Writing Center FAQs & Policies

During your appointment, your consultant will work with you at whatever stage of the project you’re in, from the assignment sheet stage to final revisions. You and your consultant will work together to improve your paper and build your skills for the future. First, your consultant will ask you questions about your goals for your current writing project and/or your writing in general. From there, the structure of the appointment will depend on what you want to accomplish. 

In general, your consultant will prioritize broad structural and conceptual issues (purpose, organization, structure, evidence, etc.) before moving on to smaller issues like grammar, mechanics and word choice. However, we are happy to answer questions you may have so that you can proceed with confidence.

You can expect that your consultant will:

• Express genuine desire to help you, and we will help you to the best of our abilities.

• Not make up answers. If we do not know the answer to a question, we will find the answer together or we will refer you to someone who would know the answer.

• Keep information regarding tutoring sessions as private as possible and only share relevant information with Academic Support Services staff as needed for consultation and usage tracking. Occasionally, faculty will ask us which students have used our writing supports; we will only share your name if you have given permission for us to do so. 

• Report misconduct. While working in the center, your consultant is a mandated reporter for sexual and gender-based violence.

• Refer you to campus resources for questions beyond their abilities or role as a consultant. 

Likewise, we expect that you will:

• Wear clothing appropriate for class sessions and be in a private space where you can fully engage in the tutor session. 

• Remember there are no bad/silly questions. 

• Be prepared to the best of your ability — bring your draft in hard copy or bring a charged laptop to your session.  

• Contact the Writing Center Director with any questions, concerns, or other issues. 

• Bring your assignment sheet, instructions, and the AI policy for the assignment or course to your appointment.

• Bring your laptop and/or printed drafts.

• Prior to your session, check with your professor or on the assignment sheet if AI-use is permitted.

• Disclose your use of AI to your consultant, regardless of whether AI is permitted on the assignment. In accordance with our policies on session confidentiality, your consultant will not report unpermitted AI-use to the professor, but will encourage you to use AI ethically, critically and in accordance with your professor’s guidelines. Telling your consultant how and in what ways you used AI will lead to a more productive appointment for both of you.

We believe that developing strong writing and critical thinking skills is best accomplished through a collaborative relationship among faculty, writing consultants, and students. At the same time, however, we respect the privacy of every consulting session. From time to time, faculty may inquire about student usage of support services, like the Writing Center. We may acknowledge if a student has used our services, but the content of the sessions will remain private. A student, however, may choose to disclose information from their session, or share the post-session report they receive, without needing permission from the consultant or the Writing Center.

We ask that you please arrive on time for your appointment. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your appointment time may be given to other students. 

We understand that last minute schedule changes happen, and it is important that you cancel your appointment or reschedule if you will be unable to attend. You can cancel or reschedule your appointments up to one hour before its start time by logging into your CSS Google Calendar. If an emergency situation makes timely cancellation impossible, please call 218-723-6645 or email writingcenter@css.edu as soon as possible.

If you don’t cancel your appointment before its scheduled start time, you will be marked as a “no show.”  After two late cancellations or no-shows, you may lose your ability to schedule further appointments for the current semester, and any existing appointments may be canceled. You may, however, continue to use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis. 

Writing consultants will assist you with take-home essay exams provided we have received written consent from the instructor prior to your appointment. Your instructor can send permission to review your take-home exam for you specifically, or blanket permission for the entire class, to writingcenter@css.edu. 

Students wishing to use generative AI in Writing Center sessions, or seek help from the center on revising AI-generated texts, are responsible for understanding whether and in what contexts the use of generative AI is permitted in their courses, assignments, research, and writing processes. 

As per the CSS Academic Honesty Policy, instructors have “discretion in determining the degree to which generative AI may be used in the completion of an assignment or other coursework.” Thus, Writing Center consultants will follow any and all instructor guidance and make clear to students that “unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence, even with appropriate citation, may violate the Academic Honesty Policy.” 

When in doubt about instructor policies regarding AI, consultants will err on the side of caution and suggest the student avoid use of AI and/or ask their instructor for more guidance.

With explicit/express/written instructor permission, we will help students with AI-related assignments. However, our consultants are not responsible for knowing how to use or manipulate any specific piece of AI software, nor are they able to fact check all AI-generated responses. In other words: our focus is on student learning and writing processes, rather than on software troubleshooting or cross-checking.

First, in the writing center world, the question is not an either-or proposition. Students can do both! We can and will assist students with AI-related assignments and AI-assisted writing, if and only if that is part of your course and policies. We are here to support all student writers, no matter what they are writing or what tools they have been asked to use. See the policies on our website: "Our Approach to Student Use of Generative AI" (written for faculty) and "AI in the Writing Center" (above, written for students). Note that we will never introduce AI tools into a conversation with a writer unless we have clear permission from the instructor.

Second, we've gathered responses to this question from our undergraduate writing consultants and professional staff and included relevant links to a few other writing center voices. Reflected in the variety and nuance of our responses are many larger considerations and cautions around AI and its uses.

Answers from our writing consultants and professional staff (Fall 2024).

Our writing consultants do just that: consult! They work with writers to talk through problems and discuss critical thinking. We believe that:

Writing consultants can help students to become independent through questioning. 

We should help students develop self-confidence and improve study skills. In addition, the writing session should provide students with an opportunity to speak up and ask questions, an opportunity sometimes unavailable or missed in a regular classroom situation.

Writing sessions offer a well-balanced question/information exchange in which both parties participate and, therefore, both benefit. 

Our undergraduate peer writing consultants get the opportunity to share their expertise and experience, while learning from the writers who visit.

Writing consulting is not teaching. 

There are important differences between the role of the consultant and that of the classroom teacher. Approaches, relationships, and techniques are different. The consultant works in very close proximity with the student, usually one-to-one, without the pressure of assessment and grades.