How are people introduced to Virginia Tech today? Join us as we take the tour for prospective students -- you just might learn something new.
Virginia Tech has nine colleges: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Natural Resources, Pamplin College of Business, College of Science, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
Stop #1: Burruss Hall The most recognizable building on campus, Burruss Hall was named for the university's first alumnus president, Julian Burruss, in honor of his 25th year as president. Among Burruss's many achievements was the successful push for the admission of female students. Home to undergrad admissions and administrative offices, it also holds Burruss Auditorium, which seats 3,003 for university ceremonies, concerts, and guest speakers.
Stop #2: McBryde Hall McBryde Hall, one of the largest academic buildings on campus, bears the name of former president John McLaren McBryde, who was known as the "father of VPI." McBryde coined the university's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve); and during his tenure, the first football team was formed, orange and maroon were introduced as the university's colors, and Tech got its nickname: the Hokies.
Stop #3: Alumni Mall and War Memorial The eight pylons on top of the War Memorial Chapel
stand for the eight ideals of Virginia Tech. On the
sides of the pylons are carved the 424 names of
Tech alumni who have died serving our country,
and on the cenotaph in the center are carved
the names of the seven who have been awarded
the Medal of Honor.
Torgersen Bridge, which connects Newman Library to Torgersen Hall, is one of the best places on campus to study. It also was one of the first places on campus to go totally wireless.
Stop #4: Newman Library Check out Newman Library, our main library on campus. It has more than 2.2 million volumes and an online card-catalog system. You can be at your computer in your residence hall room and look up the book you want, write down the call number, and then go to the library to borrow it.
Downtown, you'll find several places to eat that are unique to Blacksburg. You'll also find the historic Lyric Theatre, which has only one movie screen. The Lyric shows movies about a month after they're released but at a much cheaper price -- and Monday is free popcorn night.
Squires Student Center, one of our two student centers on campus, is home to several dining options; the Black Cultural Center; the Multicultural Center; and the student newspaper, radio, and television stations. You'll also find the Break Zone, an amusement area where you can bowl and play pool, and two movie theatres-one shows movies at a discount and the other features student productions. In addition to being a student center, Squires houses the Department of Music, including a recital salon where you can watch student and faculty performances.
Past Squires is downtown Blacksburg, which adjoins our campus. Although 39,000 people reside in Blacksburg, 27,000 of them are Virginia Tech students. The town's year-round, full-time population, then, is actually only about 12,000 residents, making this very much a small college town.
Stop #5: Owens Food Court Owens Food Court is one of many campus dining options, which range from gourmet to a la carte to chain food restaurants. You’re going to love our food—we’re consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for best dining and best vegetarian menu on a college campus.
Stop #6: Payne Hall Inside Payne Hall are the two types of residence hall rooms offered at Virginia Tech: traditional and suite. The suites include three rooms with two students to a room for a total of six students who share a common living room and bath area. The traditional rooms are probably what come to mind when you think of college life. Two students share a room, and each floor has several rooms and one common bathroom facility -- and most rooms are not air-conditioned. But not to worry, it's just not that hot here in the summer. By the last week of August, we're reaching a high of 85 degrees during the day and cooling down at night to 55. In the winter, we do get some snow, but we usually don't cancel school because of it. If Blacksburg Transit can still run, so does the university.
Stop #7: War Memorial Gym Inside the War Memorial Gym, you'll find a swimming pool, basketball and racketball courts, and gymnastics and weight rooms. Virginia Tech competes in 21 varsity sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The university also offers one of the most active intramural programs in the nation, serving more than 13,000 students annually, and 30 year-round club sports. War Memorial is where a lot of our recreational and intramural sports take place. Another gym on campus, McComas Hall, is a newer facility, with a more up-to-date weight room, hardwood basketball floors, and a lap swimming pool.
