Provost Cheryl Regehr increased funding to university writing centres in 2013–2014 “with the intention of reducing the number of students waiting for writing assistance and to enhance small-group writing instruction,” according to Althea Blackburn-Evans, U of T director of media relations.

“After three years, a review of the status of each writing centre is to be undertaken to ensure these initiatives are being achieved,” Blackburn-Evans said.

However, according to some students who have visited one or more college writing centres on the St. George campus, there is a disparity between the centres in terms of access to support and the type of help received. 

A third-year Victoria College film studies student who also takes courses at Innis College, Bronwyn Nisbet-Gray, has access to and has made use of both the Victoria and Innis College writing centres.

She found that instructors at Innis take a more hands-on and direct approach to her papers, while those at Victoria generally refer her to writing resources that she can use at home. 

“When it comes to [Victoria College], I feel that if I haven’t already done a lot of the work, there wasn’t much that they could help me with, as they mostly proofread and refer me to handouts, websites, and books that I could use,” Nisbet-Gray said.

“On the other hand, I once visited Innis with a kernel of an idea for a formal film analysis due in a few days and they really helped me flesh out a thesis and outline for my paper,” she added.

Aditya Thakore, also a third-year Victoria student, agreed that the level of feedback received from Victoria College writing centre tutors was low. “I was looking for comments on the structure and thesis of my essay, but the feedback I got back was mostly on citation and grammar, which wasn’t helpful as it was only a first draft,” he said. 

Peter*, a Trinity College student, found the reviews given by instructors at the Trinity College writing centre unnecessary. “They focused on points in my essay that were presented as a matter of personal choice. I just thought they… didn’t really give me constructive criticism,” he said. 

On the other hand, Bilan Moallim, a second-year women and gender studies and equity studies student, had no complaints about her experiences with both the University College and New College writing centres. 

Moallim found instructors at both colleges very personable and helpful in their approach to her papers. “I have a list of specific people in my head that I go to for my papers, so every time I see a vacancy with one of them, I book that appointment. As my program is a part of New College, I do go there more often and what I find really convenient is that the instructors there already have the assignment outlines beforehand,” she said.

Colin*, a Woodsworth College student, echoed Moallim’s thoughts, with no negative criticism of the Woodsworth writing centre. However, he did remark that it is difficult to find an opening for an appointment.

Thakore said that he too encountered a fairly lengthy waitlist while trying to book an appointment. 

The writing centres are in high demand during midterm season and other assignment-heavy periods.

Richard Carter, coordinator of the St. Michael’s College Academic Research and Skills Centre, said that overwhelming student demand combined with a shortage of writing centre instructors contributes to the space shortage. “We have four librarians who help with research and we get a fair bit of take out with research help, but we get even more when it comes to writing help — more than we can take on at the moment,” Carter said, adding that he is considering implementing drop-in hours for students who are unable to book an appointment.

Jerry Plotnick and Brock McDonald, directors of the University College and Woodsworth College writing centres, respectively, agreed with Carter regarding the challenges of student demand. “Student demand has always outstripped supply, despite offering more appointments and drop-in hours,” Plotnick commented. 

McDonald added that Woodsworth has not only added drop-in hours, but also enhanced access to online appointments. The online system allows students to upload their paper online, and an instructor then reads the paper without an in-person meeting. “Students definitely prefer the one-on-one since they get that dialogue, but this feature has been widely used by our students as well,” said McDonald. 

Blackburn-Evans said that, apart from services offered by the individual centres, students can also access the Writing Plus Series, which is a series of workshops offered in conjunction with the libraries, the Academic Success Centre, and the Career Centre. 

She also cited the advantage of drop-in hours at the campus’ Academic Success Centre.

*Name changed at student’s request.