Staff policies – The Writing Hub

Writing Hub Ground Rules:

You are expected to be familiar with and to adhere to all University policies and codes of conduct, including those pertaining to FERPA, sexual harassment, and academic integrity.
Principles & Practices: You are expected to uphold the Writing Hub Core Principles and Practices with humility and attention to personal and communal growth.
Attendance: You are expected to be present for every scheduled shift (weekly trainings included) unless you have received prior written permission from a Writing Hub staff member. Missed or partially missed shifts will result in an official warning and repeated or egregious violations may result in termination.
Timeliness: Our relationship to the students who use our services is the most important resource we have. So, to ensure appointments start on time, you are expected to be at least five (but up to ten) minutes early for your shifts to find a place to sit, get your name tag, and review upcoming sessions.
Communication: Most work-related communication will be conducted via email; this would include staff newsletter emails containing important information. You are expected to read your email daily and to respond promptly to any questions or requests relating to your position in the Writing Hub. Occasionally we will also use the ‘Remind’ system to send you text messages about pressing matters related to the Hub (usually about time sheets or requests for tutors to come in). If there is an issue when you will be unexpectedly late because of traffic, delayed bus schedules, sickness, etc., call the front desk FIRST (858-246-2110) so that front-desk staffers can inform your students if they have already arrived. Then email the Writing Hub account to ensure all members of the professional staff are aware of your absence.
Attitude: Project a consistently welcoming attitude to all who enter the Writing Hub. Ours is a reputation business, and every student should leave feeling that we were eager to help them.
Community Membership: If you need to have public conversations about students, professors, TAs, or any other members of the university community, remember to be humble, respectful, kind, and thoughtful with your words.
Time sheets: Input your hours into your Blink timesheet at the end of each shift to ensure accuracy. If you leave early or are not present for any part of your shift, this must be reflected on your time sheet. Be sure to submit your time sheet by the due date each pay period to ensure that you are paid on time.
Training/Orientation: Every tutor is required to attend one training meeting every week, in addition to quarterly orientations. Missing any orientation means—at the very least—that you are not permitted to tutor that quarter. One missed training meeting will warrant some kind of communication (email, face-to-face talk, phone call, etc.) from a Writing Hub staff member. Two missed training sessions means that you are not permitted to tutor for the rest of the quarter and will be taken off the WCOnline calendar. When possible, let a Writing Hub staff member know about your absence as soon as you can. Giving the staff more time will better ensure that a solution can be reached. Generally, it is best to come to us with a scheduling conflict as opposed to us coming to you to ask what happened. If you are unable to attend a training due to an illness, you may be asked to provide a doctor’s note to excuse your absence.

Writing Hub shift schedules:

Schedule Changes: If you know ahead of time that you’ll need to miss or change a shift (e.g. you’ll be out of town, or need to start an hour later), let the Writing Hub know as far in advance as possible, using the appropriate online form on the staff resources page. You will receive email confirmation that your request was processed. We ask that you check your schedule to ensure the change was made correctly. If you do not receive confirmation that your request was processed, reach out to Writing Hub staff. Requests for schedule changes must be received a full three business days (M-F) before the first affected shift. If not, you are responsible for working the shift or finding a substitute writing consultant to cover the shift.
You are responsible for all of your scheduled shifts unless otherwise notified by a Writing Hub pro staff member. If you find your own substitute for a shift you will have to miss, confirmation of this change must be made with a Writing Hub pro staff member.
Lateness: In the case of unanticipated lateness or absence (e.g. sudden illness or being stuck in traffic), call the Teaching + Learning Commons as soon as possible to inform the front-desk staffer, and also email WritingHub@ucsd.edu. Call 858-246-2110 as soon as you know that you will be late or need to be absent. Absences and lateness for Writing Hub shifts can be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

During a Writing Hub shift:

Starting a shift: Please arrive for all your work shifts at least five minutes before your shift begins.
You may use any space occupied by the orange couches in the Teaching + Learning Commons to conduct tutoring. Please be aware of tutee preferences/needs and also be respectful of those around you.
At the beginning of your shift, check WCOnline for an up-to-date rundown of your appointments so that you know what to expect. Prepare any resources (handouts, etc.) you may need for your appointments.
At the beginning of your shift, check in with the front desk to let them know that you have arrived; communicate with them where you plan to be in the Commons so that they can guide students to you. Consistently check (and refresh) your WCOnline schedule for upcoming appointments. Appointments can be made up until and even past the start of an appointment block, so it is important that you are monitoring the schedule.
Help students connect with their tutor! If you do not have an appointment but see someone in the waiting area, ask for their name or which tutor they are waiting for. Politely tell the tutor that their next student is waiting for them.
When you reach the end of one appointment and have another scheduled to start, head to the front desk area to greet the writer you will be working with unless the front desk has already guided the writer to you.
If you don’t have any appointments, stay available and visible in the Commons to handle any walk-in requests or other Writing Hub-related tasks.

