Dialogues - CAHSS Winter 2018

16 NSU CAHSS Dialogues Department of Writing and Communication Rebecca Lorimer Leonard Visits the DWC The DWC welcomed professor and author Rebecca Lorimer Leonard, Ph.D., on March 12 to discuss her book, Researching Writing on the Move: Migrant Women and the Value of Literacy . Leonard is an assistant professor in the Department of English at University of Massachusetts— Amherst, and regularly presents at events such as the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Watson Conference on Rhetoric and Composition, and the Writing Research Across Borders Conference. She also received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at UMass—Amherst in 2017. In her book, Leonard examines how transnational literacy practices are valued according to shifting language ideologies. DWC students were able to get some insight from the discussion with Leonard and enjoyed an Asian-style meal catered by Chartwells that included sweet and sour chicken, coconut curry vegetables, steamed white rice, spring rolls, lo mein, and beverages. In addition to the book discussion, Leonard addressed students and faculty members at the Writing and Communication Center on March 13 and discussed “Supporting Multilingual Writers in the Writing Center.” Here, the conversation revolved around the best practices for working with multilingual writers. Attendees were treated to a brunch that included sandwich wraps and chocolates. Both events were sponsored by CAHSS Graduate SGA. DWC Attends SWCA 2018 Conference Students Jacob Weiers, Jacqueline Lytle, Michaela Greer, Emalee Shrewsbury, and Chris Netterville attended the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA) 2018 Conference February 22–24 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. SWCA serves as a forum for the writing concerns of students, faculty and staff members, and writing professionals from both academic and nonacademic communities in the southeastern region of the United States. The conference’s theme was Writing Centers in Transition. Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., executive director of the NSU Writing and Communication Center; Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., associate professor; and Eric Mason, Ph.D., assistant professor, also attended the conference. The NSU group presented A Transition to Using Online Learning Modules for Staff Education. The presentation examined how a writing center transitions staff education and training from being primarily onsite to being primarily online. The DWC professors, two graduate assistants, and the undergraduate writing fellow’s presentation reviewed methods used to develop a series of online learning modules, how to conduct assessments, and how to plan to revise in the future. Dvorak accepted a plaque on behalf of the NSU Writing and Communication Center, as it is one of the first two college writing centers in the region to be certified by the SWCA. In addition, CRDM students Lytle and Shrewsbury received the Graduate Tutor Award for their work in the Writing and Communication Center. Rebecca Lorimer Leonard, Ph.D.