The Ashland University Writing Center is expanding their services to become the Ashland Multiliteracy Center for Writing, Speaking and Digital Communication.

The transition from the Writing Center to the Ashland Multiliteracy Center for Writing, Speaking and Digital Communication has been in the works since September 2018, and was officially approved in October of 2019 with the opening scheduled for spring semester 2020.

This new service, called AMuLit for short, will now help with more than just writing. The coaches at The AMuLit Center can help with any form of written, visual, verbal, or digital forms of communication.

Megan Connor, director of the AMuLit Center, believes that this expansion provides the support students need to communicate effectively both in the classroom and in the workforce.

“It isn’t just the traditional written essays students are doing in the classes, but also to prepare them for the expectations once they enter the workforce,” Connor says. “We wanted to recognize that the nature of communication is multifaceted and most people are going to have to write, but it might also include visuals.”

Marquell Gorsuch, senior, has been a writing coach for two years and sees the new center as an opportunity for students to strengthen their communication skills.

“I am excited about the change because it will allow us to help people in a larger variety of areas,” Gorsuch says. “Due to the increase in media use and accessibility, especially with social media, the ability to speak well has become an even more valued thing in the professional world.”

Students are welcome to bring their finished projects, but they are also encouraged to brainstorm with the coaches to help find the strategy that will be the most effective.

Sophomore Tyler Cook finds that the expansion into the AMuLit Center will benefit him in all of his courses.

“It seems like all of my classes require a different method of presentations, whether that be a visual presentation or a written assignment,” Cook says. “I think that the expansion will help me in all of my classes, regardless of the subject, which is extremely helpful.”