These are just a few of the hundreds of positive comments we received from students in the fall semester, and they are reinforced by the quantitative data we collected as well. I hope they make you proud of our current group of fellows. The hard work isn’t finished, but as we look hopefully toward a brighter and happier 2021, I want to thank each and every one of you for the role you played in creating and building the TRAC program and making possible the good work we are doing in these difficult times. I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and that you will stay in touch! Yours, Greg Skutches, Director Writing Across the Curriculum My vision of my next draft broadened with each question Ethan asked, no matter how trivial it was. And it really helped me to realize the flaws and potential of my ideas. It would be nice to greet you without the obligatory acknowledgement of what a strange and difficult year we all had in 2020, but there’s just no credible way of doing that. It was indeed a strange and difficult year, to say the very least, and it’s reasonable to assume that all of you have been touched in some way or other by the sadness, conflict, and confusion it has brought. I hope you have all endured in the very best way possible. The past year has tested Lehigh in profound ways and demanded that we in the TRAC program do our work remotely and under unprecedented circumstances. Firstyear students, for example, began their college careers with uncertainty on a lonely campus, and all students, faculty, and staff had to juggle new and unpredictable safety protocols, building restrictions and closures, and a bewildering amalgamation of in-person, remote, synchronous and asynchronous instruction. These challenges demanded that extra time and effort be devoted to all the work we do. They are, in fact, the reason why my contributions to this newsletter have held up its completion and delivery to you. I suspect that all of you encountered parallel challenges in your own personal and professional lives. In spite of everything, however, I’m proud to report that the TRAC program rose to the challenge. More than just that, 2020 brought out the best in us and solidified for the campus community the true value and collaborative spirit we bring to learning at Lehigh. As evidence, consider these samples of the written comments from the survey all students now receive after their TRAC conferences to provide immediate feedback to their fellows. A letter to TRAC alumni from the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum My TRAC fellow provided specific and useful feedback for each section of my paper. Her suggestions and advice helped me better understand how to drive my point home and shape my paper into a more professional report. January, 2021 Lily was incredibly helpful and understanding! She gave amazing comments and I know I will be able to effectively edit my rhetorical analysis. Emily was wonderful in helping me feel good about the work that I had completed and having a solid plan to move and improve. The TRAC (Technology, Research, and Communication) Writing Fellows are talented student writers who work as peer tutors in courses across the disciplines. Trained in a rigorous 4-credit seminar course, the fellows assist students with all phases of the writing process, consult with faculty on assignment design, and help with library and database research and the use of educational technologies. T E A C H I N G & L E A R N I N G TRAC is the most enriching program my son has been a part of at Lehigh." Lori Ann Canton Ballingall '23P
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