The Writing Center is staffed by professional instructors
and peer tutors who work with individual students to help them understand
and apply the principles of effective writing. Within the guidelines of writing
lab pedagogy, each person brings a unique style to assisting our students. In
addition, we are continually upgrading our skills, whether in computer technology,
composition theory, or writing center ethics.
Director
Robert Connor has a Ph.D. in Linguistics with a doctoral minor in Educational Research Methodology and a M.A.T. in English as a Second Language. His interests include written and spoken Academic English, English for Specific Purposes, and sociolinguistics. He has taught at universities in United State, Japan, and the Caribbean. His professional website can be found at www.languagenetwork.info.
Staff Instructors
Jean Skinner came to Xavier in 1989, but working with students interests her as much now as then. Ms. Jean did undergraduate work at LSU, graduating with an honors BA in literature, but no grammar instruction. She went back later for her MA, and, while a graduate student, received her first teaching assignment: ninety freshmen—and none spoke fluent English. She feverishly studied a grammar handbook and anxiously tried to explain English to students she barely understood. After seven years, she still wanted to teach, but came to Xavier’s Writing Center to work with students individually. Here, she has found that ever-changing students and learning situations make every semester an educational adventure.
A recent transplant from Los Angeles, Corey Campbell joined the Writing Center in 2010 as a part-time instructor and was delighted when the opportunity to work with students full-time came up. As a writer, adventurer, and educator, Ms. Campbell has taught ESL and composition in Nanjing, China and Tachikawa, Japan and spent many years working at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. She earned a BFA in film from New York University and in 2012 will complete her MFA in fiction from the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Ms. Campbell has published short stories in the online journals Anderbo, Coachella Review, Gulf Stream, New Southerner Magazine, Chamber Four Fiction Anthology, and Staccato. Her work was featured in the New Short Fiction Series in Los Angeles. She continues to write fiction and submit her work and can definitely sympathize when Xavier students talk about the challenges of putting words on the page and getting them right.
An honor graduate of Loyola University, Pepper Caruso was busy acquiring a Master’s in Secondary Education (English) at the University of New Orleans when she joined the Writing Center staff in the fall of 2006. Although she originally intended to teach high school, she quickly appreciated the university atmosphere and, more importantly, was inspired by the motivation of Xavier’s students. Ms. Caruso continues to freelance as a writer and editor and was a finalist in the 2005 Faulkner-Wisdom international essay competition.
Deahn Dennis is a graduate of Xavier University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Ms. Dennis is passionate about the students' progress and understands the importance of literature, grammar, and writing. With writing as her inspiration, she expresses to the students the purpose of understanding how to write well. Teaching was always an interest of hers, but it grew with a position in another writing center as a tutor. From there, she found her passion; therefore, as a member of the Writing Center staff, she considers this position an immense blessing.
Peer Tutors
Brittany Williams
