To celebrate student writing in all its forms across the curriculum, IU East hosted its second annual Student Writing Day, on April 10, 2019. With posters, presentations, infographics and more, students from English, criminal justice, nursing and other fields presented the best of their written work. Coordinated by English Assistant Professor and Writing Program Director Travis Rountree, Student Writing Day also included activities and advice. The Writing Center was staffed and ready with schedules and knowledgeable students. The IU East Campus Library staff offered literary games, which included ekphrastic poetry exercises and a narrative drawing game involving prompts and ingenuity. A total of 12 poems and 21 drawings were produced, with insights on cats, books, bubbles and butterflies.
Students from three of Kelly Blewett’s ENG W131 classes demonstrated their infographic language projects. For this project, students were assigned an article on forms of discourse. Then, as a discussion tool, they were asked to create an infographic that explained the article while developing their own arguments regarding the article’s conclusions. A number of students presented, with their work appearing on the IQ wall in Whitewater Hall.
Other classes provided fascinating work for the program. Students in Alisa Clapp-Itnyre’s Victorian Literature class held a literary salon that ran the entire length of Student Writing Day, complete with a semiformal English tea. Carrie Mier’s CJUS P100 and P200 students presented posters on topics such as arson and a person’s rights after incarceration. Nursing students gave presentations on a number of topics, including community health and opioids.
One of the most exciting developments was the launch of the IU East LGBTQ+ archive. Students in Travis Rountree’s ENG W270 class collected oral histories and performed research on a variety of LGBTQ-themed topics, including gay-straight alliances, community members and rainbow symbolism. With the professional assistance of IU East archivist Beth South, these materials were collected and made available as an online resource. The student-driven project is now available online, along with related materials from this semester.
Student Writing Day takes place on a number of campuses, with the goal of highlighting the importance and variety of college writing. With so much support and so many fascinating presentations, next year’s celebration will be something to look forward to all year long. The IU East Campus Library welcomes collaborations with campus events. Want to discuss ideas and partnerships? Just Ask Us! iueref@iue.edu