by Amanda Egan
Staff Writer
In the English classroom or the biology lab, excellence in writing is emphasized by faculty all around campus.
The University of La Verne created the Excellence in Writing Committee during a 1999 faculty retreat with the goal of improving student’s skills that year.
The idea caught on and the program continues on this semester said Cathy Henley-Erickson, English professor and the committees co-chairwoman.
“We want to make all students better writers,” said Henley-Erickson. “We encourage all faculty to design assignments that will get better writing from their students.”
The committee is composed of several faculty members, including co-chairs Henley-Erickson and Barbara Nicoll, professor and chairwoman of the child development program.
Many of the workshops focus on how to assign papers, give feedback, assist students and prevent plagiarism.
The committee has several meetings planned on and off campus this semester, which will introduce ideas to new faculty members and inform outsiders about the committee.
Each meeting has a previously announced topic. The committee states their strategic goals and objectives for the semester at meetings.
Last spring the committee presented its program at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in Irvine.
Henley-Erickson said the committee hopes to bring more advanced writing classes to ULV in every major.
For example, ULV offers writing for the visual arts. The committee would like to see such classes offered in every major.
“In my sociology class, the professor graded my papers not only on my research but also my grammar. It was very helpful, even though it wasn’t English class,” said sophomore Ashley Polan.
The committee’s most recent idea is a folder that all faculty members have and distribute to their students.
Students are required to turn in papers in their folder.
The folders include the abbreviations for grammatical errors and such information as what the professors are looking for in the paper and what they will grade the student on.
“All of our faculty needs to become better writing teachers,” said Henley-Erickson.
The members recently purchased a computer program for faculty members that focuses specifically on tracking plagiarism.
The Multi-Integrity Teaching Tool (MITT) concentrates on areas of academic honesty.
It is currently being tested and should be available for use in the Learning Enhancement Center and as a component in some classrooms.
The committee also recently subscribed to www.turnitin.com.
It is a company on the web that allows faculty members to submit student papers on disk and scan for plagiarism.
Students also may log on and check their papers for accidental plagiarism.
The members want to make sure that students do not take other people’s ideas and words.
They want students to realize that it is someone else’s intellectual property.
“As faculty we need to make sure students cite appropriately,” said Henley-Erickson.
Henley-Erickson said that one of the committee’s main objectives is making ULV students experience here better.
For more information about the writing committee go to www.ulv.edu and click on writing. The web site is frequently updated so that students and faculty can receive updated information.
