Orange Key members concerned about Admission Office oversight
Two years after the organization was brought under the aegis of the Admission Office, members of the formerly self-governing Orange Key Guide Service are saying that they have witnessed a marked erosion in their independence as administrators have sought to assert greater control over the content and organization of the group?s tours and in the administration of the group itself. ?Guides now feel that there?s Big Brother over their shoulder,? Brandon Bierlein ?08, the 2007 Orange Key chair, said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian last week, claiming that the administration has taken a larger role in shaping guides? messages to the public over the last two years.Some guides are concerned that ?the University [is] creating a laundry list of things that [have] to be said in the tour,? Bierlein added, noting that during his tenure as chair he heard ?a lot of concern from the guides that the traditional freedom that we?ve had was being undermined."Orange Key, whose volunteer guides lead 26 weekly tours, was founded in 1935 and had been an independently managed student organization funded by University Services until its incorporation into the Admission Office at the beginning of the 2006-07 academic year.?It makes sense for Orange Key and our admissions officers to work together as we present visitors to our campus with a comprehensive picture of life at Princeton,? Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said in an e-mail in response to questions about the level of her office?s involvement with the guide service.