Vandal Friday brings swarms of prospective students to campus. High school seniors, transfer students, exchange students, non-traditional students and parents buzz around campus trying to understand what the University of Idaho is all about.
The initial reaction, unfortunately, of many Vandals is to bemoan this twice-yearly occurrence as bothersome and an intrusion of campus space. These Vandals forget that once upon a time, they were most likely in the place of these students who are venturing into a strange, foreign environment for the first time.
As veteran Vandals, current UI students have a duty to be kind and welcoming to these visitors. Putting up with extra traffic on campus twice a year is not a lot to ask of current students. These fresh faces represent potential friends, club members, Greek brothers or sisters and classmates for the upcoming years. As a current UI student, you have the in-depth knowledge of the best classes, dorms, places to eat, things to do and can give those valuable tips that visiting students crave.
This role may seem insignificant, but a friendly face can sway a prospective student to join the ranks of UI. The behavior of current students contributes to a visiting student’s perspective of campus culture as a whole, which is a factor in every student’s college decision process.
So take a visiting student aside, share some wisdom and maybe even swap looks at that unfortunate Vandal Friday photo on your Vandal Card that follows you for the rest of college. With UI tuition increasing, being courteous to Vandal Friday visitors may be the selling point the university needs.
–AE