Over the years, we’ve found some persistent myths that arise about the Writing & Media Lab Consultants and the WML itself.  Call them Urban Legends, if you will.  Maybe it’s because the WML is both a writing center and a multimedia lab that contributes to these myths.  Who ever heard of a writing center that helps with video projects or a multimedia lab where you can get a fellow student to help you read over your paper?

I’m here today to get at the TRUTH, that amorphous, hard-to-find quality that must be here somewhere.  Let’s find out the truth about the Writing & Media Lab.

Myth 1: The Writing & Media Lab Consultants are ALL English Majors.

FALSE. While the WML does have some English majors on the payroll, we actively try to recruit students from all different academic majors on campus.  Writing & Media Lab Consultants currently represent departments including: English, History, Communication Studies, Business & Accounting, and Earth & Environmental Sciences.  We help students from all over campus with their writing, and so we need Consultants from all over campus.  The academic diversity of our staff is one of the strengths of the Writing & Media Lab.  Sometimes, you need someone familiar with the standards of writing in the sciences or writing for a business audience to help with a project.

Myth 2: The WML Consultants are ALL Computer Experts.

FALSE. Each of our Consultants started their work in the Writing & Media Lab with different levels of comfort and expertise with multimedia technology.  Over their years at Furman, the Consultants continue to learn about new technology and increase their comfort level.  There are some core skills we ask every Consultant to learn (video editing is the most obvious), but the diversity of the consultants means that each individual brings unique abilities to the job.  What the Consultants all have in common is a willingness to try new things and a desire to learn as much as they can.  We actually provide the consultants with many resources to improve their technology skills–many of those resources were written and developed by past Writing & Media Lab Consultants as they learned and taught themselves something new!

Myth 3: The Writing & Media Lab Consultants Don’t Get Paid.

FALSE. I’m not sure where this one has come from, but a common question students ask is if the Consultants are paid for the work they do.  The answer is yes–the Writing & Media Lab pays our Consultants.  We briefly considered indentured servitude, but we felt that morale would suffer.  Also, the Consultants work hard, and hard work deserves compensation, right?  Working in the WML is a job, and the Consultants take a great deal of pride in the work that they do.  However, we try to always remember that our Consultants are also Furman students, and that they have all the same responsibilities as any other Furman student in addition to their work as Writing & Media Lab Consultants.

Are you a current Furman student interested in working for the Writing & Media Lab, or do you know someone who you think would be great at helping their fellow students?  You can apply to work for the Writing & Media Lab!