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/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
