An OWL might give a writing center greater "credibility"
An OWL might raise a center's image in the
eyes of technology-happy administrators. (I heard this
expectation several times during the 2nd Annual InterNational Writing
Center's Conference in St. Louis, September, 1995.) A Web presence
may convey an image of a writing center as an integral part of the
university. (I'm not suggesting here that writing centers aren't
already integral. I believe they are. But I am talking about the
perceptions of faculty and staff outside of the center.)
Moreover, involvement
in an OWL might help funnel much needed resources towards a writing
center. The creation of an OWL might help writing centers take
advantage of grants for technology, as seems to have been the case for
Dakota State University's grant proposal.
An OWL might make a good marketing tool by raising a
center's visibility amongst various campus groups (most importantly,
students). If a significant number of a campus's students are
on-line, an OWL might help increase traffic in its writing center.
On the other hand .
. .
Stuart Blythe
Purdue University
blythes@mace.cc.purdue.edu