A crowded campus is a small price to pay for recruiting future Eagles

By ES HETHCOX

April is a stressful month for Mary Washington students, but this stress is not solely because of assignments or presentations. During the month of April the UMW Admissions Office welcomes large groups of individuals interested in Mary Washington to campus. Tour guides show these groups around residence halls, classrooms and popular campus scenes such as Ball Circle.

However, these large groups of enthusiastic visitors can bring stress to some students and abounding joy to others.

Khayla McGowan, a junior history major, loves when she sees large groups of visitors wandering around campus. “I love open house,” said McGowan. “I feel like it gives me the opportunity to connect to possible incoming freshmen and transfers… Sometimes I get stopped for questions and I feel like I am possibly recruiting a future Eagle and their family to join us in such a critical, yet fun, moment in their lives.”

However, McGowan does feel that some extra warning for current students would be helpful to those who do not share the same feelings she has regarding open houses.

“I think a few extra signs and posts on bulletin boards would help those not keen to using emails [to stay] informed,” said McGowan. “As an example, Hot Spot advertises on Twitter, but they also have signs posted throughout campus.”

Biology major, Ella Danso, is fine with the open houses and destination days, but she is frustrated with the amount of people she runs into on her way to classes and dining areas.

“The school doesn’t do a good job of warning us,” said Danso. “The places to eat and Campus Walk are always overpopulated.”

English major, Georgie Silva likes Destination days at UMW.

“I think the destination days are really good for showing people the campus and what it’s like during a regular day when people are out and about going to class,” said Silva. “But I also think they bring in a huge amount of people at once and it crowds places like the UC.”

Unlike a lot of students, Silva feels like the school gives her enough notice, so she can prepare for the cluttered campus.

“The university does a good job of warning us with emails [letting us know] how many people will be here,” continued Silva. “But I feel like bringing them at lunch, and such, creates a lot of chaos for both us and visitors.”

Psychology major, Kristina Haskins agreed that the warning emails from the university are helpful.

“I do think the school has done a good job letting us know about these busy days we’ve had,” said Haskins. “As a commuter student, it is important for me to know as well because it affects my commute in the morning.”

While students at Mary Washington may differ in opinion on the topic of open houses and destination days, they all know that these events are essential in the decision making process of future Eagles.

“We must keep an open mind and realize that we, too, were in that position at one point,” said McGowan. “And showing aversion to those days signals to potential students and families that we aren’t as welcoming as the next school could possibly seem.”