BMCC Writing Across the Curriculum Program Highlighted in Panels and Activities

On February 6, the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program presented WAC Day at 199 Chambers Street. Organized by Professors Christa Baiada, Holly Messitt and Rifat Salam—who serve as the college’s WAC co-coordinators—the day’s panels and discussions highlighted faculty and student experience in more than 200 Writing Intensive (WI) courses that span every major at BMCC.

After welcoming remarks by Dean of Faculty Jim Berg, a panel moderated by Writing Fellow Ryan McElhaney featured BMCC Teacher Education Professor Jennifer Longley; Media Arts and Technology Professor Tassos Rigopoulos; Human Services Professor Lisa Rose and English Professor Kelly Secovnie.

The panelists represented a wide range of experience integrating WAC pedagogy into their course content. They emphasized strategies ranging from low-stakes writing and peer reviews, to the use of portfolios—all designed to enhance learning through writing, and to guide students through the revision process.

After the instructor panel, a student panel moderated by Writing Fellow Phoebe Rumsey featured Melissa Andrade, Alexis Delapuente, Afroditi Milisi, Dakota Oliveira, Salwa Rageh, Damian Ruff, Ratna Salim, Calicia Stephenson and Sofia Wyszynski.

Whether they had only taken the one WI course required for graduation, or several WI courses, the student panelists agreed that the experience helped shift their expectations of college courses. Wyszynski said that her WI professors agreed that she was a good writer, but pushed her to express herself even better. Ruff commented on the habits of reflectiveness that he had gained through his WI classes, and Delapuente said the WI classes prepared him with an approach to take while preparing his transfer applications.

“It was such a pleasure to hear so many bright, engaged and successful students reflect the academic values that we, as professors, hope we are teaching,” said English Professor Adele Kudish. “The student panel showed that WAC works, and that all of our hard work is paying off, and that was really edifying.”

Guest speaker Sandra Jamieson, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum at Drew University, put the students’ experience in the context of the “threshold” concept—the idea that students need mastery of certain basic concepts before they can move forward in any given discipline.

In writing, she said, the threshold concept means understanding the value of reflection, revision and careful reading of multiple texts. She added that even if students have not yet crossed that “threshold” in their writing, WI classes help them be aware that it exists, and they may cross it when they are ready.

A Writing Wall outside of Student Affairs office invited WAC Day participants and passersby to share their thoughts about writing. Responses ranged from “A ton of frustration,” to “Writing means liberation!” to “Faith that words can change the world.”

For more information on the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program at BMCC, contact Holly Messitt, hmessitt@bmcc.cuny.edu, or Rifat Salam, rsalam@bmcc.cuny.edu.