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Important policies

Late, no-show, and cancellation policies

All appointments are scheduled for 40 minutes. Students may make only one appointment per day and two appointments per week. Nicholson and Zoom appointments may be scheduled up to three weeks in advance; SWS.online appointments may be scheduled up to two weeks in advance. 

If you are more than 5 minutes late for a consultation in Nicholson 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.

We welcome same-day/last-minute appointments in Nicholson and Zoom! However, those visits must take place within an available appointment slot. Appointment slots are 40 minutes each, beginning at 9:00 am and with subsequent start times every 45 minutes until the last appointment slot of the day. Each empty appointment slot becomes unavailable at the 20-minute mark—so, for example, a writer who contacts the front desk at 9:20 am or later will be able to start working with an available consultant at 9:45. 

Sign-in list for walk-in visits in Appleby Hall

The sign-in list gives priority to writers who have not had a consultation that day, and/or have not already had two consultations that week.

If a writer has already completed one visit during that week, and they have another appointment reserved for later in the week, they will need to cancel that future appointment in order to have a walk-in consultation. (This policy is designed to ensure that as many writers as possible have the opportunity to complete the two visits per week for which they have priority.)

SWS communication with instructors

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 15 Nicholson and 9 Appleby.) If your instructors require verification, please direct them to our Resources for Instructors page.

Misrepresentation of identity

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.

UMN mandated reporting policies

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 ffice of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action's webpage about reporting misconduct.