Visitors Center moves back
under Student Affairs

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

wo years after the Visitors Center moved under the aegis of University Advancement, the office is headed back to Student Affairs, where it is expected to play a supporting role for the Admissions Office, which relocated to Fraternity-Sorority Park last summer.

     Since that move, said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Javier Cevallos, "We have been looking for a place to have an Admissions presence in the center of campus."

     Cevallos said the center's primary function will continue to be providing information and assistance to campus visitors and that Jan Helgerson will remain in her role as supervisor of the facility. However, Admissions staff will likely have an expanded role at the site, he said.

     Noting that retired Robsham Visitors Center director Rob Brooks estimated that 65 percent of visitors have admissions-related questions, assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Services and acting Admissions director Joseph Marshall said, "It makes sense to accommodate more admissions-related traffic by providing some trained staffing" at the Massachusetts Avenue site.

     "We're excited about the possibilities," said Marshall, who planned to meet with Admissions staff this week to explore the proposal.

     "It still is and will be a visitors center. We're not going to turn things upside down," he added. "The goal is to be user-friendly to the public."

     The reorganization is scheduled to take place effective Aug. 1.