About the Center for Speaking, Writing, and the Image

Mission Statement

The Pomona College Center for Speaking, Writing, and the Image (CSWIM) offers free, one-on-one consultations to all students enrolled in Pomona College courses. Our mission is to provide an inclusive and collaborative space for students to talk about their written, oral, and visual projects and processes. We welcome all kinds of communicative projects, including academic, creative, professional, and personal, in all stages of development, from brainstorming to the final draft. 

The CSWIM is  located on the first floor of Smith Campus Center in Suite 148, across from the Living Room and down the hall from Edmunds Ballroom.

During the academic year, the CSWIM is open for appointments all week, in person and online. Students can make an appointment online by logging in to our scheduler and selecting a time slot with an available CSWIM Partner. We also offer drop-in hours with appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. Students can also stop by the Center for help booking an available time.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & The CSWIM

CSWIM AI Statement

The mission of the Center for Speaking, Writing, and the Image (CSWIM) is to provide an inclusive, collaborative, and nonevaluative space for students to develop their writing and thinking processes and practices in community. We value the thoughtful, slow, and, often, inefficient nature of the writing process — from outlining and brainstorming, to drafting and revising. Our aim is to partner with students as they develop their own thinking practices and processes. The CSWIM is, at its core, a relational space: it is built on the reciprocal, human exchange that defines peer-to-peer learning and that no AI tool can replicate or replace.

While we believe that using AI uncritically and without proper guidelines and restrictions may hinder a person’s ability to develop their own written voice and critical thinking abilities, we also affirm students’ right to determine their own writing processes. The guidelines below reflect our commitment to supporting students as critical thinkers while honoring the trust that makes the CSWIM an important space on campus.

• CSWIM Partners are not responsible for reporting student AI use or for enforcing professors’ AI policies.
• While disclosing AI use can lead to more productive consultations, CSWIM Partners are not required to ask about AI use during consultations.
• Students are encouraged to bring their professor’s AI policy to CSWIM consultations to discuss how and when AI use might be ethical and appropriate for an assignment.
• Should a student decide to disclose their use of AI, a CSWIM Partner might engage in a discussion about ethical AI use during the consultation.
• The CSWIM is a space of collaboration and trust. CSWIM Partners are neither AI-checkers, nor AI-humanizers and should not be asked to act as either.
• CSWIM Partners are happy to discuss proper citation practices, but it is not their job to make sure students properly disclose AI use.