WATtimes: Volume 31 Number 1

 By John Vardon  

When asked to write a few words about inception and evolution of the WCC at The University of Waterloo, I was convinced it would be an easy task. After all, upon my retirement, after working there for forty-two years, I had written what I thought was an exhaustive account of the English Language Proficiency Program and all that it entailed, including the exam and the Centre itself. Disinterring the document from its entombment in my computer files, I realized that “From Remediation to Renewal: a History of the University of Waterloo’s Writing and Communication Centre” was not only exhaustive but also exhausting. As thorough as I could make it, it didn’t tell the whole story of what now seems like an entirely different era.    

It was 1976, the year when Steve Wozniak introduced the first Apple Computer and word processing appeared to have reached its ultimate capacity with the introduction of the IBM Selectric typewriter. Before widespread internet use, before email, before social media, this was a time when university research was done by consulting huge cabinets with drawers full of file cards, directing students to consult those hand-held blocks of compressed cellulose called books and journals, when AI was not capable of producing perfect essays for those who wanted to avoid the onerous process of writing them.  

What also might be called the university atmosphere also seemed different to me then as a graduate of WLU, when the university was called Waterloo Lutheran, later changed to Wilfrid Laurier to honour Canada’s seventh prime minister and to avoid, some cynics said, having to throw out all those WLU t-shirts. Class schedules were interrupted each day by a half hour for chapel service, and the ambiance of the campus was clearly that of an American college. The now questionable practice of hazing meant that first year students had to wear beanies identifying them as such and requiring them to perform tasks and engage in slightly embarrassing rituals when called upon. Exercising the logical faculties now recognized by university acceptance, most of us learned to leave the headgear at home.  

My memories of that first year also include attending a huge class in the amphitheatre (1E1), a mandatory mini course on the necessary but not riveting topic of library science. But recalling that experience now propels me four years forward to my graduate teaching assistant days at the university down the road and, in particular, to the much more enlivened experience of Professor Ken Ledbetter’s amphitheatre adventure in teaching English 109, a writing course initiated and taught for many years by his colleague, Professor Mary Gerhardstein. Ledbetter’s lectures involved notes projected on a large screen, interspersed with quotations from poets like Wallace Stevens and e.e.cummings, accompanied by a dazzling music and light show, not to mention occasional on-stage theatrics, all of which merited that year’s Distinguished Teacher Award.  

Those two professors were also instrumental in convincing university authorities to initiate a task force that recommended The English Proficiency Program as a way to deal with the widespread perception that many incoming students were “having difficulty completing writing assignments satisfactorily.” Part of the program involved the exam, which at first consisted of an essay and a multiple-choice test and then for many years simply required a 50-minute essay based on a choice of famous quotations. Assessing the exam moved from identifying one “decent paragraph” to the later and much more precise rubric covering style, substance, and form. Eight hundred Arts students wrote the first exam in the gymnasium at Seagram stadium, with minimal or malfunctioning air conditioning during a September heat wave in 1976.  

Those who failed the exam were asked to attend weekly lectures and three hours a week at the Writing Clinic, where eight newly hired tutors would oversee and offer feedback on essays written on topics mutually agreed upon. The first year, the Clinic was situated in one classroom of Hagey Hall, moving over the years to what became the box office for the Humanities Theatre, then to three rooms in the PAS building, and, finally to its current location in South Campus Hall, across from what was once (emphasis on the past tense) the bookstore.     

Students who attended these various venues were encouraged to write weekly essays and make notes on areas for improvement; tutors were tasked with ensuring that they had paid enough attention to their strengths and weaknesses to write and pass an in-Clinic essay under the same time constraints as the exam. These students were said to be “exempted” from the requirement to pass the exam in order to graduate.  

As more faculties (and eventually all) opted into the ELP, marking the exams and accommodating the students in the Clinic became more and more difficult, even when as many as 25 tutors were working up to ten hours a week. Included in these ranks were Judi Jewinski, editor of WATtimes, and Ron Champion, UWRA President. Students arrived in droves outside the doors of the WC on sign-up day but even then, many had to be placed on a waiting list. Invigilating the exam at the start of each term became both tiring and tedious, and marking took up to two weeks of six hour days. Students who had passed the exam but were looking for writing advice could book appointments, but space was very limited.  