Drop-in Tutoring: If you’re working a designated walk-in/drop-in tutoring shift, make sure that all students who enter have been registered for a WCOnline account at the front desk. Before you begin working with a student, sign them in with WCOnline by clicking on the appropriate time block in the “Drop-In” bar of the undergraduate schedule and filling out the appointment form with the student. If there is already another student in the time slot you have selected, first click “Add to Slot” in the “Group Slot” box on the left side of the form. When you have finished, make sure the “Walk-in/Drop-in” check box at the bottom of the form is checked and save the form. It is VERY IMPORTANT that we have records for all of the students who come in to work with us.
Divide your time equally among everyone present drop-in hours; don’t let anyone dominate. When possible and appropriate, talk with students in small groups (i.e when they’re working on the same assignment).

Record Keeping: The student you’re working with should be the student who is actually registered for the appointment time. Should it come to your attention that someone is using another student’s assigned slot, notify the front-desk staffer immediately, as well as any Writing Hub pro staff member who is available. Indicate to the student that it is a violation of Writing Hub policy to use a slot reserved in another student’s name, and (unless it seems like a genuinely honest mistake has been made) discontinue the session immediately.

Student Materials: During appointment sessions, it is preferable to work with a hard copy of student assignments to facilitate note-taking and present a clear record of authorship. This is not always feasible though. While it is fine to work with the student on their laptop, encourage them to make notes in a separate document, or with a comment feature of their processing system, rather than attempting to edit the work as the session unfolds. This student habit is typically in the name of efficiency, but it results in spending much of the session editing and tracking changes rather than engaging the writing in a holistic way. This practice can also result in inadvertent academic integrity issues as it is much easier to transcribe the ideas and words of the tutor. Keep in mind that even if the student brings in a hard copy of their work, you should be careful to make only minimal notes on their paper (i.e. underlines, keywords, circles) and encourage them to make more extensive notes. This not only encourages good student habits but makes the authorship of ideas clear to those outside the session.

Time Usage: Since you’re getting paid for all time you spend in the Hub, you should actually be working during that time. If you have open appointment slots, you’re expected to use the time primarily for Writing Hub business–preparing for upcoming appointments, consulting training or educational materials, mentoring or being mentored by other Writing Hub staff, working on center-specific projects, etc.
If you have an opening in your schedule on busy days, let the front desk know that you are available to meet any students who come in for help.
When you have an open time slot in your schedule and a student walks in for help, the front-desk staffer will register the student for an appointment in WCOnline and will then direct the student to you.
If a student is late to their appointment (fewer than 10 minutes), let them know that you are happy to work with them in the remaining time allotted by the original appointment. As a rule, we do not give students extra time if they are late. If you have an opening in your schedule after the appointment, you might continue to work with the late student at your discretion, up to the total time of the original appointment. But let the student know clearly that this is an exception to the policy and not something they should expect in the future. This kind of exception is occasionally required, but monitor yourself and your students to ensure exceptions do not become regular occurrences.This policy is in place for the sake of consistency and fairness to not only the students, but to your coworkers

