Minority weekend expected to draw 300 people to campus

Leanne Jernigan / Reporter

Forty-one high school minority students will visit Elon this weekend for minority visitation weekend. Minority visitation weekend gives prospective Elon students a chance to tour the campus and stay overnight with hosts.

Annette Orbert, director of minority recruitment, said the event is important because the number of prospective minority students visiting Elon has doubled.

“Last year’s freshman class contained 57 minority students, and this year’s class has 100 minority students,” she said. “We’re hoping that number will double again in coming years.”

Friday night is an overnight visitation opportunity for those high school seniors who have already been accepted to Elon to spend the night with a current student in his or her residence hall. Of the prospective students who spend Friday night on campus, 95 percent are likely to enroll, according to Orbert.

Current students volunteer to host prospective students, taking them to classes and social events in the evening. Orbert said Elon students have been active in making visitation weekend a success.

“Our current students are involved this year more than ever. They come to me offering help. I really have to give them credit,” she said.

Many students who volunteer during visitation weekend are part of the Student Ambassadors Committee. Orbert said having students from different backgrounds involved with the weekend’s activities would give prospective minority students an opportunity to experience Elon from a minority student’s point of view.

Events planned for Friday will feature a poetry slam sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black history trivia game, the “Sweet Heart Auction” and a party in Danieley Commons that evening.

On Saturday, high school juniors and seniors, as well as their parents, are invited to participate in campus tours and information sessions hosted by the offices of student and alumni relations. There will also be a session for parents so they can experience Elon from a parent’s perspective. Parents and students will also have the chance to meet with faculty and administrators. There will also be a session with information about financial planning and scholarship opportunities.

According to Orbert, close to 300 people are expected on campus Saturday for minority visitation weekend.

Saturday’s events will also include a fashion show and the “Gospel Extravaganza,” a show by Elon’s Gospel Choir.

This weekend is important for Elon as well as the prospective students in determining who will enroll next fall. Minority students who enjoy their visit to Elon will most likely choose to attend in the fall, and the administration is looking to attract more minority students to create a more diverse student body and campus environment.

“I attended the event last year as a high school senior and it was one of the reasons why I chose to attend Elon,” said freshman David Morrow, who has worked with Orbert in the Office of Admissions. “It’s a great program and a great opportunity for students to feel welcomed in a school where they would be the minority. It’s also a wonderful way to make friends before your freshman year of college even begins.”

For more information about minority visitation weekend or other opportunities for minority students, contact Orbert or Zaire McCoy, assistant director of admissions, at 800-334-8448.