Mrs. Pinson's Writing Passion

Mrs. Pinson is a passionate English teacher who cares a lot about her students and helping them become great writers. On Tuesday we sat down and spoke with the 20 plus year experienced professor. Arah Pinson is no stranger to me, in fact I was her student twice my sophomore year. She was one of the best professors I got to experience here at SC State.

Pinson opened up to us about the writing center. Mrs. Pinson works in the English department and is the coordinator for the writing center. For those of you that don't have a clue about the writing center, I'll school you. I won't mention too much about it; since Pinson let us in on all of the details we needed to know. The writing center is used for students to improve their writing. Other students are to tutor the students that come in and ask for help. However, Mrs. Pinson made it clear that they are not a "fix it" program. Students are to see what they need to improve on their paper. A few students, Mr. Harwood, and I asked Arah Pinson more details about the writing center.

Q: What are your thoughts about how the writing center is regarded and how well known it is around campus?

A: You know, I always thought that everyone knew where the writing center was and what the writing center is for. But I have come to realize after talking to a lot of students, a lot of people don't know that the writing center is here or that there are tutors here. So it's not widely known. I've been a writing coordinator since August. So one of the things I want to do is to start a new initiative. To get students to come to the writing center for help with their papers. We have training classes where the tutors sit down for a whole semester and they train and they work with other tutors. When we get a tutor to work in the writing lab is someone who knows what they're doing. We want students to come. We need students to come. They're paying for it and not only that it can help in so many ways. When you come to the writing lab you get one on one assistance. No they're not teachers, but they're proficient at writing.

Q: How do you know that the students are good for being tutors?

A: Well first of all, there are some criteria that they have to meet. Students who are tutors have to have an A or B average in English 150 and 151. And they have to pass the English proficiency exam. We normally get recommendations from English teachers, but if it's a teacher who feels like he or she has an excellent writer then we are more than glad to talk with that student. I would interview the student and ask why he or she would want to be in the writing lab. Not everybody who qualifies would. necessarily make a good tutor either. Some people are people friendly and some people who come here just because they need a job.

Q: Is this a work study?

A: They have to qualify for work-study in order to get the job.


 Q: You mentioned that the students here are paying for the writing center. Is it apart of the tuition?

A: Yes. It comes out of the student service fees. They are apart of what they pay for.

Q: What does the writing center offer?

A: We have two sections of the writing lab.  Students can come in and do anything they want to on the writing lab computers within reason. We're hoping that this room can be converted into just a tutoring lab. So they can come and get help on their papers. Students who work with organization are making sure that students have a good thesis statement and strong topic sentences. We start wherever they are in the writing process and help them with that. They are not going to correct the papers. Thats not what we do, we don't edit. We want to paint the walls and have a mural on the wall.

Q: Do you think this location is good?

A: Ideale no. It should be in the center of the campus. It's located on the far end of the campus. It's on the third floor. If it was on the first floor most people would attest past by it in some point in time. If students don't have a reason to come up here then a lot of times they don't know we exist. It's better upstairs than downstairs. It's better than being in the basement.

Q: What's your passion as far as writing in general?

A: My passion is our students, I want our students to succeed. And whatever it takes for them to be successful writes thats what we need to do.

Q: You mentioned that you're thinking abut painting the walls. What colors do you have in mind?

A: That's the golden question. The colors the are relaxing for students are your blues and greens. Those are the ones that make people feel comfortable. The colors that stimulate energy are reds and yellows. So we haven't decided yet, I actually wanted to get input. It depends on what theme we come up with.

Q: Five things people should know about the writing center

A: Were here hello! Were available to assist with others. We have been doing a lot workshops. We are not a fix it shops. Were not going to fix a paper. We work with the writer not the paper. Our tutors will not try to guess what grades they might get on a paper. Their jobs are not substitute teachers. You leave with a lesson.

Dripped in Fashion at Homecoming!

Homecoming is the time where everybody gets together and have great energy. It's the time when alumnus come back to their old stomping grounds. It also gives people like me a reason to dress fashionable. I enjoy putting outfits together to attend class. However on Wednesdays is when us students play no games. You're probably wondering what's so special about Wednesdays. Chicken is what is so special about Wednesday. Funny right, students get all dressed up just to eat some fried chicken in the cafe.

This homecoming was special for me since my best friend came and visited. The homecoming concert had some enjoyable moments. Gunna was the headliner of SC State's homecoming concert line up. He had on all black with black designer shoes. There were trends such as; denim, vans sneakers, and sunglasses at the concert. Dresses, two piece sets, and jumpers grabbed my attention in the crowd.

Overall some students had unique styles and put together nice looking pieces. The reunion party took place the same day as the tailgate and football game. People at the reunion were dressed their best. Ladies wore dresses and two piece sets. Two piece sets are when the top and the bottoms are matching and it comes together. Sometimes that can be a skirt and a top, a top and pants, or even a top with shorts.

However, dresses were the main thing being worn by the ladies. The men had their suits on with dress shoes. There was an event the first Sunday to start off homecoming. It was a soiree event and students were told to dress their best. And every one looked stylish. Students cleaned up very well for the event and everyone looked amazing.