The exam had always generated some controversy and negative rumour, so much so that a YouTube video was created to dispel some of the commonly held myths about its alleged unfairness. (It’s still available online, though now nearly ten years old). But for both practical and pedagogical reasons, the exam was put out of its misery. Researchers had for some time been examining the way we all learn to write and devising more successful and less intimidating ways to facilitate that learning, and the seventies-style remediation model was no longer viable. Undergraduates wrote the last mandatory proficiency exam in 2018. Few students mourned its passing, and even WC instructors rejoiced.  

The Writing Clinic, of course, changed its name several years ago to the Writing Centre, to avoid the unfortunate disease-related connotations. It’s now the Writing and Communication Centre, and those who work there are no longer tutors but Writing and Communication Advisors. It has become what those blessed with the inerrancy of hindsight say it should have been from the start, a place that both graduates and undergraduates can attend voluntarily, signing up for sessions in person, virtually, or by email. Under the direction of Dr. Clare Bermingham, the WCC has evolved to become, using words from my much longer ELPE history, “a place students want to go to, a place which they can recommend to their peers, a place where active learning takes on a significant and lasting meaning.”

John Vardon came to Waterloo for university and never left. He was a sessional lecturer in English for three decades, was a tutor at the Writing Centre for CC 42 years, and has been a poetry editor for the New Quarterly since 1985.

By Maša Torbica 

As a PhD candidate in English Language and Literature, I was quietly unraveling before I found my way to the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC). Writing has always been central to my academic and creative life, so I expected the dissertation to feel like a natural culmination of my previous efforts. Yet assembling countless fragments into a coherent first draft felt overwhelming, I repeatedly immersed myself in gathering more and more research. The increasing volume of information only intensified the pressure, leaving me stuck and concerned about ever completing my degree. Connecting with the WCC’s graduate programming proved transformative. By participating in the Dissertation Boost Camp and the Grad Writing Cafés, I learned how to set realistic daily writing goals, revise in stages, and experiment with different drafting approaches. Sharing ideas and challenges with other graduate students helped me turn incremental progress into steady momentum, and I ultimately finished my dissertation. 

My experience prompted me to join the WCC as a part-time peer tutor and later a full-time writing advisor. In these roles, I worked with undergraduate and graduate students across the university. Each appointment provided fascinating insights into different disciplines, research projects, and lived experiences. I was particularly energized by sessions focused on persuasive writing, including personal statements for scholarships and graduate programs. By learning to articulate their achievements and aspirations clearly and precisely, students gain greater confidence and a stronger sense of purpose to carry into future academic and professional pursuits. It is incredibly rewarding to see the growth students achieve across different types of appointments and inspiring to witness it reflected in their subsequent accomplishments. Students often follow up to share milestones such as submitting their first work term report, delivering a speech at Convocation, earning a major scholarship, or fulfilling the lifelong goal of admission to medical school. 

Now, as the Manager of Undergraduate Student and Peer Tutor Programs at the WCC, I am proud to lead a dynamic, diverse team whose expertise spans disciplines and pedagogies. Our peer tutors represent all six Faculties at the university, and our full-time advisors bring invaluable experience supporting multilingual, Black, Indigenous, racialized, and other equity-denied students. From hosting Faculty-specific outreach booths across campus to offering online and drop-in appointment options, we are committed to meeting students where they are, both literally and figuratively. Through ongoing coordination with other units, including initiatives like Peer Support Day, we make it easier for students to understand and access the full range of resources available to them.  

I am passionate about ensuring that future students find the WCC earlier than I did, so they can benefit from timely, relevant learning support long before challenges feel overwhelming. What began as an academic lifeline during a stalled dissertation has unfolded into a vocation defined by connection, collaboration, and lasting impact. I am deeply grateful to have grown alongside this remarkable centre and to contribute to its evolving legacy for the next generations of students. 

Dr. Maša Torbica is Manager of Undergraduate Student and Peer Tutor Programs for the Writing and Communication Centre. She first encountered the WCC as a student, and she was a peer tutor and a full-time staff member before becoming manager. 

