The Valley Vanguard ? Thinking outside the box to write outside the ...

With the growth of the PTW program, students presented various topics on the strategies writers face in writing outside the curriculum.

They showcased their writing talents through presentations and through static posters.

Last Friday, the Association of Professional and Technical Writers hosted their yearly mini-conference in Curtiss Hall, with the theme of ?Writing Outside the Curriculum.?

According to PTW senior, Avery Randall, the conference was more largely attended this year than in previous years.

?This is a safe place to get some extra experience,? Randall said.

Fenobia Dallas, a professor in the department of rhetoric and professional writing, gave the keynote address.

She said the PTW program is growing, and she has seen certain trends in the last two years.

?My goal was to tap into the students? psyche and learn what they really wanted,? Dallas said.

The data was collected through the distribution of surveys. Originally a part of the department of English, the PTW program grew from an interest in writing, but incorporated technology and, with that, job opportunity.

Dallas said that the department wanted to know if the courses were meeting the needs of students.

Survey results said the reason why students are majoring and minoring in PTW is because of job opportunity.

Dallas agreed, saying the program offers the opportunity of employment, because it trains students in the craft of writing.

Survey results also said that besides employment, the enjoyment of writing was another key factor for student interest in the program.

?We did not expect the writing interest,? Dallas said.

Many of the presentations at the mini-conference were based after an interest in reading or writing.

Scott Merrow, PTW senior, said he was interested in the writing of Kenneth Burke.

After Merrow?s presentation, ?Into the Fold? featuring Burke?s ?Prologue in Heaven,? he said that the music adds a whole new layer.

Merrow showed a 10-minute movie he made this year about the language of good and evil.

?It makes you look at something more than just at a conversational level,? Merrow said. ?I wanted to show how language can be so confusing.?

Another presenter was PTW senior Jessica Rockwell, who showed examples of the work she created during the last year.

Her presentation, ?A risky approach to rhetoric: Suggestive material,? involved a script she wrote herself titled, ?Sheet Music: A Ballad of Promiscuity.?

She said for this project she used both theater and technical writing skills, using ?sex? as a selling point.

?It is obvious that sex sells,? Rockwell said, ?but where do you draw the line??

She said that her goal was to go over and above the ?line.? Some scenes in her script included, ?One Night Stanza? and ?Bedroom Forte.?

?I wanted a good balance between sex and music,? Rockwell said.

Students also surveyed that learning document design and addressing their audience were key benefits to being a part of the program.

?We also expect our students to make effective contributions,? Dallas said.

Dallas said students could now begin to move forward and be excited about their contributions.

Another mini-conference presenter, Christina Dugan, PTW senior, looked at the big picture.

Dugan presented, ?Working with the Islamic Center of Saginaw,? and discussed how working with it helped her develop skills for the future.

?I learned to consider the fact that some speak English as a second language,? Dugan said.

She looked at how the community at large can play a factor in how successful a project can be.

?The next step of the project was to think outside the box and start an open conversation between us and the community,? Dugan said.

Looking toward the future, with increased attendance, students hope that the mini-conference could offer presenter slots to students outside of SVSU.

?It would be nice to see it grow into a bigger presentation or seminar,? said PTW and creative writing senior Danielle Rohac.

She said the conference went well and that everyone in the department shared in the responsibility to make it successful.

?I thought we had a lot of talented people,? Randall said, ?and they seemed confident to present their ideas.?

Although many presenters created similar projects, they learned that presenting was different than creating.

?All of the topics were different,? said PTW and creative writing senior Carolyn Hamilton, ?but we all have similar ways to address them.

xbox update xbox update nba schedule nhl realignment nhl realignment kristin chenoweth new earth