Six ways to minimize risk with campus visit programs and eight action steps for risk management in admissions

Part two of a two-part series

Read part one on recruitment materials and social media

In my first post on risk management in admissions, I examined recruitment materials, social media, and other technologies. Now, once you have made a connection with students through the mail or online, how do you manage risk when they arrive on campus for a visit?

The following six areas represent the biggest challenges for the success and safety of campus tours. By assessing and strenthening these six items, you can make campus visits more informative, enjoyable, and safe:

1. Campus tour guide training

Campus tour guides are not expected to be experts, but they need to be able to answer common questions on campus programs and services, know how to refer questions they cannot answer, and tackle any questions about campus safety with honesty and without hesitation. Make sure that your campus tour guides receive extensive and continuous training on campus programs, services, and safety procedures. Also have a system where guides can provide feedback on questions, visitor experiences, and other areas that would help with future training.

Regarding questions on safety or negative feedback, remember that campuses are like any microcosm of our society. Sometimes horrible incidents happen, and visitors have a right to be made aware of the risks. Prospective students need to be aware of services, policies, and procedures the institution has in place to combat those challenges, but also the realities that exist.

2. The tour experience for families of students

Campus tours are not just for students. Prospective students today bring their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and younger siblings, all requiring special care and attention. This means tour routes need to be monitored for risks to elderly, young, and disabled visitors, such as cracks in sidewalks.

During a campus focus group discussion I conducted with tour guides, they were asked what would make their jobs easier. One student responded the campus had two sidewalks where people often tripped. While no major incidents had occurred, no one had reported to maintenance this issue, nor was any procedure in place for the tour guide to report issues such as sidewalk cracks, broken locks on doors, or other potential hazards.

Another campus had the tour walk along the perimeter of the campus road because the sidewalk was blocked due to construction. When the tour guide was asked why they took that route, they said it was the fastest (and least safe) route to view a building on the required “must sees” on the tour list. No staff member from the admissions team had taken the tour recently to monitor the route or identify a new path—a step that would have immediately illuminated the potential hazards.

3. Keeping tour groups together

Keeping tour groups together with their campus guides is a key to keeping tours safe. Be aware of potential opportunities for groups to be separated from guides. For example, many residence halls have small elevators that need to be taken to access show rooms. In an attempt to be kind to guests and not make them wait, a tour guide may put as many people into the elevator as possible while the guide runs up the stairs. Sometimes the tour arrives before the guide, leaving visitors access to a private residence hall floor with no supervision.

Other times families will ask to leave a tour midway. Tour guides need to be supported by policies that protect the campus and the visitors, and campus visitors should be told that they are expected to participate in the entire tour when they sign up.

4. Liability for minors

In an effort to provide access to campus, some campuses provide bus services to bring larger groups of prospective students to campus. During peak recruitment times when the majority of the admissions team is off-campus recruiting, these buses arrive with only one or two campus personnel to greet and administer these programs. These students are often minors, and high schools usually require a waiver protecting the high school from liability; few colleges or universities ask for the same or include in their waiver an itinerary of activities. Some campus visit programs include free time for the prospective students to explore the campus, visit the bookstore, or hang out in the coffee shop leaving minor students unattended during their visit. Make sure that you keep minor students under supervision as much as possible and that you require a liability waiver for them to visit your campus.

5. Overnight visits

Overnight visit programs present the greatest risk among all campus visit activities. Activities might include attendance at a campus event or even having the tour guide drive the student, in their own car, off campus to see the town or visit local establishments. Sometimes tour guides are only expected to entertain the prospective student for a few hours in the early evening. Once on-campus activities wind down, prospective students are brought back to their host room, left by the tour guide as the guide goes out for the evening. The prospective student (again, often a minor) is left on his or her own to explore the campus. Some smaller campuses have turned to their resident assistants to serve as hosts, allowing prospective students to tag along on rounds. While well-intentioned, this also presents opportunities for these students to witness disruptive incidents and is fraught with risk.

6. Locations for prospective student interviews 

Finally, campuses should consider where they hold interviews and places where students meet with prospective faculty. Faculty and staff should meet with students in public places, conference rooms, or offices with the doors open. On one campus, a very sincere faculty member brought a student to a very small office, in the corner of a building, filled with books and boxes and a small path to gain access to the one chair for visitors giving a very secluded and trapped feeling to the prospective student.

Recommendations: Eight action steps campuses should consider to reduce risk throughout the admissions process

Now that we have looked at risks related to publications and e-communications in my previous post and risks related to campus visits in this one, here are eight steps that can help you not only minimize risk in your admissions process, but also provide a better experience for prospective students:

1. Take a tour of campus with an actual group. Watch what doors tour guides use, look for sidewalk cracks, examine residence hall tour room locations, and listen to the promises made during the tour by the tour guide.
2. Many campuses are making curricular changes and enhancements. The admissions teams need to be aware of those changes and when they will likely occur. When significant changes are made to any aspect of the academic or social experience, a communication should be made first to the admissions team and second to prospective and accepted students informing them of the upcoming change. This can be used as an excellent marketing tool highlighting the institutions commitment to providing educational excellence and a commitment to continual quality improvements.
3. Enact and publicize policies restricting the use of personal e-mail, social media, or other personal communications tools with prospective students. Remember most of these prospective students are minors and they are asking all kinds of questions—some not necessarily appropriate—putting the admissions counselors in awkward situations or possible risk. Better to have an e-trail or assurance they are using campus supplied equipment than not.
4. Require prospective minor students to complete a brief medical and consent form and have it signed by their parents before allowing any day or overnight campus visits where a parent is not present.
5. Many campuses are open and make it impossible to monitor who walks on their grounds, but the admissions front-desk staff can serve as a good clearinghouse to visits. Front-desk and welcome staff need to be trained on what to do when suspicious visitors appear or when they receive unusual phone calls.
6. Create ongoing, not annual, training programs for campus tour guides and other key admission and recruiting personnel.
7. Require annual training sessions for faculty or other key recruitment staff (such as those in athletics or residence life) who play a larger role in the recruitment process. Review risks, procedures, policies, and the importance of their roles.
8. Determine how you will handle and possibly remove prospective students (and their families and guests) if they do not comply with campus policies while on a tour.

The goal with risk management is not to make campuses paranoid or overly cautious. Recruitment materials, technology, and campus visits are crucial to the enrollment process, and at every stage, you want to make students feel welcome and wanted. However, good intentions do not excuse oversights, lax supervision, or potential dangers. Regular risk assessment can help you identify potential issues well before prospective students encounter them, and ultimately make connecting with your campus a more pleasant, positive, and rewarding experience.

If you have any questions about managing risks in your admissions efforts, please leave a comment below or e-mail me.