Fall 2013 HOURS
- Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
CONTACT US
- Call us at 288-5542
- To sign up for an appointment online: register here
- If experiencing difficulties, please call 288-5542 or see our FAQ
SATELLITE LOCATIONS
- Tutors are available for one-on-one consultations on a drop-in, first-come-first-serve basis.
- Wednesday: 6-8 p.m., Tutoring Services, AMU 3rd floor
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
- Questions about coming to the writing center:
- Other frequently asked questions
- Citation Resources (MLA, APA, and others)
- Finding Reliable Internet Sources
- Marquette University's Writing Across the Curriculum
RESOURCES FOR FACULTY
- Where can I find handouts? (Purdue University's OWL)
- Request Bookmarks and Class Visits
- Description of the writing center for syllabi
RESOURCES FOR TUTORS
Other Information
- Who staffs the writing center?
- How do you get to be a tutor?
- Job description for Director
- Job description for graduate tutor
- Job description for undergraduate tutor
Welcome to the Norman H. Ott Memorial Writing Center
(located in Raynor Library, Room 240)
The writing center offers peer tutoring to all Marquette students, staff, and faculty working on any and all writing projects.
Individual Writing Consultations
The heart of what we do is meet with writers to talk, one-on-one, about writing in progress. You are welcome to bring anything from first year English papers to graduate theses, from history papers to personal statements for law school. No matter where you are in the writing process--even if you just don't know where to start--we can help. We see writers in 30- or 60-minute sessions. Walk-ins are always welcome, but because we get busy, we recommend that you schedule your appointment ahead of time when possible.
Workshops for Writers
The Ott Memorial Writing Center will offer free workshops for writers on a variety of topics. Scheduling for Fall 2013 includes the following workshops.
- Writing Effective Lit Reviews: R October 10th, 11-12:15 (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Reviewing Grammar and Punctuation: T October 15th, 11:30-1pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Revising for Clarity: T October 22nd, 11:30-1pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Improving Style: T October 29th, 11:30-1 (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Writing Statements of Teaching Philosophy, M November 11th, 11-12pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Writing Personal Statements: R November 21st, 3:30-4:30 (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Breaking Through Writer's Block: M November 25th, 11-12pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
- Writing In-Class Essay Exams: T December 3rd, 3:30-4:45 (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
To register for these workshops, please call 288-5542.
Writing Wednesdays: Workshops for Faculty
Have you considered teaching with writing, but aren't quite ready to take the plunge? Do you assign writing and want to talk with others about your ideas and strategies for success? Come to our monthly workshops on writing, open to all faculty, instructional staff, and teaching assistants on the first Wednesday of each month.
- Writing Letters of Recommendation. Come hear a panel of experienced readers and writers of letters of recommendation share their tips for easing the process and improving the final product. W November 6th, 3-4:15 (Raynor Beaumeier Suite A)
Graduate Student Writing Groups
Do you need to get more writing done but have trouble scheduling blocks of time? Do you find writing lonely and would you prefer to write in the company of other writers? Did you know that in a study conducted by Robert Boice, writers who wrote in regularly scheduled blocks (rather than waiting to feel inspired) produced three times as much text and reported enjoying writing more? Because many writers would benefit from more structure and less solitude as they write, we invite graduate student writers to participate in a new program being offered by the Ott Memorial Writing Center: graduate student writing groups.
During each weekly meeting, a facilitator helps participants to set goals and report on progress; then participants sit and write in companionable silence. Each meeting time has a suggested disciplinary focus, but all writers are entirely welcome to attend any session.
- Wednesdays, 3-6pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite D)
- Fridays, 9am-12pm (Raynor Beaumeier Suite D)
History
The writing center started in the mid-seventies with a CETA Grant and operated in Coughlin Hall, in the English Department. Still housed in the English Department, we moved first to Monitor Hall. In 2003 we moved to the Raynor Library.
In 1987, the family of Norman H. Ott endowed the writing center, in memory of Norman's great love of poetry, hoping to foster writing of all kinds at Marquette.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Upcoming Workshops for Writers and Writing Wednesday Events:
- R October 10th, 11-12:15, Writing Effective Lit Reviews
- T October 15th, 11:30-1pm, Improving Grammar and Punctuation
- T October 22nd, 11:30-1pm, Revising for Clarity
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Congratulations to three Ott tutors who presented at Tutors Research: Research Within Writing Centers and Beyond
Learn more about research conducted by tutors in the Ott Memorial Writing Center at the upcoming Milwaukee Area Writing Center Colloquium. Among the staff members talking about their research experiences were Jackie Adler, Mike Haen, and Maggie Kollar.
Where: UWM campus, Curtin 175
When: W April 17th, 4:30-6:30pm
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Congratulations to members of the Ott Memorial Writing Center staff who presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (Las Vegas, March 2013).
Left to right: Undergraduate tutors Maggie Kollar and Jackie Adler with the poster representing their undergraduate research. Not pictured: Writing Center Director Rebecca Nowacek, who presented on "transfer talk" in the writing center.
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Congratulations to members of the Ott Memorial Writing Center staff who presented at the National Conference for Peer Tutoring in Writing (Chicago, Nov. 2012).
Left to right: Rebecca Nowacek, Natalie Campbell, Samantha Martinson, and Michael Haen. Not pictured: Beth Godbee, who also presented in a separate workshop.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Nowacek, Director
Tyler Monson, Assistant Director
English Department
