One can never miss members of the University 100 in their eye-catching blue and orange rugby sweaters, surrounded by a crowd of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed prospective students on a grassy patch near the Syracuse University Quad.

Very few SU students actually know exactly what these members do or who they are.

‘We basically are the SU advertising team in order to promote admissions,’ said Amelia DeCesare, U100 member and a senior speech communication major.

U100 works directly with the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of Admissions to provide a multitude of different services for the university. Because of a selective admissions process, at any given time only about 100 selected students belong to the organization, founded in 1985.

But the organization remains relatively unknown to most students, a fact that sometimes bothers U100 members.

‘This organization is such a wonderful thing and it’s one of the best things I’ve done here, and so many people don’t know about it, and that’s sad,’ said T.J. Basalla, another member of U100 and junior broadcast journalism and political science major. ‘If everyone truly knew what U100 was and what it does and what it stands for, we would have people lining up to join.’

Many U100s view their tours of the campus as most beneficial to visiting prospective students, DeCesare said.

‘I think it’s a great way for prospective students to see what SU is like,’ DeCesare said. ‘I think when people come to look at SU they want to talk to the students, not faculty, and that’s what attracts them.’

The members, who work on a volunteer basis, do not limit their participation to giving tours. Many visit with prospective students and their parents in the reception room of the Office of Admissions to help to ease their anxiety as they wait for personal interviews. Sometimes members go with drivers to the airport to pick up and accompany celebrated guests on their trip to the university. They also help host the chancellor’s receptions in the Orange Pack Room of the Carrier Dome before and after football and basketball games.

‘We’re like the goodwill ambassadors to the university, we are the first people students and parents meet,’ Basalla said. ‘We try to show them why we love this school so much and why they should come here.’

Tony Bartocci, a senior majoring in information studies who has been a member of U100 since his freshman year, says he loves all aspects of U100.

‘I adore the program,’ Bartocci said. ‘I am a junkie for talking to prospective students. I eat it up.’

The U100 admissions process occurs in the middle of the fall and spring semesters, and it consists of several parts. It begins with an application that includes a short essay and a recommendation from a professor. Then applicants are interviewed by various admissions staff and a current U100 member. From there, the board makes its decisions and, during the summer, the applicant learns if he or she made it.

The selected members consist of students studying within many disciplines, coming from many different backgrounds, interests and parts of the country, said Susan E. Donovan, dean of admissions.

Because of its highly selective application process, some SU students perceive the organization as a resume booster.

‘I’m not in it to have people say ‘Oh, you’re in U100,” DeCesare said. ‘I’m in it because Syracuse is important to me and I want to show other students how I feel.’

Many U100 members echo this sentiment, and hope that they are helping high school students with their college application process. Members of the admissions office appreciate their efforts as well, Donovan said.

‘We are so fortunate to have students interested in giving back,’ Donovan said. ‘We see these students as valuable and trusted colleagues.’

U100 members urge those students whose school spirit matches theirs, or those who are interested in giving tours, to apply.

‘I honestly enjoy everything about the program,’ Bartocci said. ‘I encourage everyone who loves SU and lives SU to share their enthusiasm with others through U100.’

Published on September 23, 2004 at 12:00 pm