Dr. Mike Murashige 

It was a sunny day here in Eugene. I walked out of my Airbnb on Tyler Street, and after some minutes, a car pulled over. The driver gave me a big smile when I opened the front door, and here it was – prof. Mike! Mike and his family moved to Eugene 5 years ago from Los Angeles. His wife, Dr. Laura Pulido, is a scientist in Environmental Justice. At the same time, Mike works in the Division of Equity and Inclusion at the Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC) at the University of Oregon.

We sat down in a meeting room at the Division of Equity and Inclusion office and talked for an hour about the writing support system provided by Mike, followed by a brief discussion about other writing services students can find at the university. Mike has been providing online consultation services for graduate students and faculty members from all fields since March 2020. The session usually lasts for an hour. Tutees are asked to fill out a pre-session survey after making an appointment with him. Some would send him their materials before the sessions. During the session, Mike focuses on the individual needs and writing patterns of tutees before giving professional advice regarding their writing. Mike further points out the importance of “knowing the audience” to develop a more strategic writing approach. For example, writing for a journal publication differs from writing for graduation as the audiences/readers are entirely different: the former group of readers will read your paper because there is something they can gain by reading your work, while the latter get paid to read your work. Hence, when writing an article in a journal, you will have to register more strategically, mentioning the significance and values of your work in different sections of your paper so that the reader will remain interested and motivated to read until the end.

Regarding the form of tutoring, Mike prefers the online method as the tutor and tutee can have a live writing practice on a Google document during the session. By writing back and forth while communicating with the tutor, the tutee gains more impact than just talking to the tutor. I agree with Mike, as it is through the process of writing that we learn the most.

During the interview, I also consulted with Mike about the writing styles between the US and outside of the US. In countries such as German, Spain, and Japan, the passive voice is valued more in scholarly writing as it highlights “objectivity.” When writing my master's thesis about Hemingway in Japan, I was also told not to use the word “I.” However, in the US, an active voice is preferred in scholarly writing. Surprisingly, as Mike noted, medical science uses “I” and “we” the most in its report! Using active voice can break down the formality or distance between the writer and the reader, allowing the reader to engage with the writer and the writing itself (engaging writing). More importantly, the argument itself is subjective, and thus “I” and “we” are more than acceptable.

In addition, we talked about the writing process and how it differs from that of reading. While reading is a linear process, writing is a multi-dimensional thinking process. When we write, we usually have an outline of what to write. But once we start writing, we also start thinking, and hence, more new ideas come out, and they become all over the place. But this explains why the best writing is “re-writing.” Meanwhile, when we (re-)write, we ought to think about our readers. How should I write so my readers are interested and want to read more? This meta-thinking is essential to make our work more reader-friendly and, thus, more professional.

Mike is developing a tutor training project that includes 25 faculty members and 25 graduate students. By combining them, members will have the opportunity to interact stimulate each other, and thus forming a more diverse and productive consulting team for the university. I wish the best for Mike, and I look forward to reading his work regarding strategic writing, language tutoring, writer-reader relationship, and many more.