Meet the Staff
Jeanne R. Smith directs the Writing Commons and teaches in the university Writing Program. She teaches College Writing I and II, Introduction to Technical Writing, Advanced Business and Professional Writing, as well as other writing courses and tutor-training courses. She coordinates several service learning experiences, writing center-related internships, individual investigations, and directs composition-related Honors Theses. She is past president of the East Central Writing Centers Association and co-founder of the Northeast Ohio Writing Centers Association. Her research interests include writing centers, first-year students, collaborative learning, inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential education, writing across the curriculum, adult writing development, writing in the disciplines, writing tutor and instructor professional development, instructional technology, and composition pedagogy. Her hobbies include cycling, running, reading, and gardening. She is an active volunteer for Metro Parks, Serving Summit County; the Akron-Summit County Public Library; the American Cancer Society; and the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition.
Expertise:
- Prewriting Strategies
- Organizing
- Revision Strategies
- Understanding Assignments
- Feedback and Response to Writing
Gina is a doctoral student in Literacy Rhetoric and Social Practices through the English department. Her research interests include writing centers and the writing process. Her hobbies are video games, reading, boardgames, and teaching her parrot to whistle random movie themes.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming
- Graduate Level Writing
- Prewriting
- Understanding Assignments
- Organization
Stokely is a graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science, with interests in first-year composition, research, creative writing, and information literacy. He has taught courses in college composition and honors creative writing, and he enjoys assisting students with all types of writing. He has an M.F.A. in poetry and a B.A. in English and philosophy.
Expertise:
- Pre-writing strategies
- Revision strategies
- Understanding the assignment
- Feedback and response to writing
- Personal statements/cover letters
Jason will continue to volunteer at the KSU Writing Commons and can help with APA, Argumentative Prose, TESL, revision, or any other need. Attaining a B.A. in History, with English/Pre-law minors, and an M.A. in History coupled with a Political Science minor, he used to have time for neglected friends/family, guitars, musclecars, concerts, fellow conservatives, and traveling before he started law school, but still goes to church.
Expertise:
- ESL
- Proofreading
Nicole is a transfer student and a senior accounting major from Youngstown, OH. This is her third semester at the Writing Commons. Besides tutoring (and occasionally helping out at the desk), she is also one of the tutors running International Conversation Hour this semester. Her hobbies and interests include English, history, and theater.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming / Ideas
Pam is a Junior Psychology Major. Her current plan is to become a Child Psychologist. This is her third semester at the Writing Commons. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading, and learning new things.
Expertise:
- Thesis
- Brainstorming
- Revision
Kevin is a Junior majoring in Philosophy and will be continuing his work as a tutor in the Writing Commons this spring. He is experienced in argumentative writing and is especially helpful in deciphering and responding to others' arguments. He recently served as an assistant editor of Stance, an international undergraduate philosophy journal, and is therefore able to help students understand the review process for academic journals.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming
- Logic and Argumentation
- Writing in Humanities
Lucy will start as a Writing Commons Tutor in the fall of 2012. She is a Sophomore at Kent State and is a Theater Design Technology major with a Writing minor.
Sarah is a Sophomore English major with a Writing minor. She hopes to either go on to teach some level of creative writing, or to go into publishing. She is currently the president of Writer's Workshop, and is PR/Event Coordinator for English Club. Sarah also hopes to someday become a published author, regardless of her future career.
Abbey is a sophomore Art Education major who hopes to teach high school art in the future. She is also on council for the Kent State Art Club and is a Student Success Leader for a First Year Experience course. Abbey is extremely passionate about the positive effect all forms of art can have on students both in and out of the classroom.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming
- Freshmen students
- Grammar
- Spelling
Hello all! I'm a senior conservation biology major. I also play bass guitar and many other instruments when I, ahem, "get down" in my spare time. You might ask yourself, "What does this guy know about writing?" You can rest assured that if we were in a session together I would ask you more questions that would lead you to the answer. However, since I have no idea who you are (yet!) allow me to explain. All disciplines require written communication. And believe me, I've taken quite the tour of various disciplines while in college. I've had five majors ranging from mechanical engineering to religious studies. In that time, I've accumulated a sense of what works and what doesn't. The fundamental threads underlying all successful writing are clear thought and sufficient knowledge or data about which to think and write. In both my personal and professional life, I strive for this clarity of thought and I have developed some skill in assisting others to find it. In short, good writing comes from good thinking. Come and see me in the commons and we'll get to work!
Claire is a graduate student in the College of Education, seeking her first high school teaching job in English. She currently works days as a secretary at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. She loves books, movies and going to the theatre.
Expertise:
- Developing Thesis
- Organization
- Brainstorming
- MLA
Expertise:
- Prewriting Stage
- Thesis Formation
- Argumentative Organization
- Revision
- MLA and APA
Erin is a second-year student in the Master's in Translation (Spanish <> English) program. Her undergraduate work in history, Spanish, and English lends her a strong familiarity with the writing styles and style guides used in these disciplines, particularly MLA and Chicago. She is an avid knitter and enjoys playing piano (poorly!) and cooking, but never baking!
Expertise:
- Brainstorming
- Organization
- Thesis
- MLA and Chicago styles
Jessica is a psychology major with a biology minor. She is interested in going to graduate school for neuroscience. She enjoys animals and painting.
Expertise:
- ESL Students
- Brainstorming
- Paper Structure
- Reverse Outlining
- Organization
Josh is a fifth-year senior English major. He has changed his major several times, previous majors including Musical Theatre, English Education, and Business Management and Tourism. Josh is excited to graduate this spring, but will definitely miss tutoring at KSU when he is gone. In his spare time, Josh enjoys hanging out with his friends, singing, and reading.
Expertise:
- Organization
- Brainstorming
- Thesis Statements
Expertise:
- English
- Creative Writing
- Developing Ideas
- Thesis
- Organization
Thomas is an Integrated Language Arts major with a passion for the stage. He loves both writing and acting because, as long as you support yourself, you are never wrong. Outside of homework and work, he enjoys playing guitar and occasional sessions of League of Legends.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming
- Thesis Writing
Liz is a senior advertising major from Pittsburgh. This will be her fourth and (sadly) final year as a Writing Commons office assistant. She enjoys volunteering, baking and hanging out with friends in her free time.
Nicole is a transfer student and a senior accounting major from Youngstown, OH. This is her third semester at the Writing Commons. Besides tutoring (and occasionally helping out at the desk), she is also one of the tutors running International Conversation Hour this semester. Her hobbies and interests include English, history, and theater.
Expertise:
- Brainstorming / Ideas
Pam is a Junior Psychology Major. Her current plan is to become a Child Psychologist. This is her third semester at the Writing Commons. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading, and learning new things.
Expertise:
- Thesis
- Brainstorming
- Revision
Erin is a senior English major and hopes to become an editor. She has an unhealthy obsession with British television and enjoys reading, knitting, music, and volunteering with her APO brothers.
