As Valentine’s day slowly approaches, love fills the air in many forms, both platonic and romantic. Red and pink decorations appear all over the place, along with hearts, hugs and handwritten notes. While the holiday is mainly associated with romance, it was not always celebrated this way. In fact, the holiday dates all the way back to the fifth century and originated as Lupercalia, a Roman festival held in mid-February (Britannica Editors). The celebration was centered around fertility and purification, which is pretty different to how we celebrate it now.
Diving even deeper into Lupercalia, it was believed to start with animal sacrifices, which were performed by Luperci, aka priests. After that was done, two young men were then brought to the altar, were marked with the sacrificial blood, and then were cleansed. Once the ceremony was over, the Luperci would then cut strips from the animal hides and run through the streets, lightly striking women who approached them, which was believed to promote fertility and good health.
As fun as that sounds, Britannica notes that in A.D. 494, Pope Gelasius I officially prohibited participation in Lupercalia as Christianity became more established. It seems that some traditions were made to replace the festival with Christian observances, and even though researchers have limited information on Valentine’s Day, it is believed that the 14th century is when it started to be celebrated romantically. So now you know about the origin of this lovely holiday we know now as Valentine’s Day, which is centered on affection, courtship and written expression. Speaking of written expression, we have a wonderful place where you can go to get help on papers and love letters since it’s that season.
The writing center! It’s a place we all (should) know and (better) love, filled with so much support and a good community. At this stage, you probably have already visited or at least know about, since professors mention us when needed, but one thing not many people get to hear about is the writing assistant’s experience. Which is why I’m here to share mine and express my appreciation for the many doors that were opened when I decided to dedicate my time to this position.
When coming to Eastern my freshman year, I knew that I wanted an on-campus job. I received two offers, and I was split between working at the library, or being a writing assistant. Thinking that I could only choose one, I picked the library before I started training for the Writing Assistant position. The training took place in the fall, and when the spring semester came around for me to actually start working, I chickened out. If you don’t know me already, I am a very introverted person, so while working at the Writing Center sounded good in theory, by the time it became a reality, I got nervous and told the director at the time that I was not ready. I told them that I wanted to just focus on my courses for the semester, but in actuality, I was planning on never going through with the position and to just stay in the library. However, towards the end of the semester, job postings started to make their way around about positions within a program called EQUIP, a summer bridge program. I had seen one of the signs but was still hesitant, and it wasn’t until the Director of the Writing Center personally reached out, due to the lack of Writing Assistants signing up. It was then that I decided to work as one just for the summer, but it ended up opening the door to a Teacher’s Assistant position in the upcoming fall semester.
This opportunity allowed me to become something I didn’t think would come unless I was more settled into Eastern. It allowed me to become more involved and a better role model, and also played a huge part in why I continuously come back to work with the EQUIP program. The whole process of being a writing assistant throughout all of the semesters, doing EQUIP, then becoming a TA, quickly became a routine. I’ve always loved writing, but it became obvious that I was also good at helping people understand its process. Being introverted never went away, but knowing that I have the ability to not only produce well-written literature but help others do the same, or at least understand the process enough to pass a course or two, was rewarding enough to keep working this position.
The Writing Center started to expand and become an even more inviting space under new directive while still within the same leadership, making it a safe place for students and staff. Thus, when you work at a place that makes you feel valued alongside people whom you are there to help, it’s hard to not feel at ease with such an environment and be willing to return back to work semester after semester.
Before working in the Writing Center, like many students, I never personally wanted to visit the space. I had my own hesitations about the center and/or the staff. Additionally, some of my peers at the time didn’t give the center much regard, and it seemed easy to go with the overall passive notion. However with that expansion that I mentioned prior, The Writing Center has come, the Writing Center has come very far and is now a more respectable place. Though, if the expansion was never to have happened, being part of the staff was enough insight for me to be able to assure students that it’s an environment worth exploring, feeling comfortable to ask questions, and come for help despite whatever place in the writing process that they found themselves in.
To be a Writing Assistant, I would recommend having a passion for writing, or being somewhat comfortable with taking things at a slower pace because that’s sometimes the very mundane nature of the Writing Center. Also, I’d recommend being someone who is openminded, passionate, and willing to learn in expansion of current knowledge. The Writing Center can be one of the most diverse spaces on campus. Although the standards of writing might not be as diversified, there is still room for all types of writing expressions, and Writing Assistants must be willing to take that head on, inviting, assuring and informed.
I have enjoyed working as a Writing Assistant and TA throughout the years. I enjoy getting to encounter students with perspectives different from mine, insights worth honoring, and embarking on the writing process time and time again. Although the process is the same, the experience does not get tiring or boring, possibly due to the passion that I have, but also because each individual experience is different in and of itself. As a Writing Assistant and/or TA, I am not simply a presence in the atmosphere, I am part of what sets the tone, impact and significance of the overall experience. My hope is that more and more people feel comfortable to work in the Writing Center or simply come as they are with their pieces of writing and leave feeling empowered to a certain degree.
