Policies

The Writing Center provides assistance to MCC students with writing projects in courses across the curriculum.

Scheduling Appointments Students may schedule Writing Center appointments by calling the library, visiting the library reference desk in person, or utilizing Starfish. (For more information about using Starfish to schedule appointments, please view this quick, helpful video.) 

Please keep the following policies in mind:

• Appointments can be scheduled up to one week in advance.
• Students are limited to two non-consecutive hours of Writing Center assistance per class, per week. (Appointments may not be scheduled back-to-back.)
• If you are 10 minutes late for your appointment and have not contacted the Writing Center to cancel, your appointment might be given away to a student waiting for walk-in assistance.
• Failure to show for an appointment (without calling to cancel in advance) twice during a semester will result in appointment privileges being revoked for the remainder of the semester. The Writing Center offers walk-in assistance when appointments are not filled.
• In order to be available to as many students as possible, the Writing Center reserves the right to cancel any appointment which violates our scheduling policies.

Student Conduct in the Writing CenterStudents in the Writing Center must abide by the College's Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Policy. This Code of Conduct prohibits engaging in assaults and threats, participating in discrimination and harassment, dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarism), disruptive behavior, lewd behavior, alcohol and drug use on College premises, failure to comply with college officials, fighting, violations of the Acceptable Use policy in the use of College computers and the MCC network, and failure to abide by laws governing the State of Michigan.

Any student who does not comply with the Code of Conduct and the Acceptable Use Policy may be denied Writing Center services and asked to leave the facility.

Proof of Visit Students who need to provide proof of their Writing Center visits to their instructors should, prior to visiting the Writing Center, ask the instructor what information they should collect in order to receive credit for visiting. Most instructors will ask their students to provide them with the date and time of the visit, the first name of the Writing Consultant, and a brief description of the feedback they received. Some instructors, however, may require students to answer more in-depth questions in order to receive credit for visiting the Writing Center.

Please note: Your instructor will be able to contact the Writing Center for verification of your visit, so be sure to report accurate information about date, time and the name of the person who assisted you. Writing Consultants cannot sign their names to student papers.

Plagiarized Assignments The Writing Center assumes no responsibility on behalf of students who choose to submit plagiarized material in MCC courses. Additionally, the Writing Center assumes no responsibility for reporting plagiarism to instructors or college administrators. However, Writing Center employees do reserve the right to refuse assistance with written material that is intentionally plagiarized.