Policies

Please follow these policies in order to allow us to serve the City Tech community at the best of our abilities. If you have any questions, please reach out at writingcenter@citytech.cuny.edu.

Writing Center Expectations and Policies

The following policies apply to any student who is interested in using the Writing Center. Students who abuse the scheduling system or our policies are no longer eligible to receive our services. See Cancellation, Late, and No Show policies for additional information.

Booking Policies

Students can make one (1) session per day.
Students can make two (2) sessions per week.
Students can make appointments up to two weeks in advance.
Students can participate in as many workshops and Writing Center events as they’d like – there’s no limit.

Cancellation Policy

Appointments must be canceled at least two hours prior to the scheduled time. Students who do not cancel in time and fail to appear for a session will be counted as a “no-show.”
Late Cancelation: If you need to cancel your session with less than one hours’ notice it will count as a Late Cancelation. Late cancellations result in empty appointments that another student could have used.
Having three late cancellations in a semester will result in an account suspension for two weeks. See Suspension and Account Deactivation Procedures for more information.

Late Policy

Appointments are 45 minutes long. If you’re late, that amount of time will be deducted from that 45 minutes. In other words, if your appointment is from 10:00-10:45 and you arrive at 10:10, your appointment will still end at 10:45.
If you know you’re running late, communicate with us so we can plan to wait and not mark it as a no-show after 15 minutes. You can let us know by sending an email to writingcenter@citytech.cuny.edu.
After 15 minutes, you will be marked as a no-show, which has other consequences. See the No Show Policy for more information.

No Show Policy

After two missed appointments (or “no-shows”), you are not allowed to book further appointments for two weeks, and your existing appointments will be canceled. You may, however, still attend Writing Center workshops and events. See Suspension and Account Deactivation Procedures for more information.

Suspension and Account Deactivation Procedures

Your account is at risk of a two-week suspension if you commit more than three (3) late cancellations or two (2) no-shows in a semester.
Two suspensions in a semester will result in account deactivation for the rest of the semester.
Three suspensions in an academic year will result in account deactivation for the rest of the academic year.
To reactivate your account, you will have to email writingcenter@citytech.cuny.edu to discuss ways to have those privileges restored.

Privacy Policy

We protect the privacy of sessions according to FERPA guidelines (see City Tech overview). Instructors can request information about whether a student attended a tutoring session or workshop, but we will not provide instructors with details about what was discussed.

Student Conduct Regulations

All student conduct regulations as outlined in the Student Handbook – City Tech also apply at the Writing Center. As such, we expect student-tutor interactions to be mutually respectful and civil. Inappropriate conduct will be reported through the pertinent channels and may result in an indefinite suspension from the Writing Center’s services.

How to get ready for an appointment

Bring an assignment prompt so we’ll know what your instructor is asking for (you can email this early if you’d like or upload it to your WCOnline appointment page).
Bring any draft, notes, or outline to the meeting. If your session is online, you may upload these files in advance.
Bring any other relevant material that might help, such as instructor-provided templates or models of the assignment. If your assignment is listed on Blackboard, please be prepared to share your screen with your tutor.
Write down your top three concerns about this assignment as well as what you would like to accomplish during the session.
If you have an online appointment, make sure your computer microphone and video are working.
Be prepared to take notes.
Make sure you know where to go, and be on time!
1. IN-PERSON appointments meet in the Writing Center in G-608. From the main elevators on the 6th floor, head towards the library, cross through the corridor with the windows and go through the doors past the vending machines and then turn left into the G-600 computer lab. The Writing Center is on your right after you enter–look for signs to guide you. Please feel free to come in a few minutes before your appointment and find a place to set up before your session.
2. ZOOM LINK appointments meet virtually on Zoom. Please look out for a link in your email a few minutes before your appointment so you can connect with your tutor.
3. WC ONLINE appointments meet virtually on https://citytech.mywconline.com. Please log in to your account a few minutes before your appointment, click on your appointment, and you’ll find the link to join the session there!

What to expect from an appointment

For online appointments your tutor may use the WC Online platform or a combination of screen sharing, Google Docs, and Zoom chat to work with you on your writing.
Your tutor is your guide/partner in the writing process, not your editor or proofreader.
You will not leave your session with finished assignments, but with the tools to help you continue independently to proofread, edit, and turn in your work. We are here to help you build writing skills that you can take outside of CityTech and into your professional career.
Tutors cannot provide any input on the grade that you might receive for your assignment, i.e., tutors will not tell you, “This is a B paper,” or, “You’re definitely getting an A!”