Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Play our latest news quiz
Download our new app on iOS/Android!

U. updates rules for alumni interviewers in response to concerns about online searches

Alumni interviewers must now complete a short online questionnaire before they are able to meet with the prospective students assigned to them, according to a version of the rules obtained by The Daily Princetonian.

Alumni interviewers are required to disclose whether they havefelony convictions or an online presence that parents "mightdeem inappropriate." In both cases, alumni must obtain advance written permission from the Office of Admission in order to interview applicants.The guidelines don't offer any explanation or examples of what administrators mean by "inappropriate."

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition, they must also disclose any immediate family members applying to the University or any other college, if they are employed by a for-profit admissions venture and if they have a criminal record.

This update to the rules for alumni interviewers is part of a new series of guidelines released by the Office of Admission.

The change came after the University admission office received telephone calls from parents, school counselors and students who found information online they deemed concerning about alumni assigned to interview University applicants, according to University spokesperson Martin Mbugua. He added that applicants now regularly do an Internet search of their assigned interviewer.

“In some cases we have sometimes been alerted by parents, students or school counselors before the interview was conducted, in which case we assigned the student to a different interviewer,”Mbugua noted. “In other instances, we were contacted after the admission process had been completed.”

Each reported case is handled individually, and the University subsequently decides whether or not the alumnus may continue to be an interviewer. Mbugua noted that the Office of Admission reserves the right to deny any individual from serving as an interviewer, and to remove any current interviewer.

“We need to act in the best interests of the applicants and the University in all cases,” Mbugua said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye and Livia McCarthy, senior associate director for regional affairs of the Office of Alumni Affairs, deferred comment to Mbugua.

Alumni whose immediate family members are University applicants are asked to take a year off from interviewing to prevent a conflict of interest. Similarly, alumni with immediate family members applying to any college are strongly encouraged to not participate in that year’s admission process.

The University also requires alumni to read and agree to the “Guidelines for Princeton ASC Interviewing” before interviewing, as well as complete the questionnaire. However, the wording of the guidelines has not changed. Mbugua noted that, similar to many of the University’s peer institutions, the University now puts the guidelines and questionnaire on the front page of an alumnus’ Tiger Net account.

Andrew Yarrow ’81, a former alumnus interviewer in the Washington, D.C., area, agrees with the University’s policy to ask for and manage cases of alumni with criminal convictions individually.

“I believe everyone should be given second chances,” he said. “But at the same time, not all convictions should be looked upon the same way.”
The last change to the “Guidelines for Princeton ASC Interviewing” occurred in 2011 when former University President Shirley Tilghman convened with the Office of Admission and a faculty committee to review alumni interview policies and eligibility, according to Mbugua. The new language was first used when students were applying for the Class of 2017, he said.

Subscribe
Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“We remind our alumni that interviewing for Princeton is a privilege,” Mbugua added.

He added that the University cannot speculate about the change in participation rates of alumni interviewers due to the new regulation.

“We've enjoyed strong interest and support from our alumni interviewers, and we are confident that we’ll continue to see the same,” he said.

According to the Office of Admission, the University tries to offer every applicant the opportunity to have a conversation with an alumnus in his or her region.

Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article did not refer to the proper University office that was in charge of updating the rules for alumni interviewers. The office in charge was the Office of Admission. An earlier version of this article included erroneous claims about the relationship between the police and the University. The statement has been removed.The 'Prince' regrets the errors.