High School Chad Joice and Glenn Dillard. admissions officers. have a conversation with two prospective students before a dinner in the Heritage Founders Room. Admissions officers traveled around the nacion to various churches, youth rallies and high schools du ri"ng me year to recruit students for Harding. Several prospective students si r around a cable and read a H arding catalog during a dinner held for visiting high school studenrs. During the dinner, the visito rs asked current students and admissions officers questions about Harding and colJege life in general. f3ison cf)aze keeps visitors bUBy Aside from [he many family members and alumn i that flooded the campus on Homecoming weekend. Oc(. 22-24, a significant portion of the visiting population consisted of prospective students. These students came from high schools across the nation to catch a glimpse of whac Harding is all abour. The admissions office worked to accommodate over 150 high school visitors to the campus during the weekend. The guests were given the option of attending campus activities arranged by the Admissions office and the Student Association (S.A.). Visitorswere taken on tours of the campus and were encouraged to attend classes of their choice. At night, the guests were treated to movies, a ticket to the musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," a dinner and several devotionals led by Harding students and campus groups. To aid in doing this, the Admissions office relied on the student body to provide housing for the guests, according to Chad Joice, admissions officer. "We called several students and asked them to keep someone for the weekend," he said. "The students were eager to open their dorm rooms to our visitors." Why were the Harding studems so will ing to house total strangers? Joice said it was because ofa wonderful spirit of hospitality. "I th ink thestudems here remember what it was like when they came to Harding for the first time, " Joice said. "They' re eage r to ensure that their guests are shown the same courtesy they were." Kelly Duncan, junior, echoed Joice's thoughts on the overwhelming generosity of the Harding studems. "!twasn'[[oo long ago that I was in their shoes ," she said. "The girls I stayed with made me feel right at home and we wanted to do the same thing for our visitOrs .., Some of the visitors said they were encouraged by the hospitality shown to them by the Harding studems. "It was amazing how kind the studems were to us," said Rebecca Lyle ofHealdwn, Okla. "They inviced us to go with them to differem activities and introduced us to many of the ir friends on campus and in the dorm. " While staying in a new place with new people can make someone feel rather uncomfortable, different measures were taken to prevent those feelings. "Our host gave us 'free reign of the refrigerator ' and the rest oftheir room," Lyle said. "Theywere very open with their time, possessions and space. That made the weekend much more enjoyable." With all of the activities planned for the weekend, it was easy for the visitors to stay busy during the day. However, it was the "after curfew" hours that seemed to have been the most memorable for some.ofthe prospective studen ts. "I remember my first visit to H arding as a high school student," Ted Bowsman, senior, said. "Thedays were filled with things to do, but after curfew the activities were limited to what we could do in the dorm." While curfew and location could provide an obstacle for those wishing to be emertained, Harding students foun d many activities that provided after hours fun and excitement. "There's nothing like cramming 50 guys imo one room, ordering several pizzas and laughing until 3 a.m.," Bowsman said. "That's pan ofche fun ofcollege and do rm life." - Bryan Jobe High School 25
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