poetry Viva Voce Date: April 24

th

Time: 6:00 pm

Location: GC Robinson Room# 236

Email: writingcenter@gaston.edu

Featured Poet: Mystery Reader!

Open mic follows featured reader.

Dedication pictures

This is the third Gaston college Writing Center newsletter. Inside this issue are the Center’s mission, staff

information, a poem, quotes, and updates on progress. The purpose of the newsletter is to focus on the Writing

Center and inform readers about its monthly progress. We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter. Suggestions

and feedback are welcomed and appreciated.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Excuses, Excuses

By Brittney Prichard

Please excuse me from being friendly,

making eye contact, manual labor of any kind

including but not limited to: cleaning tub rings,

answering the telephone, dusting spider webs,

changing bulbs, washing old cheese off dishes, ect….

I have a migraine, I need a Zomig.

My feet don‘t work, the right one stays asleep till noon.

I can‘t see 20/20 in my left eye.

If you can‘t remember why,

Please refer to my poem entitled, ―What‘s Wrong‖ circa 2005.

My back is poisonous with knots the size of hushpuppies.

(the food, not the shoes)

My tooth was extracted. If it doesn‘t grow back soon the bridge will be

expensive.

I feel a tingling sensation, think I‘ve gotta pee,

but I fear urinating in unfamiliar places without turning the faucet on.

I just remembered my older brother shot my cat, Pepper Steak,

when I was nine and didn‘t tell me what happened until I was twenty-one.

It‘s been over six years now, but I still hold

the tiniest grudge, maybe I‘ll let his goldfish

accompany me to the toilet-- for moral support, of course.

Did I tell you, I had my tonsils out back in December?

Recovery time is usually three weeks for adults,

it‘s been six months, but I‘m finally back on solid foods,

ate a juicy steak for dinner last night,

which reminded me of poor ol‘ Pepper Steak,

the pain of his death, the betrayal of my brother.

I‘m not fit to be around anyone right now,

my depression may rub off.

I‘m still dealing with the loss

of my little midget kidneys, my bloated hockey players,

my twins in pink and white polka dot dresses.

I‘m a slow healer, an easy bleeder.

OUR MISSION The Gaston College Writing Center exists to help students of the College pursue their educational goals and develop into

intellectually mature persons, competent writers, and lifelong

learners.

Why We Are ―Coaches‖

At the Writing Center, the professional staff that works with

students are not called ―tutors.‖ We call ourselves ―coaches‖ for a

simple reason. In athletics, a coach doesn‘t play the game;

likewise, a writing ―tutor‖ doesn‘t do the writing. Despite his or

her own desire to run full-speed down the court, or pass the ball to

a specific player, or jump higher to make a basket – he or she must

resist that desire, and teach the players how to make those

decisions. The coach motivates, supports, and trains his or her

athletes in a variety of skills so that they can replicate them in

every game, calling their own shots, executing most of them with

accuracy, and even some of them with perfection. The coach-

athlete relationship is a perfect metaphor for what we do in the

Writing Center every day. Sometimes, as much as we want to play

the game, we do our best work when we sit on the sidelines and

cheer. Allowing the student to make his or her own decisions about

writing, while consulting us for our knowledge and expertise in

specific areas, is what truly constitutes academic support. By

coaching and training our writers, we enable them to be stronger

on their own. Just like a coach sees a benchwarmer take control of

the game and score the winning goal, we see the tremendous

growth that students experience as a result of writing tutoring—

whether it is using commas correctly for the first time, or walking

in with an outline for a research project that was compiled without

assistance. The greatest satisfaction we get is when students rush

through the door waving a paper in our faces and jumping up and

down, asking to hug all of the coaches that assisted them. Many

students comment that the people who work in the Writing Center

are ―so nice‖ – and I couldn‘t agree more. My staff is phenomenal.

Together, we have created a positive and supportive learning

environment that has now become a staple in many students‘

routine at Gaston College. At the end of the day, we know we can‘t

win every match. We know that some of our ‗players‘ won‘t make

all of the right shots, all of the time. What we do know, however, is

that we have made a difference, and in academics, the utmost

victory is keeping them in the game.

- Stephanie Osborne

CREATIVE CORNER

April, 2011 ISSUE #3 Attitude

Hi everyone! My name is Susan Gutowski and I‘m currently a

student at Gaston College. This semester, I am taking English

111 which requires a student to write essays. I found out

about the Gaston College writing center on Blackboard. I

went to check it out and I am so glad I did. I hadn‘t written an

essay in a while and wasn‘t sure if I could still write a good

one. I was very impressed by the reference material the

writing center had on hand. They even had a binder filled with

essays that students had written. Every time I would visit the

writing center, Mrs. Osborne and the staff let me know that

they are there to help me, no matter what I was having trouble

with. Recently, my instructor mentioned to our class that the

essay I turned in had no errors; it was perfect. Immediately,

my fellow students asked me how I managed to get an ―A‖. I

told them to visit the writing center and have their essay read

for grammar and punctuation mistakes before they turn it in.

That‘s what I did and I‘m sure that‘s what made my ―B+‖

essay into an ―A‖ essay. If you want a better grade, go visit

them. They are wonderful people.

