Important Policies

If you are more than 5 minutes late for a consultation in 216PillsDr room 15 or Zoom, you risk losing your appointment to another student. If you cannot attend your appointment, please log in to mySWS. If you do not cancel, the appointment will be labeled a “no-show.” Multiple no-shows will affect your access to SWS services. 

The sign-in list gives priority to writers who have not had a consultation in Appleby that day.

Students may join the sign-in list remotely by visiting z.umn.edu/Applebywaitlist. If they are in 9 Appleby Hall when their name reaches the top of the list, their visit will take place in person. (If they are not in 9 Appleby Hall when their name reaches the top of the list, consultants will skip to the next person.)

At 2:05 pm, the sign-in list will stop accepting new names.

Student Writing Support will not verify or discuss your session with your instructors, nor will consultants provide signatures to verify a visit. If you would like to share information about your consultations with your instructor, you may want to complete our Student Reflection Form after your session (form is also available in 216PillsDr room 15 and Appleby room 9.) If your instructors require verification, please direct them to our SWS Resources for Instructors page.

Due to limited resources, Student Writing Support can only work with writers who are currently enrolled as students at the University of Minnesota. Consultants cannot work with a writer who accesses our services using another student’s U of MN internet ID, and students who attempt to do so may lose access to SWS services. Using another student’s identity, even with their permission, is a violation of Section VI of the Student Conduct Code (italics added):

Subd. 3. Falsification. Falsification means willfully providing University offices or officials with false, misleading, or incomplete information; forging or altering without proper authorization official University records or documents or conspiring with or inducing others to forge or alter without proper authorization University records or documents; misusing, altering, forging, falsifying, or transferring to another person University-issued identification; or intentionally making a false report of a bomb, fire, natural disaster, or other emergency to a University official or an emergency service agency.

Subd. 4. Refusal to Identify and Comply. Refusal to identify and comply means willfully refusing to or falsely identifying one’s self or willfully failing to comply with a proper order or summons when requested by an authorized University official, by law enforcement personnel, or by emergency medical staff responding to an emergency.

Subd. 13. Unauthorized Use of University Facilities or Services. Unauthorized use of University facilities or services means wrongfully using University properties or facilities; misusing, altering, or damaging fire-fighting equipment, safety devices, or other emergency equipment or interfering with the performance of those specifically charged to carry out emergency services; or acting to obtain fraudulently—through deceit, unauthorized procedures, bad checks, or misrepresentation—goods, quarters, services, or funds from University departments or student organizations or individuals acting on their behalf.

Student Writing Support is not a confidential resource. Like other UMN employees, SWS consultants are mandated reporters with respect to the UMN policy on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Relationship Violence (collectively called sexual misconduct). If employees learn about sexual misconduct in the course of an interaction with a writer, they are required to report it to the Title IX Office. For more details, visit the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action's Employee Reporting Requirement page.