CSC Admissions Department adjusts to pandemic limitations

The CSC Admissions department has answered that question by using virtual booths at college fairs, in-person campus tours that follow health guidelines, and online tours for students and families unable to visit Chadron.

CSC’s first contact with a potential student usually comes through school visits by an admissions representative, often during a high school’s college fair, according to Sara Smith, Admissions Service Coordinator. During a college fair visit, representatives talk directly with students and answer questions about CSC programs, costs and scholarship opportunities.

CSC has five Admissions Representatives, with each responsible for particular areas of Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, said Tori Brumbaugh, the representative for South Dakota and northwest Nebraska.

Since pandemic restrictions took effect in March, Brumbaugh has been unable to visit the 40-plus schools in her territory. Instead, she has primarily been working from her office in Chadron, where she takes part in online college fairs that many schools have set up to make college information available for graduating seniors.

In place of a display with posters, brochures, and fact sheets, CSC participates in the online fairs with a virtual booth that offers college information over the internet and gives students an opportunity to schedule a video chat with an Admissions Representative.

The individual online chat sessions are the primary means of following up with interested students, said Brumbaugh. Though the online fairs produce fewer contacts, CSC representatives have engaged in more than 200 internet chats, primarily with students from Nebraska schools, she said. “So we are still reaching quite a few students,” she said. Subsequent contacts with interested students take the form of emails and text messages, but representatives are cautious about how often they communicate, Brumbaugh said. “We don’t want to be too much in their face, but we always are consistent with texting students,” she said. Visits to campus by students and family members also play an important role in student recruitment, and have continued since March, but with restricted numbers due to health and safety guidelines, Smith said. From handling as many as 10 visits each morning and afternoon, the office has cut the number to four in each period, she said. The visits are scheduled in advance, generally through an online form, and include a tour guided by a student ambassador. “We provide that tour for them to come and see our campus, the dorms, the academic buildings, and the recreation facilities,” Student Ambassador Konery Klueber said. Because of the pandemic, tours are carefully scheduled to avoid congestion, and detailed sanitation protocols have been implemented, said Smith. “The biggest change I’ve seen is our cleaning process,” she said. “When one family leaves, we sanitize before we meet with another one.” Following health department guidelines, all visitors and their guides wear masks while on campus, Smith noted. Giving a tour while masked presents challenges, but the ambassadors make it work, said Klueber. “We really had to adjust to speaking loud enough,” Student Ambassador Emily Hansen said. For those unable to visit in person, CSC also offers a virtual campus visit. “It is a really nice tool and provides (students) with a decent overview of what our campus looks like,” said Hansen, who recently guided an online tour for a student from Hawaii. As some area schools begin lifting pandemic restrictions, Brumbaugh said she will be glad to resume in-person visits. “It’s really nice to communicate with people face to face,” she said.