Prospective students visit for Overnight Hosting Program

Anita Varma Senior Editor

This year, Vassar has hosted upwards of 300 prospective students as part of the Overnight Host Program. Current students host prospective students (known as "prospies") for an evening, to give them a taste of student life on campus.

“We want students to have as comprehensive a view as possible,” said Dean of Admissions David Borus. “We can give them information, but there's really no substitute for spending time on campus.”

On April 20, Assistant Director of Admission and Overnight Host Program Coordinator Daniel Klasik sent an e-mail to all student hosts. Klasik thanked students for supporting the program, and informed students of incidents of inappropriate behavior with prospective students.

“There have been a few isolated incidents during the past couple of weeks where students who were here for an overnight stay did not see Vassar at its best,” Klasik wrote in the email.

“These situations have all involved the unnecessary placement of prospective students in uncomfortable situations involving drugs and/or alcohol that ultimately led to their deciding not to attend Vassar,” Klasik continued.

According to Borus and Klasik, these incidents are not the norm for the program. When they do come up, admissions officers approach the host whose prospective student complained. If the host did behave inappropriately with the prospective student, the host is asked not to host in the future.

However, Klasik added that students who choose not to come to Vassar because of discomfort during their stay do not always attribute the source as their host.

“Often its not something the host did themselves,” said Klasik. “It might be something [prospective student] saw on campus.”

Borus explained that there is a distinction between hosts and tour guides. Both are students, but the requirements are vastly different.

“Tour guides apply for the job and are trained fairly extensively,” he said. Borus noted that hosts participate on a voluntary basis.

In terms of tours, tour guides do not narrate based on a script.

“Obviously we're trying to give a good impression...but also an honest, accurate one,” said Borus.

Many prospective students take a tour and take advantage of the Overnight Host Program. Borus emphasized the importance for prospective students to spend time on campus.

“We want people to make up their mind in an informed way, not just from stuff on a website,” said Borus.

Despite some incidents of prospective students being uncomfortable in situations with drugs or alcohol during their stays, Borus and Klasik said that they were pleased with the student hosts and have received mainly positive feedback from prospective students this year.

“We wish that there weren't any untoward incidents, but that's probably wishful thinking,” he said. “There'll always be a few in the course of hundreds. By and large, we think our student hosts are great.”