What the tour guide says.

Senior Ryan Short knows what prospective students want to hear. As a campus tour guide, Short tries to sell high school students and parents on IU in less than 70 minutes.

How do you decide what to show on your tour?
This campus is beautiful and it sells itself. Our goal is to make this campus feel like a home, and the only way to do that is to allow guides the leeway to talk about their own experiences, to tell their own stories, and to truly embody IU for our guests. It really doesn't matter how pretty a campus is, how good the football team is, or where your girlfriend goes to school. You need to get involved to be happy.

What are the most IU-esque things you see?
It's a lot of fun to point out things like the Bryan House, Beck Chapel, and the Dunn family cemetery, as all of these are things that aren't found on too many campuses. The greatest moment during tours is when students take it upon themselves to yell "Go Hoosiers!" to a group.  Guests get a kick out of students showing school pride.

If you had to pick one place that defines IU the most on campus, what would it be? Why?
I think this campus is different things to different people. I would say the Arboretum encompasses the spirit of Indiana, though. It's a place where you run into people you haven't seen in a while, can get some homework done on a sunny day, and it holds true to our values and priorities of green space.  

What do prospective students ask about the most on campus? What do you think defines IU for them?
The most often asked questions are about the size of classes and dorm life. I think what defines IU for them is the comfortable, small-town atmosphere coupled with the expansive, big-city opportunities.  When we talk about how close-knit and reliant Bloomington and IU are on each other, and how students are able to see the Big 10 sports and off-Broadway shows at the Auditorium, and everything else that makes this place great, it's really hard to resist.

If you had to define IU in a couple sentences, how would you define it?
IU is more than our school. It's our campus, our community, our home.

What are some of the most random facts you say on your tour that would surprise current IU students?
As the epitome of all things Hoosier, I know way too much than would be considered normal or healthy.  One thing even most tour guides don't know is that the original Assembly Hall stood where the small parking lot is next to Owen Hall.  That's where the Hoosier tradition was born.