A Simple Greeting Would Be Nice

We’ve previously mentioned that anyone who enters the Writing Center should feel entirely at ease, and at least receive a welcoming “hello.”  There is certainly some value to being friendly and inviting.  
I went to the Math Workshop this morning to clarify some issues I was having in my calculus class, and I have to admit I was not impressed.  I felt very uncomfortable and unwelcome; there wasn’t anyone at the front desk to even greet me! Even when there is a student working the front desk, they just look at me and wait for me to say what I need help with.  Thankfully, I had been to the Workshop a few times before, so I knew the sign-in procedure.  However, I probably could have stood at the front desk for twenty minutes before anyone noticed!  There was one gentleman who looked up at me, and then looked away.  It was like he was hoping I didn’t need help.  I proceeded to the side room where there was a girl behind another desk.  I asked if anyone could help with calculus, and then got up to take me to the same guy that looked away from me!  Why is it that the math tutors don’t ask if you need assistance?  I mean, I don’t like hanging out in the Workshop so I don’t know of any other reason for being there besides getting help.  I guess I just don’t understand why the tutors aren’t quick to greet you or offer assistance.  Once I finally sit down next to a tutor and begin working, however, they are extremely helpful.

Honestly, the impression I get from the faculty and tutors is a culture of “not caring.”  They don’t care if a student feels awkward when they enter the Workshop, and there is no emphasis on the “total experience.”  I believe that any student resource center should always be inviting (including the furnishings and individuals that work there) and seek to offer the best assistance possible.  To me, the Math Workshop lacks these two qualities.  The tutors are only inviting once you initiate the interaction, and thus, fail to offer the best possible assistance.

I did not mean to pinpoint all of the negative aspects of the Math Workshop, but I do think it is important that we analyze the other student resource centers to make the Writing Center be the best it can be. 

I love how dedicated the tutors are, and how welcoming everyone is.  It’s not easy to bring a piece of writing in, so we must always make the writer feel comfortable.  The best appointments start with a simple “hello.”