Summer Musings...you needed an update.

Hello, Hello, Hello WC folk!
Well it has been a fairly average and mundane summer in the Writing Center. It has been a long time since a post has been made, so I'll try and update you as best I can.

This summer we have Amber, Tara, Karin, Andy, Malyssa, Clarissa and myself (Katie) working in the Writing Center. We are doing the usual projects, and have added a few fun things this summer, so here is a bit of an update on that:

The summer newsletter went incredibly smoothly, only a few minor hitches including Dr. Bob trying to crop out his "pimping ain't easy" shirt, but we managed to keep that intact. Hopefully this will be posted on the website soon so people who are not current staff members can take a look at "The Albuquerque A-Bomb."

As for the Alumni Newsletter, it is a slower process. We are trying to compile a current list of alums and their locations and get plenty of info on those individuals who may have eluded us in the past. Andy and I are beginning to feel like stalkers, so hopefully those of you who have avoided being contacted for the last several years will suck it up and send us your info!

Andy and Karin have made some wonderful videos discussing Writing Center theory and execution. These will be used to introduce people to the Writing Center, help train new staff members, and hopefully at least one of them will be used at the MWCA conference in Rapid City, South Dakota this fall.

As some of you know, last year we started a project entitled "The WCWC" or Writing Center Water Closet. A few times a semester we put up newsletters in all of the bathroom stalls on campus with some Writing Center news, event info, and some fun stuff to read while you are..er...taking care of business. In an attempt to be more environmentally friendly, an accurate count of all of the bathroom stalls on campus is being taken. No longer will we over-print!

Amber would like everyone to know that the Colere website is finally up to date, one of her summer projects. She says: "The Colere website is now amazing and everyone should take a glance at it. www.public.coe.edu/wac/colere For once, it's not three years out of date." Do it. You know you want to.

Other than that, it has been a lot of gardening and planning for the new incoming class. We seem to have a great group coming in this year, so get excited!

More to come!
- Katie B.

hard work, good luck, red bull

Update from alumna Alice Obrecht, currently working on her PhD at the London School of Economics:

I've been thinking about the writing center a lot lately, for two reasons: one, I think my life would be better if I had a bread makingmachine. Two, exam time is looming here at LSE.

The brilliance of the British system is that students are politely asked to do various chores throughout the year - for example attend class somewhat regularly, participate in discussion, submit written work that is marked and returned to them-but 100% of their grade for a class is determined by a single 3-hour exam sat in a large, often sweltering, hall in June. In this 3 hour exam students are expected to write 3 essays, by hand. There is also a pit of tarantulas they must avoid falling into as they exit the hall. Unfortunately that last part is not true. Yet.

So I am thinking of the WC at the moment, as I always do this time of year. On the one hand, focusing course assessment around written work is a good idea. On the other hand, this way of doing it seems to take the writing process and pump it full of Red Bull and extreme anxiety and the search for the Perfect Essay Structure that can be learned and repeated over and over.

Hence my procrastination in preparing for the revision class I must teach tomorrow (and hence this as another chance at procrastination). But basically I will say what I always say, which is that writing a good philosophy essay is like good cooking or having a good sense of personal style. Outside of some basic guidelines, like don't switch around the salt and the sugar, or don't always expect people to understand the irony of your clothing choices, there is not much to say. You are free.

And it is your choice: will you be inspired by that freedom, or terrified?

Then I will tell them to work hard, and wish them luck, and remind them of the health side effects of drinking too much Red Bull.

She also writes: " I would have liked to send you a picture of me on the boat I'm living on, but forgot to bring my camera with me to school. Perhaps later."

Farewell from this year's graduating seniors!


