Admissions tour routes shortened to no longer include stops in library

Boatwright Memorial Library and first-year dorms on the Westhampton side of campus are no longer included on the tour route for prospective students at the University of Richmond.

Regular tour routes do not enter the library, Lora Robins Court or the Modlin Center for the Arts, Marilyn Hesser, interim director of admissions, said in an email. 

Instead, tour routes have added a stop to talk about athletics and a stop outside of the library, Hesser said.

In past semesters, tour routes have visited show rooms inside of Lora Robins Court, a first-year, co-ed dorm that houses 282 students. Now, each tour visits an upperclassman single dorm room in Jeter Hall, Michael Paul, a sophomore tour guide, said.

Paul said he found it necessary on tours to explain that the typical freshman double room would differ from Jeter Hall single rooms. Still, Paul said he had enjoyed the new route.

“I’m a fan," Paul said. "I was kind of skeptical about the library at first, but if you think about it, our library’s cool and all, but it’s not gonna wow any parents."

Henna Ragoowansi, a sophomore tour guide, said she felt differently about the new tour route.

“The biggest change that I probably got most upset about was they cut out the library," Ragoowansi said. "I just feel like at college, a library is pretty important."

Ragoowansi also said that the Jeter Hall single rooms were not representative of a typical first-year dorm, and too much emphasis was placed on athletics during tours.

Hesser said changes to the tour guide route had been made with careful consideration.

"With our new route, we are able to better highlight the many ways that the University of Richmond is unique and distinct," Hesser said. 

Hesser also noted that the shortened duration of the tours would allow visitors to see the school without getting too tired. 

Ragoowansi and Hilary Fokwa, another sophomore tour guide, said that although they did not believe some parts of the tour were representative of life at UR, some changes had been necessary in order to shorten the route.

Extended tours are offered to include the Modlin Center for the Arts and the Weinstein Recreational Center, Ragoowansi and Fokwa said. Ragoowansi said UR’s virtual tours were also able to give prospective students an experience of campus life. 

Hester said changes to the tour route had been considered based on visitor experiences and outside consultants.

“The University of Richmond is special in so many ways and this route allows our tour guides to more accurately share the students experience with our visitors,” Hesser said. 

Contact news writer Alexis Angelus at alexis.angelus.richmond.edu.