1998-1999

The Royal Ambassadors promote and support the University of Scranton in its interests and goals for current and future students through admissions recruitment involving campus tours, open houses, preview days, prospective student overnight stays, and speaking at admissions programs, as well as assisting at special University events, and commencement activities as ushers, escorts, and hosts.

Qualifications. Membership into the organization will be extended to any full or part time student beginning with their freshman year at the University of Scranton. Members should have an enthusiastic and responsible work ethic, a positive, supportive attitude toward their school, a willingness to develop and to improve public relations skills, and a desire to meet with prospective students and their families along with special campus guests. Membership may eventually be determined by application selection, but for the inaugural year (1998-1999) membership will be accepted at any time via the Admissions office without application. Later application requirements will be determined by Amendment of the charter. All members, even in the inaugural year, must attend to the membership requirements as seen below.

Requirements. After joining the club, members will primarily be responsible for attending a training session in the early fall semester (before the second week finishes) and training for commencement exercises in late May. A description of said training follows under Article III Organization, Training. Recognized as a volunteer organization, the Royal Ambassadors set modest requirements beyond training during the academic school year: at least three campus tours for prospective students and their families, participation in at least one open house and a preview day for admissions, and participation in at least two commencement activities at the end of May. Although not mandatory, the Royal Ambassadors encourage further off-campus service activities throughout the year. Failure to attain these modest requirements will result in loss of membership.

Leadership. Officer election by ballot of members who have served no less than one year as Royal Ambassadors will take place in May of the school year prior to service. New officers will be installed before commencement of the year prior to service since senior Royal Ambassadors cannot function as officers at their own graduation. The term of such officers will consist of one academic school year (Fall and Spring semesters). The Ambassador leaders include a president, two vice-presidents, a treasurer/service coordinator, and a secretary/publicity officer.

Presidential duties entail acting as a liaison among the offices of Admissions, the Registrar, and Student Government. While communicating closely with the vice-presidents, the president ensures that admissions activities, commencement activities, and other campus events are well staffed with Royal Ambassadors. The president also leads the training for new Ambassadors, and develops meetings for the general education and development of the club (see Article IV Meetings). The president with the assistance from the vice-presidents will record the participation of members in activities to ensure members reach above requirements. Most important, the president seeks new avenues for improvement of the organization such as the maintenance of an Internet homepage.

One vice-president works closely with the Admissions office to ensure Royal Ambassadors sign up for available campus tours, and to define and to organize the roles of the Ambassadors on preview days and open houses. The other vice-president will assist and work with the Registrar’s office in defining and organizing the Ambassador role during commencement activities.

The treasurer/service coordinator works with Collegiate Volunteers and oversees off-campus service activities available to Royal Ambassadors. Furthermore, the treasurer works closely with the Student Government club allocations committee to garner a budget for meetings, activities, socials, and service opportunities.

The secretary’s responsibilities include creating a meeting log, publicity for meetings, and calling Royal Ambassadors to participate in special campus events as well as campus tours, preview days, and open houses.

All officers become the assistants for the Grand Marshals during graduation, primary leaders for commencement ushering/robing room duties, and the contact points between commencement organizers and the Royal Ambassadors. Consequently, the officers must be aware of all the responsibilities of the Royal Ambassadors during graduation.

Training. To become more familiar with said rules and regulations of membership, the Royal Ambassadors will attend two yearly training sessions with an undetermined amount of workshops (checkups on Ambassadors’ knowledge and performance) throughout the year at the discretion of the President. The first training session will be on or before the second week into September of the academic school year. During this time, the Ambassadors will learn about the history of the University of Scranton, improve public relations skills, and meet with the officers, the Admissions staff, and the Registrar’s staff. Furthermore, each will receive a copy of the charter. Training will entail brief comments from the dean of each school at the University concerning fields of study within such school and other notes of interest to improve their knowledge of the University of Scranton. Admissions counselors will highlight how to give tours and other admissions notes. Other attendees may include: the Directors of Residence Life, Dining Services, and Athletics. During the second training in May, the Registrar, or said proxy, will train the Royal Ambassadors for commencement duties.

