On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, from 5:30-10:00 pm, the CLC Writing Center sponsored a Night against Procrastination—an evening devoted to offering space and support for students working on final writing projects. This is the 5thsemester that the CLC Writing Center has sponsored this event, and we have already set the dates for Fall 2018 and Spring 2019.
For the first time, our Night Against Procrastination had a theme—the Netflix show, Stranger Things. Two of our peer tutors, Jess Cole and Anna Brunette, came up with the idea on the way home from the Midwest Writing Centers Association (MWCA) conference in Omaha in early March. Jess, who has helped coordinate our write-ins since Spring 2017, attended a conference session focused specifically on putting on this type of event and came out with a notebook full of ideas including the need for a theme. This led to a 2-hour brainstorming session in the car.
This Stranger Things theme allowed us to do several things: create pun-filled promotional materials that included the phrase, “Stop Waffling Around,” buy fun Stranger Things-themed door prizes, and to, of course, serve Eggo waffles. The theme also allowed Jess to put her artistic talents to work decorating the multipurpose room with numerous nods to the series. Finally, we received additional door prize donations from several student clubs and campus departments: Fandom Club, Literary Arts Society, TRIO Student Support Services, and Succeed at CLC.
Night Against Procrastination – Spring 2018: By the Numbers
- 43 CLC Student Writers
- 8 Writing Tutors
- 80 Hours of Writing
- 4 Pots of Coffee Brewed
- 3 Jumbo Boxes of Waffles Consumed
- 71 Raffle Tickets Given Out
- 9 Door Prize Winners
- 1 Grand Prize Winner
Grand Prize Winner: Susana Leanos
Door Prize Winners: Kathia Garza, Oliver Gallego, Mercedes Alvarez, Jordan Horwitz, Abraham Lopez, Alejandra Guadarrama, Angel Vergara, Peter Anders, Ethan DeKeyser
History of Night Against Procrastination
The idea for this event started in Germany with the “Long Night Against Procrastination,” where universities often open up a space (all night) for writers working on end-of-semester papers/projects and provide food and coffee. In December 2014, a group of 27 colleges and universities—most from the U.S. but one from Shanghai and another from Abu Dhabi—took this idea and created the first National Write-In. By Spring 2015, the event had a new name, International Write-In, and a new hashtag, #IntlWriteIn. Swarthmore College’s Writing Center began promoting this event each fall—creating a Facebook Page and maintaining a running list of participants. In Fall 2017, over 100 schools participated including CLC.
For a list of schools and a nice photo montage, check out this link:
We did our first International Write-In in Spring 2016, but turnout was low—thanks to us being tucked away in a computer classroom in the T-Building. However, in Fall 2016, we were able to schedule our “night” in the Multipurpose Room on Student Street and attendance tripled and the event has been held there ever since. In Spring 2017, we changed the name of the event to the Night Against Procrastination, both because we thought it was catchy and made the purpose of the evening clearer to potential participants.
Looking Ahead to 2018-2019
We have already set the dates for the next academic year. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us:
Night Against Procrastination-Fall 2018:Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Night Against Procrastination-Spring 2018:Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Voices from the CLC Writing Center 