(front, L-R: Nina, Johanna, Heather, Whitney, Marie, Leta; back, L-R: Sarah, Clarity, Sakinah, Jenna, Patricia, Andy)

We will miss you very much, indeed.

around the world, part v

Katie Roger (class of '08) in France, 2006

around the world, part iv

Tanner Curl (class of '07) in Wales, 2005

around the world, part iii

Hannah Ross-Suits (class of '06) in Gambia, 2008

around the world, part ii

Corrie Ball (class of '06) in Japan, 2008

news from the haunted book shop

As many of you know, Iowa City's Haunted Bookshop is owned by CWC alumna Nialle Sylvan and her husband, Kurt (rumor has it they met at the bookshop). It's a fun place to go for used books, readings, and lots of cats, and the big news is that the shop has expanded. Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth:

I recently bought and merged with a second bookshop. (If Bob doesn't know about this, please tell him so that he isn't confused next time he comes to visit!) Instead of calling it the Northside Haunted Fun Zone, though, we are sticking to the good old Haunted Bookshop name. The Fun Zone was the toyshop we adopted last summer. That's why, besides 40,000 books, we have puppets, glow-in-the-dark flesh-eating zombie figures, Marie Antoinette action figures with Ejector Head Action, and Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot for sale.

Awesome. The new location is at 203 North Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 (Where Northside Books used to be).


Anyone for a fieldtrip?

no waves

nathan nass used to be in the writing center. then he moved to korea. now he lives in honolulu, hawai'i, where he is studying ethnomusicology. today in cedar rapids it was an unseasonably warm january day - almost 40-degrees, but i still wish i was in honolulu. cedar rapids does not have waves.



anyway, nathan nass sent me a poem:

"blue heaven honolulu eyesore"

exploded boxspring
kapiolani & date
diamond head's shoulders

late night plate lunch
gina's bbq don't kill the
cockroach it can't fly

some old retreat photos, just because

CWC alum studying in Haifa, published in the Gazette.

Angriest voices lead the crowds, but to where?

by Nick Barnes

The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 18 January 2008

Haifa, Israel –

It’s New Years Eve and low clouds came rolling in off the Mediterranean this morning. The holiday season has been especially cheerless. In this part of the world, but it has nothing to do with the weather. As I walk to class, the outlines of the buildings are barely perceptible and, unfortunately for the pro-Israeli Defense Forces demonstration that was to take place in the courtyard, just a few people have showed up.

Visibility is the essential ingredient to any good demonstration – otherwise the flags, banners and clever sayings hastily scratched on posters all come to naught. Instead, they are just angry voices in the mist, chanting muffled slogans and diatribes. I run into two friends who had hoped to see some genuine public upheaval. They told me that there weren’t enough people for anything exciting to happen. Sometimes I guess I don’t mind a little inclement weather around the holidays.

A friend gave me a Palestinian scarf for Christmas and today, the students are handing out Israeli flags to anyone that would take them. I have stopped seeking out conversations on the war because I just seem to be repeating the same disappointing dialogue. I have had to stop counting the number of times I hear the phrases, from either side, “I hate them,” or “they don’t make any sense” and “I don’t care what happens to them.”

Otherwise, life seems to continue on much as normal: classes attended, bars packed and movie theaters full. Maybe it’s that they have gotten used to war in this part of the world. Surely if I had gone to Ben Gurion University in the Beer Sheva, life would be very different for me with the prospect daily rocket fire. Israelis are rightly angered by this but none of even my more dovish friends have ever once mentioned their misgivings about the numerous missiles killing innocent Palestinians. Collateral damage, I guess. Similarly, you hear very little outspoken condemnation of Hamas’ behavior in the Arab street.

I like to think of it like our weather on the top of this mountain: The clouds have arrived and since no one can see very well, those with the loudest, angriest voices are the ones driving the crowd in a direction that is not going to lead them out of the fog anytime soon. The really depressing thing is that many here believe there will never be peace.

So, according to an editorialist here, Israel is “teaching them a lesson, again: and the government says that the will destroy the Hamas infrastructure and make them think twice before bombing the South. I’m not convinced. This is clearly what Hamas wanted, and the longer this conflict goes on, the more popular Hamas-type sentiments will become. Some say Israel is re-establishing its deterrence against a terrorist organization, but this grossly misinterprets how Hamas came to power and its role in Gaza. For a starving, unemployed, overpopulated Gaza Strip, killing and violence will not moderate the population or leadership and almost always calls for a similar response. What do they have to lose?

So the once-cautiously integrated communities here at the University of Haifa are now polarized after powerful nationalist emotions have sprung forth. Racialization, already well-embodied within society, has become a stronger force, as both sides seem to be saying you are either one of us or one of them. Many wear the Palestinian scarf or an Israeli flag.

