Writing Center Staff

Dr. Jay Sloan: Director of the Writing Center
Email: jdsloan@kent.edu

Employment Opportunities:

     Are you a good writer and thinker, perhaps personally or professionally interested in working in the Writing Center?  If so, consider the following pamphlets, which describe the value and process of joining us :  Becoming a Tutor in the Writing Center, and Looking Back: Former Tutors Talk About the Writing Center.  Then, follow this link for information about the hiring process.

The Tutors as Scholars:
     Each Fall, as part of the "Tutoring Writing" course they take, Writing Center tutors are involved in either individual or collaborative research projects on some aspect of writing center theory and practice.  And other research projects continue throughout the year.  Tutors travel to make scholarly presentations of their work at the Northeast Ohio Writing Centers Association Conference each Fall, and at the East Central Writing Centers Association Conference each Spring.  Click here to see some of their recent presentations.  

CURRENT STAFF:

Sandy Dent is a Senior, and Senior Tutor, and will graduate with a degree in English sometime in 2008-09.  She plans on working toward a Master's degree in counseling.

Stacy Orsich is a married mother of six (ages 25 through 5 months).  She owns a real estate company, but loves college.  She's an English major, with a writing minor.  Her hobbies include reading, writing, camping and quiet time (if there is such a thing).  Her goal is to finish college before all her kids do.

Jamie Richardson is currently beginning his fifth full year at Kent stark where he is pursuing an B.A. in English, with minor's in both writing and photography.  When he is not working full time or attending school, his hobbies include photography, reading (Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz especially), writing , camping, watching the oakland Raiders attempt to not lose on a weekly basis, and basically any type of outdoor activity--as he his a big fan of any type of "free, or extremely cheap quality fun."  Jamie is not married (although he's currently two years closer to being so), nor does he have any children or pets.  He currenly resides in Canton ohio, although Minerva will always be "home."

Andrew Rihn is an English major with minors in Writing and Women's Studies.  He enjoys creative writing, Japanese movies, and British television.  He currently lives in Canton with his partner Becky, their dog Ozu and cat Alice.

Lisa Stratton is a Senior Tutor, and a double major in Anthropology and History.  Although she is a co-chair of the student groups Spectrum and Spiral, a member of the History Club and the Honors College, and an active organizer in World AIDS Day recognition activities, she still finds the time to be a mother to two, step-mother to one, and an exhausted girlfriend.  Thankfully, she's not far from retirement, and can sleep all she wants to, then.

Leroy White is a senior majoring in English with a Writing minor. An avid History and Aviation buff, his other hobbies include reading, writing fiction, and foreign travel. Leroy is retired from the Cleveland Air Traffic Control Center, married with 4 children, 6 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He is a member of Sigma Tau Delta the English Honorary Society. He plans on writing a novel after graduation.

Nicole Whitmer is a Junior Tutor in her fifth year of college. She hopes to graduate within the next two years with a bachelors in English. Her hobbies include horseback riding, philosophy, Muay Thai, and writing. She is involved in several animal rights organizations including the ASPCA, the Humane Society, World Wildlife Foundation, and the Wyland Project.

Yvonne Williamson is a senior English major who hopes to graduate in the Spring of '09 (this is the part where everyone falls to their knees in prayer).  She is a full-time student and a single mother to three very headstrong children.  (We have no idea where they get it from.)  This will be Yvonne's second year as a member of the blind review team for the campus creative arts magazine, Canto.  Her hobbies include....Hobbies?  Who has time for hobbies?  Does laundry count? Yvonne's short-term goals include dragging herself out of bed each morning and making it to that first cup of coffee. 

Jill Wingard is an English major with a minor in history.  She is the mother of one twelve year-old daughter and is expecting her second daughter in December (She has her fingers crossed she won't go into labor during exams).  Jill enjoys spending whatever free time she has reading anything she can get her hands on, excluding Jane Austen who just rubs her the wrong way, and predictable romance novels which, to her, are just a waste of time.  Music is a must for Jill; her likes are very eclectic.  She also has a bizarre passion for politics even though the subject makes her angry and frustrated.  With her sick sense of humor, laughter eases the tension created by the political messes she allows herself to witness.

Writing Center Mascot:  Bubba