Many people associate “The Force” with “Star Wars,” but Del Mar College has a resource called “The Fourth” that is just as powerful.
Since moving to the fourth floor of the White Library a few years ago, staff at the Stone Writing Center have added several new programs and services, leading them to seek a new identity.
“After a year we started calling it ‘The Fourth’ because of the location since we are the only fourth floor and it’s also indicative to what we want for the students which is to move forward,” said assistant instructor Laurie Jones.
The Stone Writing Center can help students with any writing problems or assignments they might have, and it does not have to be related to school.
Bianca Mendonca and Cameron Moreno work in the Stone Writing Center. “The Fourth” helps students with any writing problems or assignments they may have.
“We can help students with any kind of writing assignments. Students mostly come in for essays but we can help with research projects, case studies, resumes, job application letters and scholarship application letters. It does not have to be English related. It can be business, law, science, and you can see us at any point in the writing process, even if you haven’t started,” said assistant instructor Kate Kennedy.
The writing center is also open to the community. Anyone in Corpus Christi can attend a Wednesday Writer Workshop, which covers topics from grammar to MLA citations. For only 30 minutes, they can pack a lot of information into these workshops. If someone in the community needs help with a resume, they could come in and have a tutor help them get started or fix any mistakes.
Along with all the tutoring sessions going on, staff sought space to allow students to come in and work. They created a place called “The Hub,” a space for students to work, study by themselves or with others and even have one-on-one time with an instructor.
“We have Mac Zones, 60 devices they could use here on ‘The Fourth’ like Surface Pro 3, iPads, Lenovo Yoga tablets and HP laptops. We can give them space to excel,” Jones said. But why stop there? There is also a “Recharge Zone” where students can get freshly brewed coffee before or after class.
Stone Writing Center staff also plan to introduce a room where students can do video conferences or even practice doing interviews.
Del Mar recently opened a similar writing center on West Campus for students who are in the nursing or engineering programs. The West Campus Stone Writing Center is open on Tuesdays and Fridays in the Public Safety Building. They plan to add instructors to specifically help the nursing students during the same days in the Nursing Success Center.
“Students should come here because we have our tutor consultants who are excellent in helping students at any point in their writing, but also, we have an online tutoring through canvas where you can submit your essay to be looked over if you don’t have time to visit,” said student assistant Cailyn Hillinn.
No matter which location, online tutoring or even just calling to ask a simple question, the Stone Writing Center is here to help the students and the community to better their skills in writing and in research. “The Fourth” is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. For more information visit www.delmar.edu/swc or call 698-1364.