Stop #8: The Duck Pond and Drillfield
Across the street from the bottom end of the Drillfield is the Duck Pond, which was voted by students as the most romantic spot on campus. If you were to meet that special someone at the Duck Pond, you could then walk across the Drillfield to the War Memorial Chapel and make a reservation for your wedding.
A grassy stretch of land bordered by trees, the Drillfield divides the residential and academic sides of campus, serving as the centerpiece of Virginia Tech. Since 1894, the Drillfield has been the site of cadet maneuvers and sporting events and has seen anti-war demonstrations and displays of campus unity, including the spontaneous creation of the now-permanent April 16 Memorial. Thousands of students cross the Drillfield each day, whether they're rushing to class, playing frisbee, or just taking time to enjoy a beautiful day in Blacksburg.
This article is excerpted in part from the podcast written and narrated by former Hokie Ambassador Liz Wilson.
Talk about perspective
Virginia Tech's student tour guides know the university forward and backward -- literally. The nearly 200 Hokie Ambassadors who can be found guiding tours throughout the year, braving both the elements and sometimes recalcitrant guests, lead the tours from a unique perspective: by walking backward.
For the fall semester, 127 students are serving as tour guides. Each guide is required to give eight tours per semester, work two office hours, and go to one mandatory meeting each month. Tours usually last an hour, says Amy Widner, public relations coordinator for undergraduate admissions, and each guide puts in around 15 hours per semester. Only summer tour guides are compensated (at $8 per tour) -- the rest do it on a purely volunteer basis "just because they love the university," Widner says.
Backward approach to the university aside, part of the fun of the job is that although the guides are trained in their responsibilities and given an outline of what they need to cover, "you can never tell what they're actually going to say," Widner says -- the rest is up to them. Widner adds that the program is invaluable. "Prospective students are hearing about the university from their peers. That goes a lot further than anything we might tell them."
Hokie Ambassadors reveal quirky moments, stories, and near misses
by DENISE YOUNG
Concerned parents, Duck Pond invites, and Fed-Ex trucks are among the topics Hokie Ambassadors admit to facing while giving tours of the Virginia Tech campus to prospective students and their parents.
"We get tossed curved balls all the time as tour guides," says Hokie Ambassador President Zach Ellis. "Our tour guides adapt to any situation possible, though."
A personal touch
According to Ellis, Hokie Ambassadors try to personalize each tour with a couple of small stories. These range from unique facts about the university to personal memories about their experiences at Virginia Tech.
Courtney Smith, a sophomore Spanish major, has been involved with the Hokie Ambassadors since her freshman year. One of the stories Smith says she often shares with prospective students and their families is about Davidson Hall.
"[There's a rumor that] Davidson's façade is mirrored after the early 1900s periodic table, and professors would tell students, 'My office is in oxygen,' so students would have to stand outside and look for it."
Ellis, a junior mining and minerals engineering major, says he likes to talk about the chapel and weddings on campus.
"I always tell them about seeing the HokieBird dressed in his tuxedo taking pictures with the newlyweds and that he is a frequent visitor to the chapel for weddings. Most people usually laugh and are amazed that people make HokieBird a part of their special day."
Hokie Ambassador and junior civil engineering major Taylor Priest shares a more personal story. "Freshman year, my roommate and I did Denise Austin videos in our room. A lot of moms think that's funny."
Junior Zach Kennedy prefers to talk about the Duck Pond's status as the most romantic place on campus.
Handling the unexpected
But the university facts and personal stories the ambassadors share with prospective students don't always compare to the unplanned and surprising moments that can happen during tours.
Ellis admits that he's been giving tours of the Newman Hall model residence room when the fire alarm sounded. Another time, when showing the room to a group, a student asked if she could have a blender in her room. "Without missing a beat, her father spoke up and said, 'You do not need a blender here.' I had to laugh with the rest of the group at that one."