Susan Gutowski

By Word of Mouth

April, 2011 ISSUE #3 Attitude

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Abstract: Kafka as Gregor and the Human Similarities

to Bugs in The Metamorphosis

As much as Kafka‘s The Metamorphosis shines a light

into the human psyche, it also gives introspection towards

Kafka‘s own personal life and the monotony that we all

share. It is quite blatant to see, after reading Kafka‘s

―Letter to His Father‖, that what Kafka wrote down as the

story that envelopes Gregor in The Metamorphosis, is an

extension of how Kafka feels his life to have been at a

younger age. It is through this juxtaposition that we, as

readers, can then see the mental characteristics of a bug in

Gregor before he takes on the physical characteristics.

Franz Kafka‘s ―Letter to His Father‖ is an extremely

deep and personal letter exposing the inside logistics of

Kafka towards himself, in relation to his father. He sets

up no filter in his outpouring of explanations regarding

why he is the way he is, and how his father helped form

him. Throughout this letter it becomes very evident, even

in the language used, that what the reader experiences in

The Metamorphosis, is really only a metaphorical

elaboration on how Kafka sees his life.

My paper goes on to use contextual evidence from The

Metamorphosis and Letter to His Father in order to

present the idea of Gregor as a bug before his mutation,

Kafka as Gregor, and his father as a metaphor throughout

the work. I also refute several other scholars' arguments

in order to express the urgency of seeing The

Metamorphosis in the lens of Kafka's actual life.

~Conference Presentation by Coach Chris Thurley

"Lazy Bones? Motivating the Unmotivated Student"

for the Western Regional Conference for the North

Carolina Association of Developmental Educators

(NCADE) hosted by Gaston College

~By Stephanie Tolliver Osborne

“Composition Pedagogical Strategies: Personal

Narrative as Teaching Aid” for the Western Regional

Conference for the North Carolina Association of

Developmental Educators (NCADE) hosted by Gaston

College

~Conference Presentation by John Withers IV

Other Presentations

Delete text and place photo here.

Meet Jefferson Fortner BA in English and History from UNC Greensboro

Working on MA in Multicultural Literature at East Carolina University

Current member of North Carolina Writers Network

.

A native of Gaston County, Mr. Fortner grew up in Mount Holly. After high

school graduation, he moved away from Gaston County but returned just in

time for his twentieth high school reunion. His college choice of UNC-

Greensboro is due to the English staff of prominent writers, most of which he

was able to study with. Avery studious student, he acquired a BA with a double

major in English and History. He started in a low level job after college but

was given more responsibility with time. Eventually, he became the Regional

Manager for East Coast Operations. He engaged in writing on the side during

this time. These writings include poetry, a few plays, and some short stories.

When the company he worked for went out of business, he viewed it as an

opportunity to return to school. He accepted a position as a high school English

instructor and applied for graduate school. Unfortunately, after starting

graduate school, the school system began the laying off process. Shortly after,

he discovered the Writing Center’s need for Coaches. As he states, “I was

delighted when I was asked to join the staff!” He is now midway with the

program at East Carolina University and is procuring a MA in English. As an

enthusiastic student and writer, he hopes he conveys his enthusiasm to students

who visit the writing center. His interest in the student’s success is evident as

he asks what stage of the writing process the student is in and continues to

work with him or her one-on-one until he or she is completed. The finishing

point in this process for him is when the student feels confident about the paper

and understands the process used to create a great paper. Mr. Fortner enjoys

talking to people about diverse writing topics. His job allows him to indulge

this enjoyment as he talks to students about different experiences and ideas

expressed in Narrative or Argumentative Essays. His wide range of interests

allows him to effectively coach students across a field of disciplinary. As a

coach, he is constantly in a learning environment as he learns about the people

he meets, the subjects they are studying, and the writing process they are

undergoing. When asked about his “attitude” in life he stated, “From my long

work history in Corporate America, and from my academic history, I have

learned that everything in life is easier and more interesting if you just let

yourself enjoy what you are doing.”

~Priscilla Yeboah

‗Coaches in Action‘

Hours of operation

Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Fridays 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m

WC Email: writingcenter@gaston.edu Phone: 704-922-2369 (Center) 2368 (Office)

Location: RCB 236

Find us on Facebook! Search for The Gaston College Writing Center page.

Poetry Viva Voce 03/24/11

About March’s Featured Reader

Brittney Blaskowitz Prichard lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, Jon, and their three cats: Nada, Chester,

and LMNOP. She received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte where she

studied with Bob Hicok, Cathy Smith Bowers, Claudia Rankine, Alan Michael Parker and others. Prichard

currently teaches Developmental English at Gaston College. Her chapbook Lessons in Disaster won the South

Carolina Poetry Initiative‘s Chapbook Award in 2009. Her poems and book reviews have appeared in North

American Review, Peaks and Valleys, Main Street Rag, and elsewhere.

April, 2011 ISSUE # 3 Attitude

~QUOTABLE QUOTES~ Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is

the same. ~Francesca Reigler Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.

~Alphonse Karr

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~Maori Proverb

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. ~ Zig Ziglar Your heart is a sun -Joy its stars, Faith a moon, shining in your darkness.~Terri Guillemets

The Writing Center is looking for student volunteers for Spring 2011

Volunteers will:

Assist with workshops

Help set up for open-mic nights

Help design a student literary magazine

Volunteers will receive a statement of volunteer hours that will

look great on a resume.

You can find us on Face book or e-mail us at: osborne.stephanie@gaston.edu

Editor: Priscilla Yeboah