• CU Guide Association Home
• Meeting Minutes
• CUGA Handbook
  • Purpose
  • Expectations
  • Responsibilities
  • History of the Visitors Center
  • Tour Techniques
  • History of Clemson University
  • Current Statistics
  • Five Colleges
  • University Departments
  • University Buildings & Site Index
  • Safety Information
  • Special Tours
• Join CUGA
• Members
• Visitors Home
• Contact Us

CUGA Handbook: Guide Association Expectations

1. Attend every training session of the association.
2. Be on time!!! (That means 15 minutes before the start of your tour/event.)
3. If you cannot make a tour for some reason (and it had better be a good one!!), it is your responsibility to switch with someone and inform the Visitors Center. Make sure someone is here.
4. You are expected to be courteous and helpful whether you are on a tour or at any other University function in which you are involved.
5. If a visitor or someone passing by is rude to you or makes a derogatory remark, always have a positive comeback. Try not to get upset! Keep your cool and keep smiling. (This will probably never happen. Most people are very nice and appreciative.)
6. Be confident, assertive, sincere, positive, and friendly. The impression you make on guests, especially prospective students, will be a major consideration in their opinion of Clemson University. If you do not know the answer to a question, do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I will be glad to find out for you.”
7. Your appearance should always be neat and clean. You are to wear your tour shirt for every tour or occasion requesting our services. You are responsible for keeping these items clean. Do not wear blue jeans. Shorts and tennis shoes may be worn but please use good judgment when choosing to wear these items. Please make sure your shoes are clean.
8. Make sure to wear your nametag. Remember, you are representing Clemson University to the public and prospective students. We want you to look like a neat, clean, and outstanding student. This is not a time for personal expression (piercings, tattoos, etc.)
9. Do not answer specific questions about admissions requirements, housing, financial aid, etc. Direct them to the appropriate office.
10. Sign the postcards, which the desk staff will already have addressed, for each prospective student when you return from the tour.
11. Your commitment is important. (It is CRITICAL that you give your own tours, and more importantly, help others if they cannot make their tour for some reason. We need to help each other!!!) Two unexcused absences from meetings will result in your membership being reviewed. Three unexcused absences are grounds for dismissal. If you have an excuse for a missed CUGA meeting, it should be submitted in writing within 3 days to the CUGA Secretary (electronic submissions are acceptable).
12. A no-show for a tour is immediate grounds for review of membership status.
13. Rules cannot be made to cover every situation. If something comes up that you do not know how to handle, use your best judgment.
14. Update and review training at start of fall semester. Basically, just get a quick review from the last semester before your first tour.
15. Clemson University Guide Association is a fairly independent organization. We do not have meetings every week. Situations often come up at the last minutes which require guides to step up and fill in. Please do not take the mindset that “somebody else” will volunteer.
16. Remember why you are getting trained: to give tours!Always remember that you are representing Clemson University!