Student Ambassador Tour Script Pt 1

Stop 1: Broad street in front of Welcome center

• Siegal residence

• Ackell Residence center

• GRTC Bus System

• Barnes and Nobel @ VCU

• Ram Tech

Siegel Center

1. Basketball games and other sporting events

2. Athletes’ gym

3. Large-scale special events ( Open House, Preview days, Convocation)

Ackell Residence Center

1. Upperclassmen residence hall/ Apartment style, 

2. Fully furnished living room, laundry facility, kitchen, and each apartment has single bedroom 

3. Priority housing for athletes

GRTC Bus System

1. GRTC Pulse Bus

   1. Goes up and down Broad Street

2. VCU students can ride free with VCU ID

Barnes and Noble @ VCU

1. Official place to buy textbooks and apparel

   1. Rent or purchase used/new books

      1. Electronic options also available

      2. Price Match w/ Amazon and Barnes and Nobles 

2. Art/school supplies

3. Starbucks Café – not compatible with your meal plan (do take rambucks)

Ram Tech

1. On-campus technology store

   1. fixIT desk (1 of 2, the other located in Cabell Library)

   2. discounted pricing on electronics, such as Macbooks, HP, Lenovo, Dell

Stop 2: Walk down Broad Street and turn right onto Shafer Street and stop at the corner of Grace and Shafer Street.

• west grace south

• west grace north

• food options

• the square

• ram city market

UNIQUE ABOUT VCU THAT HOUSING NOT REQUIRED FOR FRESHMAN

West Grace South

2. Apartment style upperclassmen residence hall

3. Full-size kitchen in each apartment

4. Two double bedrooms with two bathrooms or four single bedrooms with two bathrooms

West Grace North

1. Residence hall for upperclassmen

3. Houses the VCU Transform living-learning program. Focuses on developing students into local, national, and global leaders through experiential learning

4. Same layout as West Grace South

Food Options

Rams Coop, bento sushi, twisted taco

The square

2. Example of Off-Campus Housing

3. Panda Express, compatible with meal plan

Ram City Market

1. On-Campus Grocery Store

2. Compatible with Meal Plans

Stop 3: Walk up Franklin St and stop by the new VCU letters

• franklin street

• virginia book company

• ritter-hickok house

• STEM building

Franklin Street

1. Historically and architecturally significant buildings, VCU can renovate the buildings on the inside, but has the keep the historical value of the outside 

2. Most buildings house VCU professor/ administrator offices, department buildings

Virginia Book Company

1. Alternative option to Barnes & Noble

2. Competitive pricing with apparel

Ritter-Hickok House

1. Office of Undergraduate Admissions 

2. Built circa 1855 and redesigned in the early 1900’s

3. Oldest house on Franklin Street

STEM Building

A. Has six floors

B. Houses Mathematics, Chemistry, Anthropology, and Physics

C. Crime Scene and advanced Laboratories

Stop 4 pt 1: Continue onto Shafer and stop outside of Hibbs Hall in front of large desks.

• Sculpture

• campus learning center

• university academic advising for first year students

• transfer center

• Hibbs upper floors

Sculpture

1. Hibbs believed that “You are never too old to learn.” 

   1. The desks are as high as they are so that your feet never touch the ground and you continue your education

Campus learning center

1. Tutoring 

   1. Free for VCU students

   2. Drop-in times available or make an appointment -- available in-person or through Zoom

   3. One appointment a week for up to two different subjects

   4. Available for historically challenging classes

2. Supplemental Instruction (SI)

   1. Sessions held throughout semester of lecture classes 

      1. Sessions capped at 30 students

      2. Group work, not question/answer

   2. Facilitated by students who have taken the class previously and received an A or B in the class

   3. Marathon sessions before exams

   4. Provided for large classes with a 30% DFW rate

      1. Typically, math/science/introductory classes

Academic advising for first year students

1. First-year students are highly recommended to meet with their advisor multiple times throughout their first year

   1. Advisors are assigned to students with declared majors as well as students who are undeclared

   2. You are required to meet with your advisor if not there will be a hold on your account 

2. Help with choosing a major or signing up for classes, staying on track to graduate

Transfer Center

1. Located on second floor

2. Evaluates credits to be transferred to VCU (AP, Dual Enrollment, other universities)

Hibbs Upper Floors

1. Smaller, lecture-hall style and high school size classrooms

2. Humanities and Sciences classes

3. Language learning center -- open to VCU students enrolled in foreign language programs or the ELP program at VCU

   1. Located on the 4th floor

Stop 4 pt 2: Walk past Hibbs and stop at the Compass (by library compass echoes)

• shafer dining court

• james branch cabell library

If group small enough go in library and walk around stairs and through starbucks and back out

Shafer Court Dining Center

1. Shafer Court Dining Center

   1. Buffet style

      1. Swipe once, all-you-can-eat

   2. Variety of options

      1. Vegan, vegetarian, home-cooked, pizza, burgers, salad bar, stir-fry, etc.

   3. Einstein Bros. Bagel

      1. Compatible with meal plan

   4. Shake Smart

      1. Compatible with meal plan

   5. Food Truck Fest, Midnight breakfast 

      1. Once a semester, compatible with your meal plan 

   6. Dining Plan 

      1. All Freshmen living on campus are required to have one of the top three meal plans.

      2. Meal Plans come with swipes and dining dollars. One swipe is equivalent to something between the total of 7.31-9.45 Dining dollars is tax free money that you are able to use. 

      3. All dining locations are equipped with self-service kiosks through grubhub. You are able to order at the kiosk with your dining plan or through grubhub also with your dining plan and vcu card connected.

James Branch Cabell Library

1. Computers, scanner, & printers on every floor

2. Technology Services

   1. The other RAM Tech is located in the basement if needed 

3. The Workshop (lower level)

   1. Rent technology items for up to three days (projectors, drawing tablets, cameras, tripods, gaming systems etc.)

   2. Utilize VCU’s workstations, 3D printer, gaming room, laser cutting, audio recording studio, film studio, 

4. Starbucks

   1. compatible with meal plan

5. Reference desk, Reference materials

6. Study areas for individuals or groups

7. Reserve a study room for yourself or groups

   1. Comes with whiteboards, projectors, and computer hookups

8. As you go up in levels, the volume decreases

   1. 1^st Floor and 2^nd Floor – Normal, meant for group work

   2. 3^rd Floor – Whisper level, meant for one-on-one work

   3. 4^th Floor – Completely silent, meant for individual work

   4. student-made, student-enforced