Code of Conduct

The principles below express our values and communicate our expectations for consultants' and writers' conduct:

• We believe in fostering mutual respect between writers and consultants. Your consultant considers each writer and their work with a deep level of respect, and we expect consideration and respect in return.
• We value linguistic and cultural differences in writing. We are excited to work with students from all language backgrounds.
• We believe writers maintain ownership of their writing. We are here to support you in developing and revising your paper, but we are not an editing service. Our consulting approach is built on the writer’s active participation.
  
• We recognize that consulting sessions are cognitively and sometimes emotionally demanding for both writer and consultant. Your consultant will give you their full attention during your 45-minute session. Please do not ask the consultant to extend the session beyond its scheduled end time.
• We respect our consultants’ right to privacy both inside and outside of sessions. If you need to contact your consultant outside of a session, please use the Writing Center email and not their personal GMU address. Consultants and writers should not contact each other in person outside of their appointments together.
  
• We value our consultations as a space for collaboration and learning, and as such we ask that sessions remain professional. Neither the writer nor the consultant should ask for personal information during a session.
  
• We encourage writers to communicate with their professors directly about grades. Your consultant will review your paper with you and offer their feedback, but we cannot predict or discuss grades. 

Violating the principles of respect, ownership, privacy, or professionalism can lead to losing access to the writing center.