And Smith admits that she's seen a prospective student succumb to the Duck Pond's romantic allure. "At the end of one tour, I had a boy ask if he could walk me around the Duck Pond," recalls Smith, vice president of recruitment for the Hokie Ambassadors. Smith says she told him that he had to come to Virginia Tech if he wanted to ask her.
Dating is a common concern and focus of questions for parents as well. Smith remembers being asked by a parent, "Do people date on campus?"
Kennedy notes that questions about campus alcohol policy are most common from parents, whereas students tend to ask most about walking between classes, locations of dining halls, and life in the residence halls. Priest says she is frequently asked about intramural sports and how to acquire football tickets.
And to think that Hokie Ambassadors manage it all while walking backward. Smith admits that she often asks her tour group to warn her of unexpected objects in her path. "I almost tripped over a bike one time that was parked in the middle of the sidewalk."
She isn't alone in asking her tour group for warnings if she's about to walk into something; Priest also relies on her group. "I tell them if I hit something, they have to do the Hokey Pokey," Priest says. "I've actually run into a tree before."
And Kennedy once had an encounter with a parked vehicle. "I've never fallen, but I actually ran into a Fed-Ex truck once," he says, noting that for the most part, unexpected encounters aside, it's relatively easy to walk backwards.
Reflecting Ut Prosim
Hokie Ambassadors say the most rewarding aspect of their roles as guides to the university is helping high-school students make the big decision of where to attend college. Kennedy, a business information systems major who's been giving tours for two years, including summers, notes that he enjoys meeting new people and talking to prospective students.
"[It's a chance] to attract people to the school who wouldn't think about it otherwise," says Kennedy.
Priest -- whose decision to attend Virginia Tech was influenced by her own Hokie Ambassador tour guide as a high-school student -- says she enjoys sharing her experiences and getting to connect with kids on such an important decision.
"
Stop #1: Burruss Hall The most recognizable building on campus, Burruss Hall was named for the university's first alumnus president, Julian Burruss, in honor of his 25th year as president. Among Burruss's many achievements was the successful push for the admission of female students. Home to undergrad admissions and administrative offices, it also holds Burruss Auditorium, which seats 3,003 for university ceremonies, concerts, and guest speakers.
How are people introduced to Virginia Tech today? Join us as we take the tour for prospective students -- you just might learn something new.
Virginia Tech has nine colleges: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Natural Resources, Pamplin College of Business, College of Science, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
Stop #1: Burruss Hall The most recognizable building on campus, Burruss Hall was named for the university's first alumnus president, Julian Burruss, in honor of his 25th year as president. Among Burruss's many achievements was the successful push for the admission of female students. Home to undergrad admissions and administrative offices, it also holds Burruss Auditorium, which seats 3,003 for university ceremonies, concerts, and guest speakers.
Stop #2: McBryde Hall McBryde Hall, one of the largest academic buildings on campus, bears the name of former president John McLaren McBryde, who was known as the "father of VPI." McBryde coined the university's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve); and during his tenure, the first football team was formed, orange and maroon were introduced as the university's colors, and Tech got its nickname: the Hokies.
Stop #3: Alumni Mall and War Memorial The eight pylons on top of the War Memorial Chapel stand for the eight ideals of Virginia Tech. On the sides of the pylons are carved the 424 names of Tech alumni who have died serving our country, and on the cenotaph in the center are carved the names of the seven who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
Torgersen Bridge, which connects Newman Library to Torgersen Hall, is one of the best places on campus to study. It also was one of the first places on campus to go totally wireless.
Stop #4: Newman Library Check out Newman Library, our main library on campus. It has more than 2.2 million volumes and an online card-catalog system. You can be at your computer in your residence hall room and look up the book you want, write down the call number, and then go to the library to borrow it.
Downtown, you'll find several places to eat that are unique to Blacksburg. You'll also find the historic Lyric Theatre, which has only one movie screen. The Lyric shows movies about a month after they're released but at a much cheaper price -- and Monday is free popcorn night.
