The Writing Center is doing something new this fall.The center created a graduate writing program that caters to students working on in-depth works such as theses and dissertations, the associate director of the Writing Center said.

“I was happy to hear a specific graduate section was formalized,” said Katie Low, a doctoral student at Brite Divinity School.

Graduate students used the Writing Center in the past and contributed to last year’s number of tutorials, which was more than 4,000, said Dave Kuhne, associate director of the Writing Center.

“There was a demand for it, so we decided to put a structure around it,” Kuhne said.

Low said she uses what she learned at the Writing Center every time she puts words on paper.

“The most helpful advice I received was on how to use a variety of verb forms,” Low said. “Now I use what I learned from the consultants every time I write.”

Students from a wide range of disciplines have received help from the Writing Center, including graduate students in Brite and students studying history, English and chemistry, Kuhne said.

“One of our goals is to get more graduate students in here,” Billie Hara, a writing consultant, said. “And now we are offering longer time slots, so we can work with them more.”

Kuhne said the writing consultants are available by appointment to offer suggestions and advice, not to proofread or edit the paper.

“The paper is theirs; we just make suggestions,” Kuhne said. “Sometimes all they need is someone else’s eye.”

The consultants said they want students to know they are available to help them.

“Our reason for formalizing the graduate writing center was so graduate students could work with professionals who have been through the same thing,” Kuhne said.

When working with graduates, consultants focus more on the organization of ideas, style, documentation and clarity, according to the Writing Center’s September 2005 newsletter.

“We look at things that they, as writers, don’t always look at,” Hara said.

The Writing Center is located on the second floor of the University Recreation Center and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition to the main office in the Rec Center, the Writing Center has an annex in the Information Commons area of the Mary Couts Burnett Library.

For hours of operation for the annex and other details, visit the Web site, www.wrt.tcu.edu.