Priya Sirohi, an Assistant Professor of Writing, has begun a new role as the Writing Center Director. Professor Sirohi joined Ithaca College in 2020 and took over the leadership of the Writing Center in fall 2021. With a background in Public Rhetoric, Cultural Rhetoric, and Composition as well as teaching at Purdue University, she is looking forward to implementing her experience as she announces some new changes at the Center. Professor Sirohi says it’s important that the student tutors who work in the Center contribute to this shift: “I want to make it a center that centralizes tutors and what they want to do with their training.”
She also reflects on how her identity connects to this position: “I’m very aware I am a woman of color and that is a very rare thing for a Writing Center Director to be. You almost never find the people in power that are a part of a minority community to be South Asian, so I am aware I am breaking down barriers. I want to centralize race, disability, all the -isms, into the center of our practice.”
Professor Sirohi describes the Center as a place to “help writers at all stages.” Rather than acting as an editing service, she says the tutors at the Center are there to “help process writing and act as a sounding board.”
One change to the Writing Center is the space itself. The tables have been separated to allow for those with disabilities to easily navigate their way to a table. In addition, there will be dividers along a table facing the wall for sessions that require more privacy. The entrance of the room is now two couches, a table with helpful documents, and a computer for walk-in clients to fill out a form or make an appointment. Guadalupe Fanelli ’24, a tutor, says of the rearranged room; “I think the space will make it a little easier on tutors. It’ll help make a more relaxed environment.”
Olivia Notaro ’22, a tutor and administrator, discussed one change, which she thought of and that will be implemented next semester. In the past, tutors visited classrooms at the beginning of the semester to raise awareness about the Center. Now, Notaro says,“we’re going to invite the class to us. That way they know where the Center is, get a feel of what it’s like in the Center, and know what we offer in the space.”
Notaro has worked at the Center for over two years. She says that “I was lucky enough to work under two directors that focused on antiracism and inclusion in the Writing Center,” and believes Professor Sirohi is extending the work of the previous director, Jaime Warbuton. This includes improving current resources the Center has for majors outside of writing and increasing awareness of the Center and what it offers to other disciplines. For example, Notaro says, the Center hopes to “branch out our workshops to be inclusive of other majors like STEM, business, and communication.”
Among her long-term goals for the Center are hosting an undergraduate conference for Writing Center studies and developing Ithaca College’s own online writing lab, similar to the famous “OWL at Purdue,” which Professor Sirohi contributed to as a graduate student.
As she transitions into this new role, Professor Sirohi thanks her predecessor, Professor Warburton: “Jaime is wonderful. She is so organized, and the benefit of what she has built—spreadsheets, documents—have been so useful. She’s really supportive and also very good in informing her process for things I haven’t thought of.”
In fall 2021, in addition to directing the Writing Center, Professor Sirohi taught Writing Center Pedagogy, Argument, Writing for the Workplace, and an Ithaca Seminar called Writing and Performance. Her website can be found here.
The Writing Center is located in Smiddy 107 and is open Sunday to Thursday 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Make an appointment at the Writing Center here.