Interacting With Students: If a student with an appointment doesn’t show up after ten minutes, check the “missed” box on the WCOnline appointment form and save. Notify the front-desk staffer that you’ve marked the student as a no-show. The remaining time in the slot will be opened up for anyone who wants immediate assistance.
If a student shows up more than 10 minutes late, you are not obligated to work with them. You can instead encourage them to make another appointment. You can, at your discretion, work with them in the time remaining from the original appointment. Be sure to make clear to the student that this is an exception to Writing Hub policies and not something they should expect in the future.
In the last minutes of every session, close the session by working with the student to compose the Client Report Form in WCOnline. This form should function as a summary of the session and a helpful reminder about approaches to take or next steps for the student’s writing process. Every part of the form is required and important for the Hub’s record keeping–this is how we justify our services to funders and consider how we might develop. Check the “Email Client Report Form to Client/Student” option at the bottom of the form so that this note will be sent to the student. If a student wants a particular handout that you reference in a session, you can attach it here.
At the close of a session, encourage the student to make another appointment to work with you or with another writing tutor. (You can even, after you’ve completed the Client Report Form, work with the student to set up another appointment right then and there.)
You always have the right to discontinue a Writing Hub session at your discretion. Reasons you might discontinue a session are because you are uncomfortable working with the student for any reason; because the student has engaged in any kind of harassing behavior; because the student is violating a Writing Hub policy (such as refusing to be an active participant in the session); and/or because the student is violating a University policy. Let the front-desk staff know what is happening and contact the Writing Hub Director immediately. If the Director is not available and you need immediate assistance, contact any other Teaching + Learning Commons professional staff member. Library security is also available to assist whenever needed.

Policies for working with students:

Explanation: Though your emphasis in a session should be on asking questions to prompt the student’s thinking rather than on giving answers, try to judge each student’s individual need for explanation or direction and adjust your approach.
Speaking about community members: Never negatively comment on or undermine the authority of a professor or instructor. If you feel that a student has received faulty information or feedback, find a way to convey your own perspective without attacking the perspective of the instructor, and remember—you only have part of the story. Exercise compassion and good will for all involved, including the instructor/TA.
If a student reports that their TA/instructor has said something about an assignment that is inconsistent with the information you have received from faculty (i.e. in training), or something that seems like a problem that needs attention, fill out a Session Feedback Form. It is good for professional staff members to know what students are experiencing and, depending on the circumstance, it might be a place to catch miscommunications and errors among staff. Your perspective is valuable, if you share it.
Never tell a student what grade you think a paper should or will receive! Never comment on a grade that a student has received! Remind students that the evaluators of their written work are the TAs or professors who will be reading.
Writing on Student Work: Limit how much you write on students’ papers. Encourage students to make notes on their papers themselves, or confine yourself to underlining/circling key words and phrases rather than making extensive comments or corrections. Not only does this protect the Hub from seeming to potential exterior audiences that we edit or proofread student work, but it fosters the independent thought of the student.
What we cannot work with: The Writing Hub cannot provide any help with assignments whose guidelines explicitly prohibit students from working with the Writing Hub and/or a writing tutor. You cannot provide feedback on legal documents; course-, instructor-, or advisor-evaluations; or documents related to a student’s academic status (e.g. academic probation, academic integrity processes, etc.).
Who we cannot work with: The Writing Hub is prohibited from serving anyone other than regularly-enrolled UC San Diego undergraduates and graduate students. Permitted students do include undergraduate EAP exchange students from abroad who have PID’s beginning with “A” and who have UCSD email addresses. However, we cannot serve international exchange students attending through UCSD Extension who have PID’s beginning with “U” and who do not have UCSD email addresses. Nor can we serve any other Extension students or spouses or family members of UCSD students. If it comes to your attention that someone you’re working with is in one of the prohibited groups, please clarify our policy and explain that no further assistance will be possible. Complaints, questions, or concerns should be addressed to the Writing Hub Director.
Proof of visit: Faculty members or TAs will sometimes require students to visit the Writing Hub, or they may offer extra credit for using our services. If a student requests proof of attendance, explain that they are responsible for forwarding along the Client Report Form from the session. Record the instructor’s name in the notes (e.g. “Notes to be forwarded to Professor Gonzalez.”)
Writing Hub consultants cannot work on writing assignments outside of the Writing Hub with clients or with other students with whom you have no outside relationship, either for pay or not, without explicit approval from the Writing Hub. If this policy is not respected, it may result in termination. This is to maintain the equity of the Writing Hub as a free service to students and to maintain the integrity of professional boundaries. Contact the Director if you have any questions regarding the appropriateness of assisting with a writing project outside the center.

