A quick comment on Cathy's note that WAC needs a disciplinary home:
Not necessarily disciplinary, but *academic*. A disciplinary home almost
always implies English, which is more or less problematic depending on
the attitude of the local English department (and inherently unstable, as
attitudes tend to change). But writing centres located in Student
Services etc. are never going to get serious academic recognition and
have great difficulty offering tenured contracts, supporting research,
etc. A third alternative is to have them directly supported as a
separate academic unit under, say, the Vice-President Academic, or
perhaps as in our case an interdisciplinary faculty. This means that an
English department that suddenly decides that writing isn't its business
(perhaps with good reason) can't do much damage.
At the University of Lethbridge, the writing centre is now under
"ancilliary services," which gives them exactly the same academic status
as the parking office. Not good.
* * * * * *
Doug Brent
Director, Undergraduate Programme in Communications Studies
Director, Effective Writing Programme
Internet: [log in to unmask]
Smail: Faculty of General Studies
2500 University Drive
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T2N 1N4
Voice: (403) 220-5458
Fax: (403) 282-6716