Squires Student Center, one of our two student centers on campus, is home to several dining options; the Black Cultural Center; the Multicultural Center; and the student newspaper, radio, and television stations. You'll also find the Break Zone, an amusement area where you can bowl and play pool, and two movie theatres-one shows movies at a discount and the other features student productions. In addition to being a student center, Squires houses the Department of Music, including a recital salon where you can watch student and faculty performances.
Past Squires is downtown Blacksburg, which adjoins our campus. Although 39,000 people reside in Blacksburg, 27,000 of them are Virginia Tech students. The town's year-round, full-time population, then, is actually only about 12,000 residents, making this very much a small college town.
Stop #5: Owens Food Court Owens Food Court is one of many campus dining options, which range from gourmet to a la carte to chain food restaurants. You’re going to love our food—we’re consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for best dining and best vegetarian menu on a college campus.
Stop #6: Payne Hall Inside Payne Hall are the two types of residence hall rooms offered at Virginia Tech: traditional and suite. The suites include three rooms with two students to a room for a total of six students who share a common living room and bath area. The traditional rooms are probably what come to mind when you think of college life. Two students share a room, and each floor has several rooms and one common bathroom facility -- and most rooms are not air-conditioned. But not to worry, it's just not that hot here in the summer. By the last week of August, we're reaching a high of 85 degrees during the day and cooling down at night to 55. In the winter, we do get some snow, but we usually don't cancel school because of it. If Blacksburg Transit can still run, so does the university.
Stop #7: War Memorial Gym Inside the War Memorial Gym, you'll find a swimming pool, basketball and racketball courts, and gymnastics and weight rooms. Virginia Tech competes in 21 varsity sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The university also offers one of the most active intramural programs in the nation, serving more than 13,000 students annually, and 30 year-round club sports. War Memorial is where a lot of our recreational and intramural sports take place. Another gym on campus, McComas Hall, is a newer facility, with a more up-to-date weight room, hardwood basketball floors, and a lap swimming pool.
Stop #8: The Duck Pond and Drillfield
Across the street from the bottom end of the Drillfield is the Duck Pond, which was voted by students as the most romantic spot on campus. If you were to meet that special someone at the Duck Pond, you could then walk across the Drillfield to the War Memorial Chapel and make a reservation for your wedding.
A grassy stretch of land bordered by trees, the Drillfield divides the residential and academic sides of campus, serving as the centerpiece of Virginia Tech. Since 1894, the Drillfield has been the site of cadet maneuvers and sporting events and has seen anti-war demonstrations and displays of campus unity, including the spontaneous creation of the now-permanent April 16 Memorial. Thousands of students cross the Drillfield each day, whether they're rushing to class, playing frisbee, or just taking time to enjoy a beautiful day in Blacksburg.
This article is excerpted in part from the podcast written and narrated by former Hokie Ambassador Liz Wilson.
Talk about perspective
Virginia Tech's student tour guides know the university forward and backward -- literally. The nearly 200 Hokie Ambassadors who can be found guiding tours throughout the year, braving both the elements and sometimes recalcitrant guests, lead the tours from a unique perspective: by walking backward.
For the fall semester, 127 students are serving as tour guides. Each guide is required to give eight tours per semester, work two office hours, and go to one mandatory meeting each month. Tours usually last an hour, says Amy Widner, public relations coordinator for undergraduate admissions, and each guide puts in around 15 hours per semester. Only summer tour guides are compensated (at $8 per tour) -- the rest do it on a purely volunteer basis "just because they love the university," Widner says.
Backward approach to the university aside, part of the fun of the job is that although the guides are trained in their responsibilities and given an outline of what they need to cover, "you can never tell what they're actually going to say," Widner says -- the rest is up to them. Widner adds that the program is invaluable. "Prospective students are hearing about the university from their peers. That goes a lot further than anything we might tell them."
