Month: October 2025

Hello, everyone! It’s officially spooky season, and the Writing Center will be one of the participating locations in the Millersville University Trick or Treat Trail! Stop by McNairy 106 on Friday, October 31st from 11:30 am-1:30 pm, among the many other participating locations around campus!

Other locations in the library include the Integrated Studies Office (LL104), the main library (201, 202, 204, 205, 206, 207, 804, LL103, LL114), the Circulation Desk, and the University College on the 5th floor!

Feel free to stop by, and have a great Halloween!!

~Devin

Factors of Mediated Messages:

• Instant messaging, emails, telephone etc.
• Internet friends w/o face-to-face
• Lost facial expressions, body language, tones
  • Lack of social/situational cues  
• Assumptions regarding emotions 
  • Emoticons, “emotion” words/phrases

Reasons For Misinterpretation:

• • Written words – not always get message across
    • Voice inflection/tone
    • Ex. Sarcasm 
  • Electronics cannot reproduce human faces 
    • Faces act as nonverbal cues 
  • Culture – individualistic vs. collectivist 
    • US vs. Asian countries 
  • Slang – older generations struggle 
    • Causes confusion
  • Etiquette – spelling/grammar errors
    • Depends on situation

Ways to Prevent Misinterpretation:

•  Familiar with habits 
  • Written text, response speed, implied tone
•  Acknowledge that you may not know everything
  • Language violations → culture?
•  Accurately explain behavior 
  • 1. Categorization – identify what is wrong
    • Errors
  • 2. Characterization – automatic assumptions about sender 
    • Not always entirely accurate
  • 3. Correction – correct yourself
    • Attribute info to situation
•  Maintain conscientiousness 
  • Global aspect of personality—use it!

That’s all for now! It’s important to take all of these factors into consideration when attempting to communicate a message via digital means! 🙂

~ Devin

Hello, all! It’s hard to believe that the end of this week already begins our 2025 Fall Break! I wanted to give you some things to think about over these few days so that you can come back strong 🙂

For some courses here at Millersville, essays replace typical midterm and final exams. The purpose of this format usually remains to encourage students to integrate class content in a manner more open to individual interpretation to demonstrate their understanding.

Here are some basic pointers to keep in mind when writing essays for your midterms:

• • Ensure that you understand the prompt so that you can incorporate everything being asked for into the paper
  • Outline key points and concepts that you want to highlight!
  • Develop a clear thesis statement that contains the main argument/topic to be addressed
  • Proofread your essay throughout the drafting process — we can often hear things that we don’t catch just by looking over your paper
    • • Awkward phrasing, repetition, etc.
  • Make edits throughout the writing process!
    • • `Adjust for clarity, accuracy, and efficiency
  • Don’t be afraid to visit the Writing Center to get another perspective on your paper! We read every paper out loud and are willing to help you with whatever you specifically want to look at 🙂

Hello, all! As today is now the first day of October, I wanted to remind everyone that midterms are quickly approaching! It’s crazy that we’re already almost halfway through the semester! Make sure to study up for your exams, and don’t put those essays off until the last minute! We are here for you at the Writing Center, so don’t be afraid to stop in! My last post includes our Fall 2025 hours, so be sure to check that out 🙂

Meet the Writing Center tutors here: https://www.millersville.edu/enwl/writing-center/tutors.php

Also, follow us on Instagram for updates: @mu.writingcenter

We hope to see you soon!!!