The Fourth will be throwing a party for students and staff
The Stone Writing Center, also known as The Fourth, will be throwing a party in celebration of its 40th birthday this year.
The writing center began in a single room in the English Building in 1976 and was started by Virginia Stone. The department soon expanded to two rooms with more staff and became known as the English Learning Center. The center was looked at as a place for students to receive one-on-one instruction so that they could grow their English writing skills.
The department would undergo many changes in locations in the next 40 years before finding its most recent home in the fourth floor of the White Library on East Campus. The department now sports all of the latest technology for use by the students from iPads to touchscreen TVs.
“Twenty-five years ago it was very, very different. I’ve watched it evolve and grow and change into what it is today. What’s always been at the core at
taking advantage of the peace and quiet in the SWC.
the heart of this was helping the students,” said Margot Sorell, an assistant instructor for the writing center.
Sorrell and her colleague Laurie Jones are responsible for managing the technology on the fourth floor as well as curating workshops for students. They have worked closely together for the past 10 years to ensure that the technology available is as enhancing for students as possible.
“Writing is such a powerful way to communicate who you are, how you see the world and how you want the world to be,” Jones said. “We can all become stronger writers, more effective writers.”
Students can find a wide range of resources to help them with their writing from one-on-one sessions with a tutor to different workshops that are offered by instructors. If a student can’t make it onto the campus then they can even submit an essay or other written work to the SWC through canvas for it to be reviewed.
The party will take place on the fourth floor of the White Library from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 18.
