College-level writing...what "level"?

In my previous journal, I cited passages from Sullivan and Tinberg's What Is "College-Level" Writing? which describe the many methods of teaching college level writing, including the First Year Writing Experience, group workshop and the Rhetoric program. Each method prepares the student for a different area of collegiate writing and the methods can (and should) be combined and interchanged for diverse writing.

However, not everyone is of the same opinion. Peter Elbow, emeritus professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, wrote "What is Real College Writing? Let the Disagreement Never End" as an argument against Sullivan and Tinberg's methods. Elbow argues that if there is a "college-level" which students must attain, than how does one determine what this level is? And with such a diversity in students' academic strengths, should there be one level for all students?

Elbow writes, "I'm troubled at a decision to investigate what goes on or what ought to go on in first-year composition without looking at all the rest of the writing that the students will have to do in their continuing college courses...But I had a larger and more complicated frustration. That little word "level" in the title was a signal that I missed at first. Bur it preoccupied most of the writers and led them to assume that their job was to figure our levels or standards. In other words, the impulse that informs both volumes is mostly normative. They investigate not so much what college writing is but what it should be." (Elbow, 154)

Unfortunately, Elbow doesn't specifically state what he means by "preoccupation". If I understand his definition, however, I'd say this is less of a preoccupation and more of a concern that these students are receiving the preparation they need for higher levels of learning, not to mention the skills that a prospective career may demand from them in the future. 

Elbow states four main objections to this standard of college-level writing: "refuseniks" (kids or adults who don't like to follow instruction); those who don't meet the standard because they don't like the standard set for them; those who prefer an inferior style of writing; and those who are academically slow. These kinds of people drop out of an academic setting, Elbow writes, because they can't reach the level set for college students.

So, what Elbow is stating is that if certain types of students are unable or unwilling to reach this academic level, than the level should no longer be an issue. Remove it, he argues. But if you remove the barrier which may be keeping some students from reaching the "college-level", you are also removing the challenge that enables not only these students, but all college students, to become excellent writers. 

Let's break down these four types of students:

"Refuseniks" and dislike of set standards: Elbow refers to their unwillingness to prescribe to the standards of college-level writing as a dislike of obedience, but the name he gives them pretty much summarizes their attitude: they refuse to adhere to the academic responsibility they are held to. If such a student is allowed to slack on academics, any type of academia, how will this refusal to follow assignments change when they reach the corporate world? Chances are a boss is not going to exempt them from standards because they refuse to adhere to them.

Preference of inferior writing styles: Unfortunately, these writers are becoming more prolific. Just look at E.L. James and Fifty Shades of Grey. Because writers like James are producing the New York Times Bestsellers, we are looking at poorly written books which are influencing writers of the future. Writers are influenced by everything around them, and especially by what they read. They will strive to imitate the writing styles of their favorite writers. If these authors are writing books like FSOG, the bar is lowered. And slowly the level of writing produced by authors will be lowered as well.

The mentally-slow learner: It's tempting to lower the bar for mentally-challenged students. After all, aren't they trying twice as hard to complete the same task that another student can complete in one sitting? In the end, however, this lowering of the bar does nothing for the student. Setting these challenges before such a student is a mental challenge. It exercises the brain in such a way that an easy task could never do. This is the reason many colleges have a campus writing center with tutors to train students in the process of college level writing. It may take longer for students with these mental challenges to reach college-level writing, but once they reach the bar, their writing will blossom. This perseverance will carry them through university and into the professional world where they will be able to compete with their peers.  

When you look at the solutions to solve the challenges faced by college students, there is no reason to remove the level set for college students. In fact, it makes these standards of "college-level writing" all the more necessary for student success in and beyond university.