No problem, Roger! Of course, you have got me thinking about a
"response" to your piece that adds what I know about International
Students taking a WPA. More later..... Theresa.
Roger C Graves wrote:
>I see that the paragraph breaks didn't survive the email. I've put up a copy at this address that would be easier to print and read:
>
>http://publish.uwo.ca/~rgraves3/alumni.pdf
>
>Roger
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Roger C Graves
>Date: Thursday, March 16, 2006 10:19 am
>Subject: Next issue of Inkshed Newsletter
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>>Last fall I was asked to write a short piece for an alumni
>>publication about the Writing Program here. They didn't use it
>>(that I know of), but it occured to me today as I drove in that
>>perhaps some Inkshedders might find value in writing a similar
>>piece. As the co-editor of the Inkshed Newsletter, of course, I
>>have an interest in publishing these kinds of texts, and we'd
>>like to get the next edition of the Newsletter out before the
>>conference in early May. So if you have something else you'd
>>like to contribute, by all means send that along.
>>
>>And if you have a spare hour (I wrote this in about an hour),
>>perhaps you could send a short statement like the one below
>>along to be included in the Newsletter. I guess I'd been
>>thinking about the annual hand-wringing about university
>>student's writing abilities, particularly in light of the fact
>>that my son had just written the same proficiency exam that I
>>had written in 1976 ("explain how to put on a coat"). I wanted
>>to write something to alumni that would give them a more complex
>>understanding of what we do in writing courses and how that is
>>connected to life both within university and beyond. Here's what
>>I wrote:
>>
>>"the enviable power of elegant and forcible writing [is] within
>>the grasp of ordinary minds, and may, in general be viewed as
>>the certain reward of patient industry." Edgerton Ryerson, 1842
>>Edgerton Ryerson’s words are as true today as they were a
>>century and a half ago: most people can learn to write if they
>>put the time and effort into it, providing that they also have
>>some instruction. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities Writing
>>Program is dedicated to providing the instruction students at
>>Western need to become better writers. A recent Globe and Mail
>>article highlighted the shortcomings of students’ writing skills
>>(“Universities trying to cope with students lacking basics”
>>Sept. 22, 2005 A1), a seemingly perennial observation. Are these
>>results any different from the results of the 1970s or 1980s? As
>>a former student who had to write one of these proficiency tests
>>and the parent of a first-year student who wrote one of these
>>tests this fall, I’m not so sure. Instead, these results speak
>>to me about how difficult it is to learn to write well. Learning
>>to write well is a labor-intensive, time-consuming activity, and
>>so is teaching writing. Working through drafts of students’
>>essays takes time, attention to detail, and tact,
>>characteristics that mark faculty in the Writing Program. Why
>>expend so much effort on this? In the Writing Program, we
>>believe that for students to develop as writers they need to
>>write often and challenge themselves to learn to write a variety
>>of different documents. The need to develop as a writer doesn’t
>>stop when they graduate from high school, nor does it end with
>>graduation from university. Professors and professionals both
>>continue to face new rhetorical challenges as they move through
>>their careers and take on additional responsibilities. As
>>alumni, you are undoubtedly aware of how the writing demands on
>>you change and evolve as you move through life. In my own life,
>>I’ve faced an increasingly diversified and challenging face of
>>rhetorical situations. I’ve been asked to serve as the master of
>>ceremonies at my sister-in-laws’ wedding, and I’ve also
>>delivered a eulogy at my own sister’s funeral. At times like
>>those, my rhetorical training allowed me to serve my family at
>>an important time. As the author, co-author, or editor of
>>several books and many articles, my writing skills have served
>>to advance my career. My commitment to writing and the Writing
>>Program comes out of this deeply felt experience. At the Writing
>>Program, we’re committed to helping all UWO students improve
>>their writing skills because we’re convinced this study will
>>help them live richer lives and function as leaders in their
>>families and communities.
>>Roger Graves
>>
>>Dr. Roger Graves
>>Director of Writing and Technical & Professional Communication
>>University of Western Ontario
>>London, ON N6A 3K7
>>519.661.2111x85785
>>
>>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
>>[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
>>write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>>
>>For the list archives and information about the organization,
>>its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
>>http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
>>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>
>>
>>
>
>Dr. Roger Graves
>Director of Writing and Technical & Professional Communication
>University of Western Ontario
>London, ON N6A 3K7
>519.661.2111x85785
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>
>For the list archives and information about the organization,
> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>
>
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
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