Santa Clara University

Brava to Krystal Wu, a HUB tutor

“On rare occasions, the President of the University awards the Peter-Hans Kolvenbach S.J. Award to graduating seniors who exemplify the ideals of Jesuit education especially being a “whole person of solidarity in the real world” and "having the courage and faith to build a more just and humane world.” For 2009, Kolvenbach Awards will be presented to Krystal Wu and Erik Hesla.” President Engh’s email to the SCU community.

Call for Writers

Contribute to the National Council of Teachers of English National Gallery of Writing/HUB Writing Gallery.

“To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing most engage in today and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, NCTE is working to establish October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing (http://www.ncte.org/action/dayonwriting). To celebrate composition in all its forms, participants—students, teachers, parents, grandparents, service and industrial workers, managers, business owners, legislators, retirees, and many more—are invited to submit a piece of writing to the National Gallery of Writing, which will be a digital archive of samples that exhibit how and why Americans are writing every day, accessible to all through a free, searchable website. ‘By capturing a portrait of how writing happens today—who writes and for what purposes,” NCTE Executive Director Kent Williamson notes, “teachers can better prepare the next generation for success across the full range of 21st century literacies. Our hope is that everyone who participates in this initiative will better understand writing as a valuable lifelong practice rather than as something that is done only in school or only by a select group of people.’”

After 15 August, 2009, SCU writers may submit their writing to the HUB Writing Gallery as well.

Writing Events on Campus

Don’t miss the various writing events taking place on campus. This year, there have been several very engaging and educational forums discussing obstacles and issues surrounding writing.

On Wednesday May 13th, Professor Jill Goodman conducted a workshop on travel writing, featuring several Santa Clara students who wrote about their experiences while abroad. The workshop emphasized that audience is important to consider when writing about your travels; some of the students kept a blog for their family and friends in addition to a journal, which was more personal. However, regardless of audience, Goodman asserted that it is important to write about what you enjoy doing and what you are passionate about when you travel, whether that be food, people, art, history or whatever. These are some other suggestions that surfaced during the discussion:

• Write about your emotions and senses rather than just a list of activities that took place during your travels
• Video or tape record some brief notes about your day—this is especially helpful if time is limited and you want to expand on these ideas later
• Don’t wait—write as soon as possible so details about important events are fresh in your mind
• Include pictures, drawings, ticket stubs, and/or newspaper clippings from the city you are visiting
• If you want to share your experiences abroad with loved ones at home, check out blogs on the internet such as travelblogs.com or blogspot.com

On Thursday May 14th, two Santa Clara professors debated the importance of grammar and how teachers ought to approach teaching it. Stephen Carroll argued that drill grammar exercises are almost never an efficient way to teach grammar, and instead teachers ought to focus on developing students’ critical thinking and rhetorical skills. Jeffrey Zorn, on the other hand, feels that it is essential for all writing teachers to teach grammar and ensure students leave with a sound foundation of formal Standard English grammar knowledge. The discussion addressed how punishing students for poor grammar skills can be damaging and exclude those who have not had access to formal writing education. It also addressed the importance of audience as a determinant of whether formal Standard English grammar is essential or not.