Red & White Student Organization - Tour Tips
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This document provides tips for student tour guides to prepare for and conduct campus tours for alumni. It recommends researching the alumni's background, interests, and schedule in advance. It also suggests learning about recent developments at Rensselaer in different departments. During the tour, guides should speak confidently while including all guests and allowing time for the alumni's stories. Suggested tour routes cover major academic buildings, highlighting research centers and features of different schools and departments. Accessible routes are also outlined.
Red & White Student Organization - Tour Tips
- 1. TOUR TRAINING TIPS PREPARATION – DAY BEFORE BASICS Know where tour begins and ends Find the path that you would want to take, based on information gathered on the alumni and where they want to go (see “about the alumni” section below) Will it be a shuttle vs. walking tour Dress code Length of time the tour will take (sometimes you may have to move the tour along to stay on-time for the next appointment) ABOUT THE ALUMNI Class year, area of study, where they are from, how often they’ve been back to campus, career now (company and what they do), areas of interest Find out what their itinerary is for the day so as to fill them in on what the departments are about or if they talk to you about a person they have met/will be meeting, you will know what they are talking about Based on this information, start thinking of questions to ask the alumni ABOUT RENSSELAER Find things that you have in common with the alumni to talk about Read up in the newest research in their perspective department May get info for tours from: Polytechnic and campus news Go to President Jackson’s webpage (under rpinfo) and look up the following: (1) State of the Institute Addresses (2) Accomplishments of the Rensselaer Plan Have a general knowledge of all of the union clubs, as well as athletic teams (know the hockey season record) Be informed on the current state of: multiculturalism the number of women on campus studio-style classes the laptop program the Office of the First Year Experience/SO CCPD career statistics EMPAC, ECAV and other new additions to campus
- 2. PREPARATION – DAY OF THE TOUR Arrive about 10-15 minutes early Prepare a 10-20 second introduction (i.e. name, major, class year, your activities on campus….read over resume to refresh yourself) Have a copy of your resume handy just in case you find the alumni’s company very interesting (you can always tell them you will give them a better copy later) Check the weather so that you are prepared (i.e. if there is rain in the forecast, go get umbrellas from the alumni house) Read the news to talk about current events (to use as space fillers if necessary) FOR WEEKENDS ONLY: If the biotech building is on the tour route, make sure to have a plan to get into the building (i.e. meet another R&W member who has a key) Be prepared to answer the question: “How do you like it here?” If asked “What there is to do on campus?”, talk about what you did over the weekend Have some career goals or aspirations in mind WHILE ON THE TOUR Mind your eye contact, volume of voice, and posture Talk about what you know As you pass by classrooms, talk about your different class projects that may have went on there If the alum seems really bored with a certain building, you do not have to stick around and show them the rest of the building If you are not sure about a number or statistic, do NOT lie! (refer them to someone else that they could talk to after the tour) Offer a restroom break when necessary Include all the people, not just one person (i.e. ask the wives what they did for a living) After you pass by a friend who is very involved on campus (i.e. is on an athletic team, student senate, does research, etc…talk about what they do on campus and use it as a segue into talking about student life on campus) Talk about what you want to do in the future after RPI If they tell a lot of stories, don’t cut them off…sometimes it’s just better to smile and listen, often tours are just a time for reminiscence for alumni SUGGESTED TOUR ROUTES GENERAL BUILDINGS Academy hall Union VCC Library- show them the first floor renovations 2
- 3. ARCHITECTURE Greene building (walk around the building highlighting all of the current projects): Freshman Studio in the basement Exhibition Gallery on 2nd floor Architecture Library on 3rd floor Woodworking shop on 4th floor Read up on the Lighting Research Center Talk about the acoustics program (one of the newest degrees being offered) SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Biotechnology building (talk about your research done there) Look up the names of the major research centers on campus to talk about (i.e. Materials Research Center, NY State Center for Polymer Research, etc.) Walker Laboratory (chemistry labs, OChem labs, XChem lab for chemical engineers) Facts about the CII (look up research going on in there.. silicon research, Terahertz research centers) Information Technology (IT): Currently 22 concentrations ranging from computer hardware to music to management information systems Lally building – show them a classroom SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Biotechnology building (talk about your research done there) Jonsson Engineering Center (JEC): MDL (Multidisciplinary Design Lab) – Machine Room/Earthquake Simulator on 2nd floor LITEC lab on the 4th floor (look directly at professor since they will sometimes wave you in) Circuits/Instrumentation Studios – 4104 and 4107 respectfully Student Machine Shop – 1st floor Mechatronics lab (talk about for mechanical engineers) Center for Industrial Innovation (CII): AML (Advanced manufacturing lab) Three general computing labs on 3rd floor Microprocessor clean room on the 4th floor Low Aerospace gallery on the 4th floor Rapid prototyping in JEC (we only pay for the material, and they’ll make you a part based on a CAD model) Ricketts building (if requested by the alumni) 3
- 4. LALLY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Pittsburgh Building Serverino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation (find more information before tour) RPI Incubator – point out the smoke stack behind the Troy Building (find more information before tour) Sage building, Room 4401 - Management classes usually occur here SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Sage building – economics, Carnegie building: CogWorks, the Cognitive Science Lab (Carnegie 209) PandA – focuses on the interplay between perception and action Gurley building (look up behavioral research going on there) West Hall (point out on top of hill near Carnegie): Music Department: Includes choral, symphony orchestra, percussion, jazz ensemble, pep band, symphonic band, Ghanaian drumming, Rensselyrics, Rusty Pipes, and swing band. Talk about the union classical concerts program (they have brochures in the union activities office) Arts Lab A/V Equipment Room (Room G21) Graduate Imaging Room (Room 410) Imaging Classroom (Room 214 and 215) Media Studio (Room 211 and 212) EMPAC – look up current building information on EMPAC website Know about the most recent performances that have gone on ACCESSIBLE ROUTES Start at the VIC Cross the footbridge, and walk into the CII (on the left-hand side) and show them a recitation classroom Skip the DCC since there are no more ramps Go see the MDL in the JEC and turn around From here, you can take two ways: Go back out of the JEC. Take them down past the Greene building and turn left to go down the walkway between Cogswell and the J-ROWL until you can see the Biotech Building, Academy Hall, and EMPAC center arch. Walk back towards VCC and past Amos Eaton and the Lally Building towards Russell Sage Lab. When you get to Sage, point out all of the buildings of interest and then walk back towards the Greene building, completing the loop back to the VIC. Take the elevator on the 3rd floor of the JEC down to the 2nd floor. Head out of the doors of the back of the JEC and walk towards the circle. Point out the CDC, WRPI, Biotech and continue to walk up the walkway to the VCC. Point out the EMPAC Center as you pass it, and walk past Amos Eaton and the Lally Building towards Russell Sage Lab. When you get to Sage, point out all of the buildings of interest and then walk back towards the Greene building, completing the loop back to the VIC. 4