Elaine Bassett, the coordinator of the Troy Campus Writing Center, is retiring after 30 years of working at Troy University.
Basset started as an English professor in 1978 and eventually moved over to the Writing Center in January 1994.
“I love teaching, but this job brings me a lot more joy,” she said. “Working in here, no two days are the same.”
As the Writing Center coordinator, Bassett serves in a variety of ways, from training student tutors to helping students and faculty members to improve their writing skills.
According to Bassett, the best part about her job is having the opportunity to work with different students from a variety of disciplines and levels, from freshmen to students at the graduate level.
“I have seen many fine young people,” Bassett said. “It makes me feel confident about the future of this world. I know they will be able to take their experiences from Troy and flourish with them.”
“Mrs. Bassett is a wonderful woman,” said Jenna Viets, a sophomore communication major from Dothan and a student tutor at the writing center. “She has taught me a lot about how to tutor well, and she also models the generosity and selflessness that I am striving for.”
Viets said that she appreciates the high standards Bassett holds for the tutors while maintaining a fun and laidback work atmosphere.
The Writing Center helps students with any part of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas and organizing the paper to word choice and readability.
Aayush Manandhar, a sophomore computer science major from Kathmandu, Nepal, utilizes the Writing Center to help to further develop his writing capabilities.
“The tutors gave me ideas of how I should develop my ideas and were very helpful in identifying errors while explaining to me how to fix them,” Manandhar said.
According to Bassett, the goal of the Writing Center is to help the students to improve their writing as a whole, not necessarily to just fix the specific assignment or paper at hand.
Furthermore, Bassett explained that the Writing Center had a clear understanding among the faculty as well as the student tutors, that students who come to the writing center seeking help will still leave with their own work.
“Part of the tutoring job is to figure out how to assist students with what they are really in need of,” she said. “We try to steer the students to the right path by changing the way of thinking of the particular student.”
Along with the Writing Center, Eldridge Hall has many other resources available at no cost to students, such as Career Services.
“We provide students with career exploration if they are undecided about their majors,” said Lauren Cole, career services coordinator. “We have databases with information about different occupations and their job outlooks.”
Cole said that the Career Services counselors help students to review their resumes and cover letters in person or via troycareer@troy.edu.
“We also do mock interviews to get students prepared and give them feedback. Occasionally, we have networking events where students can meet employers and submit their resume for consideration,” Cole said.
Students can get more information about employment opportunities and events sponsored by Career Services on Trojan Link.
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