UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 7, Page 8
October 17, 1991
Blue Hen Hosts are more than tour guides

     What do you do for fun around here?" "How's the food?" You
have CO-ED dorms?" "How's the football team?" "Are the dorms air-
conditioned?" "Did you say you have a BEACH?"
     These are just a few of the many questions campus tour guides,
officially called Blue Hen Hosts, field on a regular basis.
Wide-eyed high school juniors and seniors, accompanied by
interested parents, bombard guides with questions at Mach speeds."
     "It's a fun job. You get to meet so many different kinds of
people," Karen Donahue, a junior finance major, said.
     "It's great to actually have an influence on someone's future.
You get to sell the school you're so proud of," she added.
     Elizabeth Takacs, a senior economics major, echoed her
enthusiasm. "It's great when you see someone on campus that you
gave a tour to the year before, and they tell you that your tour
was the reason they decided to come here," she said.
     Tour guides play a crucial role in the recruitment of
potential students.
     "For many visitors, a tour guide is the initial contact they
have with the University. People see the University through the
eyes of their tour guide and form an impression," said Kay Wood,
service specialist in the admissions office.
     Tours are part of a larger program called Campus Visitation.
The program begins in Smith Hall with a brief video about the
University and a presentation given by an admissions counselor,
followed by a question-and-answer period. Visitors then form into
smaller groups and are assigned tour guides.
     Although there is no required route a guide must follow, the
"Blue Hen Host Handbook," which is distributed to all tour guides,
offers a sample route that most guides use.
     From a pointing starting at Smith Hall:

*    Explain facilities in Smith, Purnell, Ewing and
     Kirkbride halls.
*    Walk on Amstel Avenue and talk about West Campus, Amy
     E. du Pont Music Building and Public Safety; point out
     Kappa Alpha fraternity and speak about Greek life on
     campus.
*    Proceed through the overpass and talk about the
     shuttle bus system, Old College, Carpenter Sports
     Building, Laird Campus, South Campus, the ice arenas,
     Delaware Stadium and Delaware Field House.
*    Walk to the Mall and point out different departments,
     the Writing Center and the admissions and financial
     aid offices.
*    Go into the library and explain facilities.
*    Go to the student health center.
*    Take tour into the Perkins Student Center. Talk about
     the University Bookstore, dining halls, student
     organizations, ride board and the new sports lounge.
*    Proceed into a residence hall on East Campus. Try to
     find a student who will allow the tour to look at his
     or her room.

     (The tour is essentially over here, but most guides stay to
answer any additional questions visitors may have.)
     There are 68 tour guides this year. Students are interviewed
for the positions in spring semester for the following academic
year.
     Applicants are selected on the basis of personality, ability
to communicate well, enthusiasm and knowledge of the University
community.
     Once selected, guides may keep their positions until they
graduate without having to reapply.
     For information about becoming a campus tour guide, contact
the Visitors Center at 451-1557.
                                        - Denise Arroyo