Primary Member Responsibilities.

Attire. As of the inauguration year, the only required attire consists of the ambassador’s sweater, a white shirt, and black slacks or skirt for all activities outlined above except for daily tours which have no specific attire requirement. For outdoor commencement ceremonies, the attire shall be the Ambassador’s sweater and hat, a white shirt, and white slacks or a skirt. Future attire which may include a polo shirt with the Royal Ambassador logo will be determined by Amendment.

During the year as determined by the officers and advisors, the Royal Ambassadors attend meetings/workshops. These short sessions will consist of, but are not limited to the following ideas:

• Members will bring questions which they could not effectively answer during a tour preview day, open house, or overnight stay with prospective students. Club officers and/or admissions representatives will be present to address such issues.

• The officers will accept suggestions to improve the organization and to plan for future meetings and socials.

• The officers will ask members from other activities, organizations, sports, and administrative offices to address the general membership. Consequently, Royal Ambassadors will know the most up-to-date and ACCURATE information available to prospective students and special campus visitors.
• The moderators and officers will also provide tour or information refreshers in coordination meetings before overnight stay programs, open houses, preview days, and graduation.

The officers and moderators will publish an annual Royal Ambassador manual through University Printing Services. This manual will include: the organizational charter, information concerning training for specified responsibilities (see Article III, Organization, Primary Member Responsibilities), an abridged and detailed campus tour route, other sections of the 1997-1998 tour manual, a list of commencement guidelines and responsibilities, important dates during the year for open houses, preview days, overnight stay programs, and commencement, and lists of the officers and the advisors for the current year.

As of the inaugural year, the Royal Ambassadors will be co-moderated by an Admissions Counselor and a representative from the Registrar’s office. Their functions include but are not limited to the following: close communication with the officers to schedule Ambassadors for Admissions events, special occasions at the University, and commencement activities; approval of service learning hours for Ambassadors; an involvement in Ambassador training; and possible presence at meetings/workshops. Future advisors will be mentioned in Amendments.

In addition to sharpening their communication and public relations skills and attaining service learning hours, Royal Ambassadors will receive other benefits. The Admissions and the Registrar’s office will coordinate a reward/incentive program implemented for Royal Ambassadors who go beyond their regular required duties during an academic year. Funding for this program will come from the 1997-1998 budgets for the Student Host Club in Admissions and the Registrar’s Royal Ambassador budget. As of the inaugural year, budget monies may also come from the club allocations committee of Student Government. Incentives will be as follows and can be altered according to the preference of the officers and the advisors:

• 5 or more campus tours, or 3 tours + 2 special events* = entry into a raffle for bookstore items.

• 10 or more tours, or 7 tours + 3 special events = entry into a raffle for bookstore items, and an invitation to the end of the year award and recognition dinner.
• 15 or more tours, or 12 tours + 3 special events = entry into a raffle for bookstore items and entry into a separate raffle for $25 - $50 Steamtown Mall gift certificates, and an invitation to the end of the year award and recognition dinner.

• over 20 tours, or 16-17 tours + 3-4 special events = automatic $25 gift certificate to the Steamtown Mall or a local restaurant, and entry into all of the above.

• Father Scott Award winner selected by the officers and Admissions staff to recognize the tour guide who exemplifies Father Scott’s dedication to the office of Admissions

*special events = an open house, a preview day, hosting an overnight stay for a prospective student, or a University special occasion.

The Royal Ambassadors, an academically successful and dedicated group at the University of Scranton, primarily serve the school, its current and future students, and special dignitaries through various Admissions programs and University special events. Not only do they gain effective communication skills, but also they gain a certain pride, respect, and commitment to Scranton which reflects the Jesuit Tradition: "men and women for others."