But I refuse to pick sides. I wonder what would happen if I put on the Palestinian scarf my friend gave me while waving one of the Israeli flags. Is this a contradiction? Can there be no middle ground?

Looking out my window, the clouds appear to be settling in for the last night of the year. I hope the new year brings a break in the weather so that maybe, some day, the sun will come out.

Nick Barnes, 27, of Cedar Rapids, is a student at the University of Haifa in Haifa, Israel, on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, studying in the Peace and Conflict Studies program until June. he is a 2004 Coe College and 2000 Cedar Rapids Washington High School Graduate.

Visit Nick in Haifa, a journal of Nick's year as a Rotary Scholar.

Alumni Update!

This is the first of what will hopefully be many "dispatches" from WC alumni. One of the great things about the Coe Writing Center is the incredible community that we have created, and the sense of continuity and connection between multiple WC generations. Those 60-some students who currently populate the WC make up just a small fraction of the larger CWC, and this blog should be a reflection of that.

So...onto the real news. In the summer of 2007, our very own, much-loved Beth Hayden got hitched!


L-R: Emily Johnson, Luke Johnson (class of 2007), Beth (2006), her husband Nick Kirby, Kate Taber (2006), and Lillian Vince (2007).

She says:

This was taken on July 14, 2007, in Newport News, VA at our reception. The ceremony was at my home church in Hampton, VA.

Nick and I are in the same PhD program in the Mathematics department at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. I completed all the work for my Master's degree this past summer. I'm almost done with coursework and about to enter the wild and wacky world of mathematics research. I'll be working in the area of topology, which is really cool math. I plan (hope) to graduate in 2011. I'm also teaching freshmen 100-level math, which is both challenging and time-consuming, but has some lovely unexpected moments that keep me sane.

* If any of our alumni are reading this and want to have their own announcements (engagement, wedding, baby, new job, new school, graduation, new pet, etc. etc.) posted here, shoot an email my way: jashaw (at) coe (dot) edu.

WC Minutes 11/17

The subject of the evening is apparel. At last week’s meeting someone brought up the fact that the “store-room” of WC shirts/hoodies is almost empty. Bob took action, coming to the meeting armed with samples and ideas. A sampling:

-Nulla dies sine linea, “never a day without a line.” My personal favorite (my preference, sadly, falls on deaf ears)

-“Comma sutra” cartoon

-“The Coe Word Trade Center: We’re Still Standing.” Deemed inappropriate.

-The classic swirling “WC” symbol with a Wittgenstein quotation

-Vasec nominates “Death to Carthage” in Latin, giving a bad name to Classics majors everywhere (ahem). Bob responds: “When you have your own writing center you can do that.”

-Fleeces are eliminated because they’re expensive (and lame).

-Despite my valiant effort, polo shirts (so cute! so retro! so business-chic!) are also overruled.

So many choices. We narrow it down to six options and a vote is taken. The breakdown (with commentary from Ezra):

Karate/kung fu thing: 25 votes (“that’s a lot”)

Baseball style: 15 (“a decent amount”)

WC tree: 3 (“not many”)

Multiple languages: 9 (“somewhat”)

Latin: 6 (“a smattering”)

Comma sutra: 20 (“we have two winners”)

The choice is now between the karate thing and comma sutra. A voting sheet is on the main desk – you have till break to make your voice heard.

Other business/news:

- WC alumni Tanner Curl and Emily Dussault are engaged, upping the statistics on WC marriage rates. Bob has been invited to officiate the wedding, which he will, “If scheduling allows.”

-There are fewer than three weeks of classes till break. So there’s that.

-Ezra is so loud.

-Re: the grocery list. Nothing will be purchased till after break. We have very limited funding, especially since this year our coffee business is “not running in the black.” Our yearly budget is about $750. So far this year we’ve gone through $500. People should pay for coffee unless they are getting/giving a conference or working a shift. Bob suggests “appointing someone as a badass,” but ventures that this might be petty.

-No meeting next Monday

-December 1^st will be “film fest” night – Topics people will be showing their short films. We’re told that there will be puppets. Should be a hoot.

-Nina warns us all to back up our computers. Her big deal science presentation thing was lost, so the event is happening tomorrow at 4:00 in SH203.

