In an increasingly hectic world, effective communication becomes paramount. Writing as a form of communication, requires a great deal of focus and practice to become proficient at. With this in mind, one cannot understress the importance of writing centers as components of student success. Unfortunately, writing centres at Ontario’s universities tend to be underfunded and lack the proper resources to assist all the students that need their support.
Writing tends to be the main form of communication from students to professors. Evaluation hinges on the ability of students to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas through writing. If writing centres do not have proper resources, then student success is hindered, as some students might not be able to communicate their brilliant ideas from their mind to the page. Trouble with written English, then, becomes a barrier for certain students who have the intellectual ability, but lack the written communication skills. This is an issue that many students face with the loss of OAC and, in turn, the loss of another year to practice their writing skills. This means that writing centers are necessary to ensure that students who need assistance and further practice can receive it and thus improve their writing skills.
The issue of writing ability becomes even more apparent when there is a writing evaluation conducted by the institution that needs to be passed for a student to graduate. This is a great tool to determine who is struggling with their writing skills, but the sad reality is that not everyone identified as needing assistance can access the resources available. For example at the University of Waterloo only 1/3 of the students who do not pass the English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPE), which is a tool that used to measure a students writing ability, receive the assistance they need from the Writing Centre due to a lack of available spaces. It is clear, then, that as student success continues to be important not only for the students of Ontario, but the government of Ontario, that more resources need to be devoted to writing centres to ensure that students continue to be successful.
-Nick Soave
Vice President Education
University of Waterloo Federation of Students
