You have probably seen them before in their blue shirts walking around campus, giving tours or talking to prospective freshmen. The Saint Louis University Ambassadors are part of a tour program that is due for a serious facelift. The new program, dubbed Billiken Buddies, will debut this fall.
According to junior Dan Huebner, vice president of tour administration, the tours are currently run through the admissions office.
“[Currently] ambassadors are not paid; they’re volunteers,” he said.
But ambassadors will soon receive wages. Also, the new touring group will combine the separate tour and overnight programs that currently exist, said Becky Reidy, SLU Ambassador moderator and admissions counselor.
“Students who have been involved for a semester can have the opportunity to apply for a paid position as a tour guide within the office,” she said. “Hopefully, we’re going to get more involvement, so that prospective students can feel that they can come to a student as much as they can come to an admissions officer.”
Wendy Hamstra, former SLU Ambassador moderator and assistant director for campus visits said there will be more upcoming programs to coincide with Billiken Buddies, such as Hometown SLU, in which students go back to their hometowns during breaks to bring admission materials to their high schools. There, students would have a table. at which they would talk about SLU’s positive attributes, she said.
Hamstra said that both Billiken Buddies and Hometown SLU arose out of talks with new Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Boyd Bradshaw, Ph.D.
“He has a lot of interest in visits,” Hamstra said. “We talked about how our students really deserve to be paid and compensated for their service to the program.”
“As an admissions officer, we can tell [prospective students] all of the facts and figures; we can tell them financial aid stuff [and] we can tell them about St. Louis, but only a student can tell them about [his or her] experience,” she said.
Huebner agreed and noted the benefits for the ambassadors themselves..
“The Ambassadors are very excited about SLU and try to communicate that in what they’re doing,” Huebner said. “Through our volunteering, I think we’re really trying to share our love for SLU. I really enjoy being an ambassador, and I am excited about the changes that are coming next year.”
Those interested in obtaining a position as a Billiken Buddy next year can contact the Office of Admissions.
