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Students, parents crash YSU recruitment day
YOUNGSTOWN
Jordan Zackasee and his mother, Michele, of Lowellville, were among the mass of high-school students and parents Friday attending Crash Day, Youngstown State University’s main recruitment event of the year.
“I wanted to see some of the engineering programs here,” Jordan said while waiting in line to register at the Watson and Tressel Training Site, 651 Elm St.
Jordan said he is interested in studying chemical engineering. A student at Lowellville High School, he’s narrowed his decision to YSU or Ohio State University in Columbus.
“They have a great engineering program” at YSU, said Michele, who’s also a YSU alumna.
The Zackasees and other families met with representatives from the university’s six academic colleges, student service areas and student organizations. Students also had an opportunity to meet with YSU President Jim Tressel at certain times throughout the day.
Students also visited the college of their choice where they met with faculty and staff to learn about available programs.
There also were opportunities to attend YSU classes and visit points of interest within each of the colleges such as labs and studios. They also toured the campus, which included the residence halls and university-affiliated apartments.
There were 1,261 students pre-registered to attend the event, said Gary Swegan, the associate vice president for enrollment planning and management. Ninety percent of the students are from Ohio and 75 percent were high-school seniors, he added.
“It will be the largest Crash Day ever,” Swegan said.
The previous record for Crash Day was in November 2013 when 478 attended.
Ron Cole, a YSU spokesman, said Friday’s Crash Day was the largest recruitment event in the university’s history.
“The president is certainly generating a lot of interest,” Swegan said.
As for Jordan, he said some of the biggest factors in his decision include the campus layout, programs available and the cost of tuition. Michele said they are also weighing the pros and cons of him attending a college that’s away from home.
“We’re going to check our options,” Michele said. “You have to make an informed decision.”