Lynchburg Manager and Tutors Discuss Semesterly Client Appointment Quotas at Working for the Writing Center

Lynchburg Manager and Tutors Discuss Semesterly Client Appointment Quotas at Working for the Writing Center

by Destini Baccus

Data has been gifted by Rachel Willis, the Manager of the Wilmar Writing Center, which has shown the number of appointments at the center have been steadily going down.

The Wilmar Writing Center Staff at the University of Lynchburg hypothesize that AI is a contributor to the decreased number of appointments especially during the current Spring 2025 semester. 

Rachel stated this, “The rise of AI…I think that is a tool  that students are continuing to grow more…comfortable with and are probably using to supplement the writing support they would get at the center.”

Notable Observations from Data Poster - Made with Canva by Destini Baccus

Although, while the given data makes it clear that this is not the first time appointments tend to fluctuate, AI as a resource inadvertently makes the whole point of the Lynchburg writing center and others like it redundant. This is to be expected, given how freely and easily students have access to an assortment of coded programs that can hand out ideas to a user with just a few simple prompts. For many college students, giving into the temptation to be lazy is too much to bear. But not all hope is lost, there are still ways to keep the number of appointments on the rise.

Tutor Mac White had this to add, “ …I think advertising [the writing center] through teachers is pretty effective… and could be more effective if more teachers advertised…”

Writing Center Data Poster - Made with Canva by Destini Baccus

Furthermore, while it can be quite discouraging for tutors to have less clients to help, the increased amount of students using AI on assignments is likely to force teachers into requiring appointments to the writing center. This will bring up client appointments at the writing center and will ensure that the quota will go up eventually. If the fluctuations within the data have not proven such a recovery as possible then the rise of appointments between the Winter to and Spring and Summer to Fall semesters certainly does. The more students that are on university grounds, the more appointments that are created by clientele visiting the center.

Tutor Elora Grochowski, agreeing with this sentiment, said, “Defilently less students but I also think just less classes overall…there are not a lot of classes offered in the winter and summer.”

So, while AI is certainly a contributor to a drop in the number of clients at the writing center, the number of students who are staying at the university can cause an impact as well. Students are people too and are likely to transfer to another university if they dislike a given university due to a lack of classes, activities, or support from the staff. It is only natural.

Condensed Writing Center Data - Made with Data Wrapper by Destini Baccus

Rachel shares a similar opinion, stating this, “I think there are going to be fewer appointments [this spring semester]...even though we have a significant population of international students…we have lost some of the professors that worked with those students. Specifically, [those that] require the initial first-time visit [to the writing center].”

If you can, please help the Wilmar Writing Center gather more clientele by either setting up an appointment or by suggesting the center as a resource to your students.

The complete Google spreadsheet for this story is here: Writing Center Appointment Data.