Barrett Writing Center

Welcome to the Barrett Writing Center

We are a free writing resource designed specifically for Barrett students. What does that mean?

We offer one-on-one writing tutoring appointments for students taking The Human Event (HON 171 & HON 272) and The History of Ideas (HON 370).
We are also available to help Barrett students working on their Honors Thesis or on a scholarship/employment application. Scroll down to check out our thesis track program.
All of our tutors are fellow Barrett students who have taken The Human Event or the History of Ideas and received training to work at the BWC.
Unfortunately, we CANNOT help with papers for non-Barrett courses, even when it is an honors section of a course (i.e. ENG 105) or when you are completing an Honor Enrichment Contract for a course.
For non-Barrett students, or non-HON courses, please visit the ASU Writing Center.

Schedule an appointment

Making an appointment

We offer in-person appointments on the Tempe and Downtown campuses, and Zoom appointments for students on all campuses.
Our current appointment system is Calendly. When you schedule an appointment via the link above, you will receive a confirmation email that includes instructions for canceling and rescheduling.
If you have any questions prior to your appointment, contact your tutor! If you are having trouble making an appointment or if you’re not sure who your tutor is, reach out to one of our senior tutors:
- Vaikhari Nalole (vnalole@asu.edu)
- Keetra Bippus (kbippus@asu.edu)

How to prepare for your BWC appointment

Create a Google doc with your draft, outline, brainstorming notes, questions, or anything else you want to discuss in your appointment and share it with your tutor.
Pull up the instructions for the assignment on your laptop or bring a paper copy.
Come with specific questions for your tutor. The appointment will be much more helpful if you know exactly what you want to accomplish.
Make sure you know the location of your appointment. For in-person appointments, give yourself plenty of time to travel to the building and to find the room. For Zoom appointments, save your tutor’s Zoom link in advance.
Optional: bring your professor’s grading rubric/writing guidelines, your previous graded assignments, and the texts you are using for the assignment.

Find us on your campus

Location: Mercado, Barrett Suite, Rm 112

How to find us: See the Barrett suite front desk for directions when you walk in.

Hours: Mondays 9-1, Tuesdays 12-5, Wednesdays 10-2, Fridays 2-5

The Writing Colloquium, at the Polytechnic campus, continues to strengthen Barrett's intellectual community. Colloquiants are made up of a selected group of tutors who assist Human Event and History of Ideas students with developing effective argumentative writing skills for their respective class’ signature papers. Tutors guide students as they work through general editing and writing concerns via 1:1 meetings (Lounge Hours), writing workshop events, planned essay events (Thesis Fest) and Paper Feedback (Mini Conferences).

Location: Lantana Hall, 5885 S Twining St, Mesa, AZ 85212

How to find us: The Polytechnic Barrett Suite is located on the first floor of Lantana Hall, accessible through the door between Lantana and Century Hall, or by an interior connected to the residential areas of Lantana Hall.

To schedule an appointment: Locate the Lounge Hours sign up in respective Human Event course canvases, scan the QR code in the Polytechnic Barrett Suite, or email the head tutors (Marc, Lauren, and Lily).

Questions can be directed to Head Tutors: Marc Palma (mapalma3@asu.edu), Lauren Marvuglio (lmarvugl@asu.edu), and Lily Russell (lcrusse3@asu.edu)

Location: Honors Hall 240

How to find us: We are on the second floor of the honors hall (where the dining hall is located) across from the advising office.

Hours: Mondays 9-7, Tuesdays 9-7, Wednesdays 9-7, Thursdays 9-7, Fridays 9-5, Sundays 12-7

Location: Barrett Suite: UCB 201, Borges Library area

Hours: Mondays 10-2, Tuesdays 9-12, Wednesdays 10-2

Location: by zoom. Link for BWC online appointments: https://asu.zoom.us/my/bhcwritingcenter

Hours: Mondays 10-7, Tuesdays 11-7, Wednesdays 10-10, Thursdays 9-2 & 3-7, Fridays 11-3, Sundays 12-10

Core values of the BWC

We work to help students improve as writers or improve their writing process
The BWC is open to everyone at Barrett and is not just for students who are struggling
We want to inspire confidence in the writers who come in for tutoring – we begin with what is working in a paper
The BWC is a peer-to-peer tutoring center which makes it accessible and flexible
Barrett courses are interdisciplinary, as is the student body, and the BWC reflects this in the diverse majors of the tutors and our approach to writing
Writing should be accessible to people of all backgrounds and circumstances
The BWC tutors approach the tutoring process from the perspective of a student, a peer, and a reader.
The BWC believes in the writing process as a tool to foster knowledge through human connection and collaboration.

Contact us

Contact us with general questions, comments, or concerns, or if you or your organization would like to request tutors to take part in a special group workshop or event, please contact the BWC’s senior tutors: Vaikhari Nalole (vnalole@asu.edu) and Keetra Bippus (kbippus@asu.edu). You can also contact our faculty director, Dr. Van Engen, at dagmar.van.engen@asu.edu.