Hokie Ambassadors reveal quirky moments, stories, and near misses
by DENISE YOUNG
Concerned parents, Duck Pond invites, and Fed-Ex trucks are among the topics Hokie Ambassadors admit to facing while giving tours of the Virginia Tech campus to prospective students and their parents.
"We get tossed curved balls all the time as tour guides," says Hokie Ambassador President Zach Ellis. "Our tour guides adapt to any situation possible, though."
A personal touch
According to Ellis, Hokie Ambassadors try to personalize each tour with a couple of small stories. These range from unique facts about the university to personal memories about their experiences at Virginia Tech.
Courtney Smith, a sophomore Spanish major, has been involved with the Hokie Ambassadors since her freshman year. One of the stories Smith says she often shares with prospective students and their families is about Davidson Hall.
"[There's a rumor that] Davidson's façade is mirrored after the early 1900s periodic table, and professors would tell students, 'My office is in oxygen,' so students would have to stand outside and look for it."
Ellis, a junior mining and minerals engineering major, says he likes to talk about the chapel and weddings on campus.
"I always tell them about seeing the HokieBird dressed in his tuxedo taking pictures with the newlyweds and that he is a frequent visitor to the chapel for weddings. Most people usually laugh and are amazed that people make HokieBird a part of their special day."
Hokie Ambassador and junior civil engineering major Taylor Priest shares a more personal story. "Freshman year, my roommate and I did Denise Austin videos in our room. A lot of moms think that's funny."
Junior Zach Kennedy prefers to talk about the Duck Pond's status as the most romantic place on campus.
Handling the unexpected
But the university facts and personal stories the ambassadors share with prospective students don't always compare to the unplanned and surprising moments that can happen during tours.
Ellis admits that he's been giving tours of the Newman Hall model residence room when the fire alarm sounded. Another time, when showing the room to a group, a student asked if she could have a blender in her room. "Without missing a beat, her father spoke up and said, 'You do not need a blender here.' I had to laugh with the rest of the group at that one."
And Smith admits that she's seen a prospective student succumb to the Duck Pond's romantic allure. "At the end of one tour, I had a boy ask if he could walk me around the Duck Pond," recalls Smith, vice president of recruitment for the Hokie Ambassadors. Smith says she told him that he had to come to Virginia Tech if he wanted to ask her.
Dating is a common concern and focus of questions for parents as well. Smith remembers being asked by a parent, "Do people date on campus?"
Kennedy notes that questions about campus alcohol policy are most common from parents, whereas students tend to ask most about walking between classes, locations of dining halls, and life in the residence halls. Priest says she is frequently asked about intramural sports and how to acquire football tickets.
And to think that Hokie Ambassadors manage it all while walking backward. Smith admits that she often asks her tour group to warn her of unexpected objects in her path. "I almost tripped over a bike one time that was parked in the middle of the sidewalk."
She isn't alone in asking her tour group for warnings if she's about to walk into something; Priest also relies on her group. "I tell them if I hit something, they have to do the Hokey Pokey," Priest says. "I've actually run into a tree before."
And Kennedy once had an encounter with a parked vehicle. "I've never fallen, but I actually ran into a Fed-Ex truck once," he says, noting that for the most part, unexpected encounters aside, it's relatively easy to walk backwards.
Reflecting Ut Prosim
Hokie Ambassadors say the most rewarding aspect of their roles as guides to the university is helping high-school students make the big decision of where to attend college. Kennedy, a business information systems major who's been giving tours for two years, including summers, notes that he enjoys meeting new people and talking to prospective students. "[It's a chance] to attract people to the school who wouldn't think about it otherwise," says Kennedy.
Priest -- whose decision to attend Virginia Tech was influenced by her own Hokie Ambassador tour guide as a high-school student -- says she enjoys sharing her experiences and getting to connect with kids on such an important decision.
"Being able to show my Hokie pride and to share how much the school has meant to me is really cool," says Priest.
"This organization is one of the best symbols of Ut Prosim," Ellis reflects. "It is my way of giving back to the school that has given so much to me."