The Very First President of SCSU

Thomas E. Miller was the very first president of South Carolina State University. He died the same year that the building was named after him. Miller Hall is the building that he was named after. According to Avery Daniels it was built by students that went to the school. Thomas was a leader for the civil rights movement. Thomas was adopted by his mom who was a fair skinned women, which is light skinned African American. No one really knew what race Miller was, but he claimed to have Black in him. He was named after a slave master and born in Ferrebeeville, South Carolina.

Thomas Miller was born June 17, 1849 and died April 8, 1938. On his tombstone it has a quote that he said before his passing. Miller said, "I served God and all the people loving the white man not less, but the negro needed me the most." Thomas Miller believed that Blacks needed him the most. Maybe he feels as though he helped out the African Americans at the time. Him being a White man in the slavery times is good that he helped out African Americans. I am not aware of what all he did for the Black students at South Carolina State University, but it seems as though it was for the better. 

Some may not know this, but SCSU was known to be South Carolina State College. However, even before that it was called something different. It was known as Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina. Yes that is right, what we now know as South Carolina State University used to be known as something totally different. Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina is what the school was named since 1896 to 1954. 

Summer Summary

The three words I used to describe my summer were; memorable, fun, and work. I chose those words because that is exactly what my summer consisted of. It was fun, memorable, and I worked all summer at a clothing store. Although I worked I still had time to live my best life.



I went to Las Vegas this summer and I had a great time with my mom, best friend, and god mother. Since it was my 21st birthday in May I got to have as much fun as I wanted while being in Vegas. Me and my best friend Glenasia had tickets to go see a Michael Jackson tribute concert. The concert took place at one of the casinos in Vegas. Vegas had the hottest weather I ever encountered! When I say hot I mean extremely hot. The highest temperature while we were there was 114 degrees. I know right, that is just unreal compared to where I live. However, we made sure to stay hydrated. I had fun with my mom, boyfriend, grandfather, dog and my friends this summer. We did a lot of cool activities. My summer was memorable because I spent it with the people I love.



My dog's name is Jade and I had her ever since I was only 10 years old. She has watched me grow up. We have been together for 11 years now. She is my best friend and I know she would never turn her back on me. I didn't like work as much as everything else but it was still good to have money come in. My internship with Level up Magazine was also this summer. I was able to write a fashion article for the magazine's website.

Miller Hall In the Old Days

Miller Hall's dormitory is no longer being used on the SC State campus.

Miller Hall was named after the first president of SC State. Me and some other students sat down with the Archivist of the Whitaker library. Avery Daniels gave us some insight on what used to be a dorm for boys and girls before. Dr. Thomas E Miller was the president from 1896 to 1911. He had a foundation named after him called the Thomas Miller foundation. Mr. Daniels said that it is possible students have build Miller Hall. We went through some old year books as late as 1925. "The Wilkinson" is the name of the 1925 yearbook. In the 1939 yearbook I noticed pictures of students hanging out in the lobby. I was looking at a yearbook that showed pictures of the Miller Hall club for ladies. 

Miller Hall started off as a dormitory for males. Avery says it was a female dorm by the year 1996. The now abandoned dormitory has been closed for more than 10 years. When it was open, only juniors and seniors lived there. It was quite interesting to get a look at what used to be inside of Miller. It seems as if a lot of traffic was going on by the dorm. I say that because of where the building is located. Some would say that it is in the center of campus. The student center is located right across from the dorm. The plaza is right near it as well. Not many of my peers ever talk about the abandoned building that much. However, if they knew that it was a dorm they would probably be more interested. I must say visiting Avery Daniels to talk about Miller Hall made me want to know more about SC State in general.

What Miller Hall Looks Like Today (Journalism 360)

Miller Hall dormitory is now an abandoned building. The dormitory is now filled with empty rooms and silence. The wallpaper on the walls are ripped and peeled off. Nothing is up to date in what used to be a male dormitory.

Although it was a male dormitory, it also used to be a female dorm. It was a female dorm in 1996 according to Avery Daniels. SC State dorms are never guaranteed to be the gender it starts with. Some years they switch it up and some years they keep it the same. I stayed in Batiste Hall my freshman year, and it was only for girls. However, by the time I was a sophomore they made the dorm a male dorm. Miller Hall is one of those buildings on campus that just gets overlooked. It gets overlooked because it's not being used, it's kind of just there taking up space on campus.

No one knows exactly why Miller shut down in the first place. We tried to get the inside scoop on that when we talked to Mr. Daniels. Some say it could have been a fire inside. I don't know how accurate that is since the building is still there, and not damaged. In the class we got to get information from the archives located in the library Avery Daniels gave us a insight on what Miller Hall is about. Students are curious when it comes to the history of Miller Hall. The hallways now consist of mattresses, desks, and chairs. There are files in the dorm and it makes me wonder how long they have been there for. Maybe one day they will clean the dorm up and get it inspected and Miller Hall will be back in action at SC State!

Fashion and Music

There's never a time when I'm not worried about the latest fashion or the hottest music that is out. I want people to see my passion about the two on my blog. I know that not everyone is interested in the same music or the same fashions, but why not check out my reviews about it? It wouldn't hurt! My main focus will be on what trends I see on campus and the fashion pieces I find appealing. The music I will talk about is focused on Hip Hop and also R&B! Get ready because this will be interesting.