-Also tomorrow: the creative writing seminar people are presenting their writing tomorrow in Kesler, also at 4:00. So, choose wisely. You should note that Nina is offering baked goods in exchange for attendance at her event. Keep that in mind.

Now some serious business:

-Some of Bob’s students will be coming in to pick up gift certificates. They need to sign a form in the back room before taking them.

-On Friday of this week FYS portfolios are due. Literally, a collective sigh. All FYSs are arriving at the same time. People working Friday from 12:00 on – don’t schedule any conferences. Come to work on time. We will be incredibly busy sorting. If you’re behind in hours, we could use some extra hands. Should be “wild and tense.”

-ORCHID FORMS.

1) Some people have zero entries. To retain your position in the writing center, you need to have recorded 25 conferences over the course of the year. That’s one conference/week (12-13 per semester). If you don’t meet this number, you’ll be fired. Seriously.

2) Conference summaries have been terrible. You need to provide detail and information. One sentence is inadequate. Be precise, present an accurate, thorough portrait of the conversation. What did you talk about specifically? What advice did you give? What types of ideas did you generate? The WAC program is heavily dependent on this data for maintaining funding and credibility. Record all conferences.

3) Do not be sarcastic or derogatory in your descriptions of students or professors. This is public information that can be accessed by students and instructors at any point. Consciousness of your tone and attitude is critical. Be professional.

Studiers Abroad

Writing Centerers have studied in places far and wide. Here's a partial list. Feel free to leave comments with edits or additions:

Belgium - Laura Wenk, Patricia Byrne
Cameroon - Brandon Kenhammer
Chile - Patricia Byrne
China – Deborah Kwan
Costa Rica - Malyssa Oblander
Czech Republic - Katie Becker
Egypt - Kathryn McBride
England – Leta Keane, Nathan Barford (London); Jenna Shaw, Johanna Schnell, Whitney Kaefring (Lake District); Abby Pierron, Beth Hayden, Kate Taber, Rob Synovec (London/Florence)
France - Katie Roger, Laura Wenk
Gambia - Hannah Ross-Suits (Peace Corps)
Germany - Alice Obrecht, Nathan Barford
Ghana - Nathan Nass, Nathan Raymond
Greece – Kathryn McBride, Betsy Friedrich, Jenna Shaw, Vaclav Shatillo
India - Katie Blanchard
Ireland – Laura Farmer, Bree Graczyk, Marie Hunt
Israel - Nick Barnes, Kate Taber, Catie Steinman
Italy – Kate Taber, Beth Hayden, Rob Synovec, Trent Edwards, Jane Poynter
Japan - Corrie Ball, Rob Synovec (JET)
Madagascar - Kim Miller
Mexico - Alonso Avila
Mongolia - Alice Obrecht (Fulbright)
The Netherlands - Laura Wenk
New York City – Ezra Stewart-Silver, Jenna Shaw, Brad Bosma, Katie Blanchard, Lilly Vince, Joe Ponce, Tara Richards
Nicaragua -- Johanna Schnell
Nigeria - Kim Miller, Brandon Kenhammer (Fulbright)
Northern Ireland - Kristin Patch, Gen Oroszvary, Sarah Small
Panama - Patricia Byrne
Paraguay - Patricia Byrne
Senegal - Lillian Vince
Serbia - Katie Blanchard, Grant Stevens
South Africa - Geci Karuri
South Korea - Nathan Nass (Fulbright), Marie Hunt, Leta Keane
Spain - Catie Steinman
Sweden – Willie Waisath, Kevin Dyrland
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos - Ezra Stewart-Silver, Johanna Schnell, Kyle Mangan, Dave Woerhle, Andy Decker, Heather Lewis, Patricia Byrne, Andy Johnson, Chris Hughes, Kacie Svoboda, Emily Hipps, Holly Bouma-Johnston (Asia Term)
Turkey – Fatma Zahra, Bree Graczyk, Jenna Shaw
Vietnam - Asia Term peeps (see "Thailand" entry), Jenna Shaw, Iris Garcia (May Term)
Wales – Tanner Curl, Jackie Moore
Washington, DC - Jenny McArdle, Kelly Carlblom