By Clare Bermingham 

Over the last six years, the higher-education landscape has shifted drastically, creating opportunities and challenges for the Writing and Communications Centre (WCC) at the University of Waterloo in supporting students’ writing and communication skills.  

Post-ELPE changes 

Since about 2016, the WCC has begun delivering programs differently. We focus on a wider range of communication tasks and activities that students are asked to create in their courses, for example podcasts, slide-based presentations, infographics, and poster presentations. We identify real tasks and challenges experienced by undergraduate and graduate students and develop programs to meet those needs. This has led us to develop dissertation and thesis writing support programs for graduate students, academic presentation programs, changes to supports for multilingual students, writing groups for peer-to-peer connection and accountability, and in-class workshops. We also emphasize collaboration and work with units whose activities intersect with writing support in various ways: the Libraries, the Student Success Office, the Centre for Career Development, the Centre for Teaching Excellence, and the Academic Integrity office.  

The Pandemic and Virtual Programs 

A WCC strategic goal in 2018 articulated a need to create virtual or online supports that parallel in-person writing services to create more accessible options for students. The 2020 Covid pandemic rapidly accelerated the completion of this goal. In the pandemic context, we were able to access the tools and develop the frameworks necessary to translate workshops and programs into interactive virtual experiences. We had already begun offering virtual appointments, and all appointments were delivered in that mode during lockdown. Today, the majority of our appointments take place online since the convenience of online appointments makes them an attractive option for students.  

Enter GenAI 

The legacy of the pandemic, online learning, and less social interaction in learning environments impacted students’ help-seeking habits and tendencies after the pandemic. This led to fewer booked appointments and a preference for asynchronous feedback and support. Then, the explosion of GenAI created many challenges and questions for writing classes, writing assignments, and writing centres and again changed how and why students use the WCC. GenAI will continue to have more impacts on higher education and student support, and it’s a challenge we’re working to meet head on through student resources, guidance, and workshops.  

Writing isn’t going away. Even if GenAI becomes more prominent in the writing process in scholarly and professional contexts, the challenge will continue to be how writers develop their ideas and arguments, tell the story of their research, assess GenAI outputs and revise them appropriately, and assert their unique voices in a world of data and noise. Writing experts understand the important cognitive links between writing and thinking, and the thinking parts of academic work cannot be outsourced to machines.  

Today and Tomorrow 

Major financial challenges at the University of Waterloo have resulted in many reviews of how we do things and where we spend. As a result of one review, the WCC moved from the Academic portfolio to the Student Service Portfolio in January 2026 to align all student-facing and student-funded services. A forthcoming review of student services this year may lead to additional changes for the WCC as we look for opportunities to support students in more wholistic* and aligned ways.  

The WCC has been around – in one form or another – for 50 years. In our current messy world, building students’ communication skills is more important than ever and we’re committed to continuing this work for another 50 years or more. The times might be a-changin’ but the next generations of “writers and critics” at UWaterloo will find us here and ready to help. 

*The spelling of “wholistic” is used intentionally for representing this concept in discussions of teaching and learning. This spelling variant is more inclusive and preferred by Indigenous scholars.

Dr. Clare Bermingham has been the Director of the Writing and Communications Centre (formerly the English Language Proficiency Program’s Writing Centre) since 2014.  She provides strategic leadership for the Centre’s programming, pedagogy, and other activities. 

By Janne Janke

Little did I know in September 1969 when I started at the University of Waterloo, after a first year at Western, that I was beginning a lifelong relationship with this institution. My decision to pursue a degree with a double major in French and German Languages and Literature was a stepping stone and, most importantly, offered me a sense of community academically, professionally, and socially. 

My journey at Waterloo began in my second year.  The classes, much smaller than those at Western, made me feel at home and comfortable with my professors, who were accessible and approachable. (In London, I had had more contact with teaching assistants than with professors.) I soon developed enduring friendships with like-minded individuals.  Indeed, Judi Jewinski (WATtimes editor) took French 350 with me in 1970, and our paths have crossed many times over the years.  

