When Stephanie Perez gives campus tours to prospective students and their families, she gives them some hints to differentiate a sorority house from a fraternity house.
She says sororities usually have shutters, are usually white and the women are pretty. On the contrary, she says fraternities are usually made out of brick.
“Then I usually say ‘Guys, don’t take any offense to this, but they’re not as pretty,’” Perez said. “And the parents just bust out laughing.”
That’s one of her favorite lines to give as a tour guide at the University of Idaho. She said she has loved giving tours for the past two years.
“I completely love interacting with prospective students and their parents,” Perez said. “For me, it brings a lot of joy to try and get to them to the University of Idaho or even just not our campus specifically, but getting them to that next step, which is higher education.”
The Campus Visit office offers tours daily Monday through Friday and some Saturdays. Large tours are given at recruiting events like Envision Idaho and Sneak Peek. Danae Nagle is the assistant director for Campus Visits and said the goal at those events is recruitment. However, because UIdaho Bound is for students who are already admitted and will likely attend the university, Nagle said the goal of the tour guide differs.
“It’s making the family as well as the student feel OK with their decision that they chose the University of Idaho,” Nagle said. “We want them to leave feeling like all their questions were answered, but that they’re also comfortable with making the decision to be part of the Vandal family.”
Perez said often on a tour, she felt the parent was more interested than the student. She said she always asks at the beginning if the people are excited and always gets more positive responses from parents than from students.
“And I joke around with them like that, ‘I always get more, but that’s OK,’” Perez said. “That doesn’t make it hard on the students. They’re like, ‘I feel comfortable. This will be a good tour. I’ll get good information whether I’m interested or not.’”
Parents have caused grief for Perez before. She said some drilled her with questions before she could even start talking and some pushed their child too hard to come to UI. But more often, Perez said the parents brighten her experience. She remembered a time when one mother went out of her way to compliment Perez.
“She pulled me aside and said, ‘Stephanie, I have an older daughter. I have toured nine colleges total with this one today, and you are the best tour guide I’ve had. The best,’” Perez said.
That feedback brings Perez joy, and she said she will call her parents after a great tour to tell them about it.
“Mainly happiness is what I get from giving all these tours and from interacting with parents and students,” Perez said. “After that, my day has been made. Nothing can bring me down.”
Of the 22 guides on staff, Nagle said each has their own style, and some bring specific skills or background to their work. She said three guides can give tours in Spanish as well as English.
Perez is one of the bilingual guides, and said she gives about one Spanish tour per large event every semester.
“They ask me a lot more personal questions I think because one — they see that we speak the same language. Two — we’re the same color and three — we’ve both probably gone through some of the same hardships that they can relate to and it makes it easier for them to trust in the university in leaving their kid up here,” Perez said.
She said the most common questions during these tours regard financial aid, followed closely by questions about partying.
“Latino/Hispanic parents are very, very strict,” Perez said. “They always ask about partying. They always, always do.”
Perez said she wants to engage everyone that comes on her tours with high energy and jokes.
“I’m trying to talk to parent and student,” Perez said. “That’s what I’m looking for, not to just draw one in, but to draw both of them in through the tour.”
Jack Olson can be reached at [email protected]