By APRIL REYNOLDS

akr011@latech.edu

 

Weekly Web entries and hors d’oeuvres are simply two of the various methods the Office of Admissions hopes will remedy recruiting setbacks caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Chris Noland, senior admissions recruiter, said he and his team of four other recruiters have been trying to think of new ways to recruit students. Noland said due to Hurricane Katrina, some high school fairs were cancelled. The cancellations have put a damper on this year’s recruiting efforts, he said. 

“Since most of the Baton Rouge fairs have been cancelled, we’ve scheduled a special day in Baton Rouge,” Noland said. “It’s a way for us to get Tech’s name out.”

Missy Farrar, an admissions recruiter, said this event, which is called “Bulldogs in Baton Rouge,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Boudreaux’s Caterers, located at 2647 Government St., in Baton Rouge. She said it will be an evening of hors d’oeuvre, with approximately 500 students and their parents.

Farrar said the event is by invitation only and is for students who have shown interest in Tech.

“One parish fair has about 60 schools [in attendance], and when you miss that fair, you lose the opportunity to reach a lot of students,” Farrar said. “We just didn’t feel we got to reach enough students.”

Noland said the event is aimed to be a solution to this problem. He said it is an opportunity for interested students to ask questions about Tech and for recruiters to inform students on aspects such as academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. 

“We’re going to eat with them and talk to them about Tech,” Noland said.

He said another recruiting effort in the making is Web journals by Tech students. These blogs, which will appear on the admissions homepage, will have updated entries weekly and will serve as a more student-oriented view of college life at Tech for perspective students, Noland said.

“It is just a way for interested students to get a direct student perspective of life here at Tech,” Noland said.

Though new ideas are being pursued to recruit students, Noland said the recruiters are still doing what they typically do.

Farrar said the recruiters are still trying to focus on campus tours and campus visits. Farrar said she recommends students to visit for a more personalized glimpse into college life and simply for the opportunity to visit the campus.

“We encourage anyone we meet to come visit the campus,” Farrar said. “It’s kind of hard to figure out where you want to go if you’ve never been there.”

Jennifer Welch, vice-president of student recruiters and a junior early elementary education major, said campus tours do offer a personalized aspect of the college experience.

“[Student recruiters] are the first impression that any perspective college student gets of the campus,” she said.

Welch said student recruiters conduct campus tours as well as Time Out for Tech, which takes place on selected Saturdays and gives perspective students the same experience as a campus tour, along with the perk of attending a Tech sports game.

Welch said she has been a student recruiter for two years and believes student recruiters are great for perspective students.

Welch said, “We’re with them for about an hour, and we basically try to help them get in as much as possible while here.”