BA in hand, I became the “secretary” for the Germanic and Slavic Department in 1972.  Having been interviewed in German, I assumed my job would be as the German secretary, only to discover that I was hired as the Russian secretary! I had NO knowledge of Russian, so I studied the language my first year on the job, somehow stumbling my way through transcribing Cyrillic on an English keyboard. Then, suddenly, I was offered the position in German when a Russian grad student joined the staff. Much to my relief, I was finally working in my academic area of interest and using German every day.  It was a very collegial department—I have fond memories of regular Tuesday night volleyball games, with faculty, students, and staff all participating.  

After a two-year stint in Germanic and Slavic Studies, I enrolled in a Master’s program in French in 1974 and worked as a TA. And I discovered I love teaching! After completing one year of the two-year program, I found work in the Classics and Romance Languages Department from 1975 to 1977. My language skills once again made the difference: I was not just Department secretary but a part-time Research Assistant with Ray Dugan and Pierre Dubé, who were compiling a computer concordance of Flaubert’s novels, an innovative project at the time. I became a marker for French Civilization and Culture (a “correspondence” course as we called it then) and assisted in the language lab as well. Faculty members became friends and colleagues, not just former professors. I have wonderful memories of those years, of both the work-related projects and the social gatherings.  

In 1977, still happily working in the French division of the department, I noticed an ad in the Gazette for part-time tutors for the recently established English Language Proficiency Program. I decided to apply. In addition to a CV, we were asked to make extensive comments on a piece of undergraduate writing. I stayed up all night to making sure my marking was accurate and fair. Then, I was interviewed and, despite some initial reservations from the hiring committee (I was quite obviously pregnant), I was offered a job as an ESL tutor in the Writing Clinic. My life changed: I had found my niche! It was a very collaborative experience, with tutors exchanging ideas during the weekly Friday afternoon meetings, which often ended in the Grad House. (Judi Jewinski and Ron Champion were hired that same year, and they have remained part of my university life ever since.) 

From my early days as an undergrad ESL tutor to my final position as Coordinator/Writing Specialist of the Grad Writing Centre, I met wonderful students from all over the world. One undergrad, Cecilia from Taiwan, had an unusual double major in Math and Fine Arts. Even after passing the proficiency exam (ELPE), she remained my student for five years. Then, before returning home, she gave me a watercolour inspired by the topic of her first ELPE: “Inside every cloud, there is a silver lining.” It still hangs on my wall. Many grad students introduced me to the cuisine of their country. I enjoyed a delicious Persian dinner at the home of Majid and Kobra, a married couple working on their PhDs in Engineering. Wenfu, a Chinese PhD student studying transportation, would invite me to his home whenever his father-in-law visited—I was treated to the best dumplings ever. Unforgettable memories! 

Although all my positions were part time, I cobbled them together to keep me busy working around the clock. My tutoring of students from various faculties and departments allowed me to spread my wings.  Soon I was part of pitching the idea of a satellite undergrad Writing Centre for the Math faculty. This connection led to marking math co-op work reports. Eventually, I was coordinating the marking team and collaborating with Ron Champion on revising the existing Guidelines.  

Then, in 2005, after 38 years with the English Language Proficiency Program, I was offered a full-time position as Coordinator/Writing Specialist of the Grad Writing Centre. I approached Columbia Lake Village about creating space for grad students there. I suggested the same to the Architecture Department in Cambridge so that no one had to commute to main campus. We expanded not just our physical footprint but also our services, eventually helping grads with oral presentations and preparing them to defend their theses. As our services grew, so did my enthusiasm. 

One final side career complemented my university work: from 1982 to 2010, I worked as an independent travel agent. I arranged flights for the Mannheim German Student Exchange and for the French Department’s year abroad in Nantes. I also arranged annual trips (flights, accommodation, tours) to Costa Rica for Geography students at WLU. As a result, faculty and staff at both places contacted me to set up personal and professional travel. I travelled vicariously with everyone. 

UW has been at the centre of my life for 57 years, and the WC, celebrating its 50th  anniversary in 2026, was my anchor for 49 of them. Waterloo has always provided me with a sense of community and purpose.  As an 18-year-old student in 1969 and throughout my roles on campus, I benefitted enormously from my relationship with the University. And now, as an active member of the UWRA, the connection continues.    

Although happily retired from the Writing and Communications Centre, Janne Janke misses her students and colleagues. She enjoys spending her retirement travelling the world and trying to keep fit through aquafit, walking, and swimming.