The Writing Lab welcomes Dominican students writing in all disciplines and at all academic levels to seek support and assistance from our staff of professional and peer tutors. Our tutors will work with you at all stages of the writing process, so whether you are at the beginning and seeking to brainstorm and develop ideas, clarify a thesis or plan your tentative outline; at the end and working on a final draft, or somewhere in between, you are welcome at the Writing Lab.  To find out more about how your interaction is likely to go when you visit a writing tutor with a draft, please visit our "The Writing Tutoring Process" page.

The Writing Lab provides tutoring by appointment, on a first come first served walk-in basis and through a more limited online service. We encourage you to request an appointment by e-mail ( pploegman@dom.edu), by phone (708-524-6682) or through a visit to Literacy and Learning Resources (Parmer 010).

The Writing Lab Staff

Peter Ploegman, Writing Lab Coordinator and Writing Tutor. Peter (pploegman@dom.edu) is a graduate of Trinity Christian College, and he received his Master's in Education at National-Louis University. He also teaches composition and tutors writing at Triton College’s English and Adult Education Departments, where he has worked since 2001.

Paul Simpson, Academic Enrichment Center Executive Director and Writing Tutor. Paul received his BA in English and Political Science from the University of Louisville and his MA in Political Science from the New School for Social Research. He has taught political theory, political science and first year writing courses at Marymount Manhattan College and Pace University.

Bob Greenwald, Professional Writing Tutor. Bob is a graduate of Dominican and received his Master's in English literature from Northeastern Illinois University.  He headed Dominican's Writing Lab from 2000-2010 and has worked as an adjunct English instructor since 2001.Bob also teaches English full time at Triton College.

Allison Kolman, Student Tutor. Allison graduated from Dominican's Rosary College of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's degree at Dominican's Brennan School of Business. Starting as an undergraduate, Allison has been a tutor in the Writing Lab since 2003.

Viatra Baker, Student Tutor.

Nicole Foley, Student Tutor.

Sue Lodgen, Volunteer Writing Tutor. Sue Lodgen received a B.A. in American History and Literature from Radcliffe College, an M.A. in English from Cornell University, and an MBA from Stanford University.  She taught English in university and in high school, became a financial analyst and manager in consumer food companies, and finally became a consultant and partner in training and development for consulting and professional services firms.  Sue is now retired.

Ilene Thornton, Volunteer Writing Tutor.   Ilene received her B.S. in English for Secondary Education from Bradley University and the University of Minnesota.  She is retired from social work, having received her Masters from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Writing Lab Hours  
Spring 2012

Online writing appointments:

To make an appointment:
In order to schedule an appointment with the online writing tutor (30 min. for 1-4 pages; 60 min. for 5-8 pages), stop by Literacy and Learning Resources and sign up in person or call 708-524-6682 to schedule an appointment. All Sunday evening appointments must be submitted by on the preceding Friday at 12 pm. Appointments will be confirmed through email.

How on-line appointments work:
Students must submit assignments one hour before the as an attachment via email to rgreen@dom.edu. Please submit your assignment or question(s) to the tutor at least one hour before your scheduled time to ensure that he receives the document before your scheduled appointment. To be clear: this is NOT an online chat forum. The time slot you have reserved will be time for the tutor to read, comment on your work and send the draft back to you with suggestions. At that point, you may send any follow-up questions you want to ask.