Increased Attendance at Fall Visitor’s Day
October 16, 2018
On Friday, Oct. 12, Whitman had around 100-110 students come with their families to experience our campus and community for the annual Fall Visitor’s Day event. The attendance this year was about a 25 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Director of Conferences, Events and Scheduling, Katie DePonty.
In the span of one day, students, as well as their parents, have the opportunity to go on a campus tour, attend student and faculty-led panels, find out ways they can engage in clubs and the surrounding community and learn about financial aid and the application process. The day consisted of a schedule which allowed for students to pick what areas they wanted to know more about Whitman, as well as talk and learn from each other.
It is important for these potential future Whitman students to see the college on a regular school day.
“We feel that Visitors Day provides students and parents the opportunity to get an overview of the campus while also being able to see the college in action, seeing students going to class, in the coffeehouse, in the library and get to see a little bit of everything while they are here in one day,” DePonty said.
The administration made some changes to this year’s Fall Visitors Day. First, Fall Visitors Day was moved back to a Friday. According to DePonty, the change was made because many high schools in Washington and Oregon had that day off. This change made it easier for students and their families to attend, which in turn increased the attendance numbers from last year.
There were also two additions to the schedule for this year. A tour of the new dorm, Stanton Hall, was inserted into the 2018 Fall Visitors Day schedule so that the students can see sophomore living as well as the first year dorms, Jewett and Anderson.
The Administration also added a special lunch for potential students, where they get to eat and talk with current Whitman students about their experiences, majors and any other questions they may have had. While they are doing that, parents and family members are going to a lunch where they get to hear from current Whitman parents that come from throughout the Northwest.
This interaction among Whitman students and visitors is one of the most important parts of Fall Visitors Day, according to Katie DePonty.
“We just try to provide them with enough opportunities to get to know Whitman, and understand how wonderful this place is, with a huge emphasis on interaction with students,” DePonty said.
Two visitors, Sofia and Lauren, were excited to visit campus and see Whitman for the first time. They both came from Colorado and are looking at small liberal art colleges in places “different than we are from.”
“I came here today because I want to learn more about the school and see if could see myself here. Everyone’s really nice, it is a beautiful campus on a beautiful day,” Lauren said.
This is exactly what DePonty wanted Fall Visitors day to be for the prospective students.
“For students, we want them to leave getting a sense of what Whitman is really about what’s that feeling that you get that you can only really achieve by visiting campus: a better understanding of how rich, and diverse and supportive our community is,” DePonty said.
