Writing Center: behind the newsletter

Hi Readers,

In the Writing Center, collaboration and teamwork are crucial to its success.  This semester, we collaborated many times, and our ability to work in a team was tested when we created the end-of-the-semester newsletter that would help us inform the University community about the Writing Center ( mission, testimonials, activities, etc. ).

Since the beginning of the semester, we wanted to make a newsletter.  Finding a time when all of us were in the office was a bit difficult.  Our supervisor had classes to teach, and Colleague R had a MA thesis to complete and classes to take.  Thanks to the convenience of the internet, Colleague N and I were able to jumpstart the project while updating the others through emails.

First we brainstormed for content before delegating responsibilities.  Our supervisor could write the 'Welcome Note' and provide us the 'Mission Statement' and 'Writing Center Tips.'  Colleague R could do layout and design, since she has a Mac Book, and she had been designing our events' flyers throughout the semester.  Colleague N was technically savvy so she could do the segments: 'Student Usage Graphs' and 'Semester Events.' I could collect 'Student Testimonials,' and write a 'Faculty Article.'

Then our share of obstacles started popping out.  Our supervisor became swamped to write the 'Welcome Note,' so Colleague N volunteered and used her background in public relations writing to complete the task.  Students weren't responding to our Facebook prompt, so I had to elicit testimonials after each tutoring session ( students didn't mind and were happy to oblige ).  Faculty were also too swamped to respond to my emails, so it took some time before I was able to interview them in person.

In the end, everything came together.  After we emailed our assignments to Colleague R, she found stock images and placed the articles in a template using our suggestions.  At the last minute before the deadline, our supervisor was able to write the "Closing Remarks;" we also had space to include our pictures and brief bios in the back. 

We copyedited our 4-page newsletter using a modified AP style and the general rules of good design.  The whole process was challenging, and it was also exciting for us to practice other skills, such as communication ( writing and formatting ), computer ( emailing, editing, and designing ), and interpersonal ( interviewing and teamwork ).