Tutor protection: If students attempt to contact you personally (assuming you have no prior relationship with them) via Facebook, email, phone, texts, please decline to engage with them. Writing Hub policy prohibits such out-of-center communication.
If a student makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, even for reasons that you can’t put your finger on, please let the Writing Hub Director know as soon as possible. If something happens in a session that is upsetting, uncomfortable, or concerning in any way, you can fill out an Incident Report Form or a Session Feedback Form (if the issue was less serious)
Similarly, if the content of a session makes you feel uncomfortable or you aren’t sure how to proceed, it’s always acceptable to pause the session and seek assistance from other Writing Hub personnel. For instance, if you don’t know the answer to a particular writing-related question, you could check with one of your fellow consultants or one of the Writing Hub pro-staff members; if you have doubts about an academic integrity issue, you could ask the front-desk staffer to contact the Hub. However, please conduct all such inquiries quietly in order not to disturb ongoing work, and cheerfully let the student know that you’re going to seek help to make sure they get an answer to their question/issue.

Tutee Protection: Session content is generally kept confidential unless serious ethical or safety considerations arise or unless a student requests to have the session content shared. If a student reveals sensitive information (e.g. family background or personal details that may emerge in an application essay), it should be kept strictly in confidence.
You may encounter a student who communicates either verbally or in writing about something that concerns you regarding their safety or the safety of others. Don’t keep these concerns to yourself. If a student you’re working with appears to be depressed, angry, or emotionally overwrought to a potentially dangerous extent, remain calm and supportive. Take written notes, including exactly what the student wrote or said that raised concerns, and contact the Writing Hub Director, or any other Commons professional staff members if the Director is not available, as soon as possible. As a student employee of UCSD you are a mandatory reporter, which means that if a student that tells you about a situation of harassment or discrimination you must report this situation to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.

Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism: You may encounter a student who appears to be (intentionally or unintentionally) violating the University’s Policy on Integrity. If so, make sure to clarify for the student the accepted conventions for paraphrase, quotation, attribution, and citation; include the reasons why these conventions are important. Make sure to clearly but respectfully reference any problems with academic integrity on the client report form (e.g. “Be sure you’re using quotation marks to signal when you are taking language from another author, as we talked about in the session”). If the student does not take such advice into consideration or if they repeatedly violate rules of academic integrity over several sessions, fill out a Session Feedback Form to alert a pro-staff member as soon as possible after the session. If the student wants to work on something that they have admittedly not written themselves, explain that this is an academic integrity violation and encourage the student not to turn in the assignment. If the student is unwilling to rewrite the assignment themselves, you can refuse to continue the session.
If a student comes in that is in the same class as you, and you are working on a paper for that same course, please switch the appointment to a tutor that is not in the same class if possible. This is to help avoid real and potential instances of academic dishonesty.

Expectations for Integrity and Professionalism:

Confidentiality: Students who come to the Writing Hub deserve privacy. Never discuss the students you work with–in either academic or personal terms–with non-center personnel. Discussions about students with fellow-tutors or center staff should occur discreetly and should focus on academic and professional concerns. In an effort to maintain student anonymity as well as respect individual identity, use they/them/their pronouns for students when discussing them with staff (especially if the students’ pronouns were not specified to you directly). If you have questions about this policy or want more information about it, check out this site.
Professionalism: The Writing Center is a generally relaxed and welcoming space, but when you’re at work, you’re expected to conduct and present yourself with dignity. Your attire can be informal but should be clean and campus-appropriate (i.e. not better suited to the beach or a nightclub). Your behavior can (and should) be friendly but take care not to be intrusive to your coworkers or students; your language and demeanor should reflect that you are in a professional setting. Always wear your lanyard identifying yourself as a member of the Teaching + Learning Commons staff when you’re on duty in the Teaching + Learning Commons space (and always when you are in the staff area at the rear of the Teaching + Learning Commons).
We understand that there can be down time between tutoring sessions and this time will not always be filled with WH projects. In this circumstance, socializing with coworkers or attending to pressing assignments are acceptable activities when they do not interfere with or take priority over your Writing Hub duties. However, be aware of your visibility in the Hub and remember that our purpose should be exemplified by your behavior; watching videos, leaving the Hub, or sleeping will not be permitted.
The following issues may constitute grounds for dismissal from your position as a writing consultant: chronic lateness or absence, failure to fulfill work responsibilities, disruptive behavior, public discussion of confidential matters, failure to uphold principles and practices, failure to meet tutoring requirements, or any other grossly unprofessional conduct. Depending on the severity of the offence or continuing deficiency, pro-staff will talk with you about the behavior in question to plan what actions you will take to move forward and improve performance. An openness to receive this critique and a dedication to meaningful improvement will help to ensure your continued employment with the Writing Hub. Failure to make significant improvement may result in further warnings and penalties, up to termination of employment.