madison zuñiga – Sculpting words

Four recently published articles offer unique insight into how work in the writing center extends beyond traditional support for academic essays. During my years as a writing consultant, I’ve always been most interested in the alternative perspectives and strategies that can be applied within the writing center environment.

4. Joseph Cheatle and Cristian Sanchez’s “Writing center ambassadors: engaging campus organizations through embedded consultants.”

Cheatle and Sanchez’s article analyzes an “embedded” ambassador program for writing center consultants at piloted in Fall 2017 at Michigan State University. This goals of this program were similar to those that we outlined for the Concordia University Irvine Writing Studio’s Ambassador Program, which ran its pilot semesters during the 24’-25’ academic year. By inserting consultants into specific student groups, the Michigan State program hoped to strengthen and increase student relationships, and to “demystify the center for the organization’s students.” 

The program sought to access students where they already enjoyed community, rather than simply waiting for them to arrive at the writing center under their own initiative. It listed student groups such as low-income students, commuter students, and multicultural students, and the article focused specifically on the experiences of the consultant ambassador to the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). 

At CUI, we’ve interfaced with discipline-specific departments more so than student groups. However, based on the findings of this article it seems that a focused approach towards active student groups would enhance the ambassadorship goals of the CUI Writing Studio and allow our consultants to reach students organically, without the potentially disruptive pressures of professor oversight and grade-based motivations. 

The CUI ambassadorship program made an outreach attempt to the campus Unity Center and Student Veteran Alliance, but this resulted in less successful communication and impact than the ambassadorships to academic departments. With this in mind, the MSU program can guide, encourage, and legitimize further effort at CUI to partner with not-academically affiliated student groups on campus. 

Cheatle, J. & Sanchez, C. L. (2021). Writing center ambassadors: engaging campus organizations through embedded consultants. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal.