At a time when instant messaging, handheld organizers, e-mail and text messaging rule the day, proper grammar is often left in the dust.

The trend toward informal writing has some people worried about the writing skills of college students.

"There is a certain expectation level when teaching college students, and if they don't meet those standards, they shouldn't be in the class, or maybe even college," said Brad Thompson, professor of communications. "In some ways, it would be like an engineering major not knowing algebra. At some point, someone would say, 'You're in over your head.' "

Some students feel unprepared for college-level writing because of a lack of grammar instruction.

"They just don't focus enough on it in high school," said Myken Yearick (freshman-environmental science). "Then it hurts you when you get to college because your professors assume that you are good with grammar, but it all really depends on where you went to school and what they taught you."

It's not only in high school that grammar skills are glossed over. Professors often lack the time to teach grammar rules on top of the content of their classes, said Jon Olsen, director of Penn State's Center for Excellence in Writing.

"People think we don't teach grammar at the university because we used to teach it as writing," Olsen said. "Now I think we are trying to focus on how people think through their writing."

Thompson also said he has to sacrifice grammar instruction in order to cover other course material.

"Grammar is certainly not the most important because the professor is trying to get across the content to a certain extent," Thompson said. "We don't have time to go over both composition and content."

Thompson said there are two schools of thought in teaching grammar. Those who adhere to the prescriptive school believe the hard-and-fast rules of grammar should always be followed. Those in the descriptive camp think grammar rules should be open to cultural changes. He said both schools of thought should be employed at the college level.

"Writing has to reflect a little of both. We have to go with the times, but also try to have some standards," Thompson said.

Recognizing that students' writing skills needed specific attention, the University Faculty Senate adopted the Writing Across the Curriculum Program in 1989.

The program requires students to complete multiple writing-intensive projects in a variety of disciplines, not just English courses.

Thompson, however, is not convinced this strategy has helped students. He said that by spreading the responsibility for teaching writing to every department, students do not get clear instruction from a single source.

The Center for Excellence in Writing, 219 Boucke Building, is a place where many students venture to work with tutors and receive the one-on-one attention that is sometimes needed when learning about grammar.

"I think we all worry about our grammar," Olsen said. "There are a greater percentage of students that come in the center as freshmen, but grad students also come in where they can meet with peer consultants."

The writing center also has locations in 206A Johnston Commons for undergraduates and in 111-L Kern Building for graduate students.