Colleges slowly resuming campus tours after virus break
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The lawns, trees and regal buildings of many college campuses can hook a prospective student, prompting them to envision striding along the pathways wearing a backpack.
After about three months of hosting remote tours by computer, some colleges have decided it’s time to offer on-campus visits again to prospective students and their parents.
The issue reflects differing notions about reopening businesses and organizations in the coronavirus pandemic. New COVID-19 cases in Nebraska have trended down for several weeks. But many states are showing steady increases.
In the competitive world of higher education, colleges seek an edge or don’t want to be left behind. Smaller colleges also generally don’t have to deal with the big numbers of visitors that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Iowa State might have to handle when hosting in-person visits. Neither of those institutions has resumed in-person prospective student visits.
“The competitive part of it didn’t play a part in this decision,” said Steph Peters, admissions director at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, where on-campus visits resumed in late May. “I want to make sure that everyone feels safe and that we’re taking precautions.”
At the same time, she said, there’s no better way to sell a campus than with its greenery and stately views. “It was scary to miss out on having visitors for two months,” she told the Omaha World-Herald.
Even some fairly large schools, like Creighton and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, plan to start on-campus visits soon or already have begun.
They say on-campus tours give them a good trial run for bringing students back for classes in August.
Some colleges in the region will encourage or insist that visitors and staffers...