Writing Center Summer Hours 2014

The Writing Center will be open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 PM-3:00 PM during the regular summer session.  We will open on June 9, and our last day for the summer session will be July 23.  Students may receive tutoring during this time and/or use the lab in CT 108 for word processing or access to the internet.

Good Luck with Finals!

The Writing Center closes today at 3:00 PM for the spring semester.  See you when we re-open the second week of June for the regular summer session!

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Whew! Where did the semester go? Or the school year for that matter? It seems like just yesterday we were moving into the new center and here we are down to our last week of the spring semester!

The last day we will be open this semester is Thursday, May 8.  Peyton will be closing the doors at 3:00 that afternoon for the last time before he moves on to university life.  If you need any help with end of the semester writing, be sure to call early in the week to reserve an appointment.

Good luck with your final exams!

For those of you in summer classes this year, we will be opening back up the week of June 9 for limited hours during the regular summer session.  See you then!

Toward a More Civil Union?

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In his recent op/ed piece for the New York Times, "Like, Degrading the Language? No Way," John McWhorter asserts, "A keystone of education is to foster awareness of, and respect for, diversities of opinion. Changes in language suggest that the general populace has become much more attuned to this kind of diversity. The increasingly wide and diverse circles of acquaintance Americans are likely to have may increase attention to a certain conversational civility."  To support this claim, he says that recent changes in American English are not to be feared or mourned, but rather to be celebrated as evidence of a more nuanced, sophisticated culture.  You can read McWhorter's article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/opinion/sunday/like-degrading-the-language-no-way.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=OP_LDT_20140408&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1388552400000&bicmet=1420088400000&_r=2.

What do you think? Are our recent turns of phrase a sign of a more enlightened society or are they signs of our downward spiral as so many suggest?

10th Annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition

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Entries are now being accepted for the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award and the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition. The contest, which is sponsored by the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Center for the Book, is open to residents of Illinois who are at least 18 years old.  More information about the contest, eligibility, and the entry fee can be found at illinoiscenterforthebook.org. Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2014.

Call for Submissions

DACC's literary anthology, Waiting for Rain, is now accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, and artwork for the 2014 edition.  You can send your submissions as a Word document to waitingforrain@dacc.edu or submit hard copies of your work to the submission boxes in Clock Tower.  One box is located outside CT210 and another is located in the DACC Library.

Submissions are also being taken for the 2014 Brosi Poetry Award.  First through third place submissions are published in Waiting for Rain. Cash prizes are also awarded.  First place wins $100, second wins $50, and third wins $25.

Writing in the Natural Sciences

Writing in the Natural Sciences



In this video from Hofstra University, several professors discuss how writing is important in their classrooms as well as their professional communities.  They also discuss what they expect from student writing and what they see as some problems students have in completing writing assignments for their classes.