Graduate students at Kent State now have a space intentionally designated for them to work, research, consult and, most importantly, thrive.
The Write Place, founded by the Graduate College in fall 2022, is a supportive space for graduate students to work on their research, be part of a fellow accountability group and have access to upper-level writing guidance.
“
Students have families, and they’re working full time,” Christa Porter, Ph.D., associate dean of the Graduate College, said. “So to be able to offer a physical space where they have access to consultants, they have access to us should they need support or they just want to hang out, is important.”
Porter started her position in September after the program was implemented, but has made an effort to actively listen to her students and improve the writing space accordingly.
For example, they’ve expanded the program’s hours to better fit student life. In addition to sessions every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Suite 314 of the University Library, sessions are also now offered on Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. on the fourth floor of the library.
With an after-hours opportunity intended just for focusing, working and writing, graduate students like Györgyi Mihályi have expressed their appreciation for the program’s availability.
“I'm in the phase of finishing up my proposal, and I was really stuck because I didn't have a community to write with or I couldn’t really find a time for it,” Mihályi said. “So once I started going last semester to the Wednesday sessions, that really started my process of getting back into writing and being able to focus on it. So it was really crucial for me to find that space.”
While pursuing her doctorate in higher education administration, Mihályi is also the assistant director of marketing at the Wick Poetry Center and International Programs and Education Abroad in the College of Arts and Sciences.
As The Write Place blossoms and continues to be a support system for graduate students who live near the Kent Campus, like Mihályi, the Graduate College would like to expand this opportunity to those who are not.
“Us being able to provide support is meeting a need,” Porter said. “Our graduate students at Kent State are not all at the Kent Campus, though, so eventually we would love to start a virtual writing space. But for those who are here on campus, it's really important for us to respond to their need for writing.”
Porter and the Graduate College have worked hard to respond dutifully to this need, but as the spring semester is underway, they would like to know what they can better do to serve graduate students on campus.
“We're open to collaborations, and we're open to really learning more about what all graduate students need,” Porter said. “Whether they come to Kent State campus on a regular basis, or are in virtual communities or programs that are predominantly online, We're excited for what the future will hold.”
The Graduate College offers a variety of other writing programs for their students, like the Research Writing Retreat, a distraction-free weekend so students can remain focused on their research writing.
The Writing Commons, which the consultants in The Write Place are sourced from, also offers sessions with graduate student consultants by appointment on the fourth floor of the library.
For more information on The Write Place, please visit https://www.kent.edu/graduatecollege/write-place.
For more information on the Graduate College and its programs, please visit https://www.kent.edu/graduatecollege.