Preceptors Pick Expos Favorites

After several months of deliberation among the Expository Writing (Expos) faculty, 10 essays have been chosen as part of Expose, the department's annual magazine.

Expose, a collection of essays written by students in the program, represents the Expos faculty's choices of the year's best student work.

The ten essays were chosen from about 225 submissions, according to Kim Cooper, the editor of Expose.

"That's pretty much the usual number of submissions," Cooper said. "Its usually between 220 and 250, I would imagine."

After consultation with their preceptors, Expos students submit their essays for consideration by all preceptors.

Expos preceptors first read the initial submissions and 40 to 50 essays are passed on to the second round. Then the final decisions are made.

"Preceptors are divided into groups of three who submit essays to a second round of reading," Cooper said.

Cooper also said that participants are considered for three prizes--the Sosland Prize, Lawrence Lader Prize and the Richard Marius Prize--and winners go home with a cash award.

"Once we select the essays for expose, we then select some of those winners for monetary prizes," Cooper said.

According to Cooper, the preceptors attempt to select essays covering a broad range of topics.

The selections for this year's magazine were made in mid-June, and preceptors are now in the process of selecting the three top prizes.

Essays in Expose are used as material for Expos, a required course for all freshmen. The course teaches writing style and grammar and can be completed in either one or two semesters, based on a placement test.