Write Now: St. Lawrence’s New WORD Studio Director Revamps the Program

When the WORD Studio pops into the mind of a SLU student, the first feeling is generally not one of excitement. However, for the past two-ish months, that feeling has not been founded in fact. 

St. Lawrence’s premier writing center has undergone a rebirth, one to better serve the communicative needs of SLUzers one and all.

This rejuvenation is led by the WORD Studio’s new director, Lucia Pawlowski. Hailing from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Pawlowski has been helping writers communicate for over 15 years. “My whole life I have been passionate about writing,” Pawlowski says, “I realized that the thing I liked most was talking with students about their writing.” 

Since Pawlowski’s arrival, a number of changes have come about. Tutors now wear nametags so tutees can better know who is helping them. On the front desk sits a bowl full of candy, while off to the side sit coffee pots and tea kettles available for use of any in the Studio. 

However, perhaps the most important change of all lies in the way potential tutees interact with the Studio. Gone is the binder that used to hold schedules for students to enter their names and desired tutoring times in; in place of it floats the shiny Writing Center Online.

To use the wconline, students must first go to Presence, St. Lawrence’s new method of student/campus organization interaction. From there, they must select the “Resources” tab and scroll until they see “WORD Studio.” 

Alternatively, students can just search ‘St. Lawrence WORD Studio” on their search engine. Afterwards, clickers are directed to SLU’s official webpage about the writing center. There, press on a big, red button on the left side that reads “Schedule an Appointment.” 

Finally, students must enter their St. Lawrence login credentials to be presented with a blue and white screen that lists tutors and their available hours for whatever the current day is, as well as the rest of the week. To sign up, merely click on a white, empty box for a specific tutor and enter pertinent information like course, instructor, and other assignment details.

“We have a lot of white space and we have a lot of tutors. We have seven new tutors coming in, and the way I like to describe it to people on the street is that we long to see you. As much as we like to do our homework, there’s nothing that gives us greater joy than  helping writers,” Pawlowski remarks.

Pawlowski is not alone in her feeling. Lily Sullivan ’21 is in her second year of tutoring at the WORD Studio. When asked why she keeps working at the center, she quipped, “It’s really satisfying to see students here have significant break-throughs and ‘a-ha’ moments with their writing. Also, I get paid!”

Of course, the WORD Studio is nothing without its tutees. Now, the WORD Studio is more inviting than ever. “As a freshman, the WORD Studio has been a key resource on-campus for me because every time I learn something new,” explains Alexander Reyes ’23. “For example, there was a day when I was going through grammar issues in ones of my essays and [my tutor] taught me a small lesson about commas. I think without this key resource and the people in it I wouldn’t be able to get high grades on my essays.” 

For students like Alex, the WORD Studio is more than just another on-campus resource—it’s a pathway to success.

The rebirthed WORD Studio is not just about writing, oral communication, research, and design. 

According to Pawlowski, “Writing not only helps you communicate, but also helps you know yourself.” So, if you have a need to check citations, think about your thesis, or even go on a journey of self-discovery, come on down to the Munn Writing Center. We’re right inside the library.