That photo up above? Oh, you know, that’s just Vice President Joe Biden taking a stroll across Copley Lawn. No big deal.

Fresh off what we can only imagine was a trip to Mexico, Biden took a tour of Georgetown on Sunday afternoon with his granddaughter. He was spotted in Sellinger Lounge, Lauinger Library, and Leo’s Dining Hall, among other spots on campus.

And most importantly, he was wearing a leather jacket and aviators.

Photo: Max Blodgett

Imagine a brave new world where tour guides no longer continuously face their groups

Earlier this week, the New York Times ran an article about the evolving world of college campus tours. If you thought they were still all rote repetition of historical trivia and guides walking backwards, you’re in for quite a shock.

Apparently there’s a grassroots movement to turn the tour guides around so they’re walking the same direction as their groups and to make the tours more conversational and less statistics- and dates-based. The campaign seems to be spearheaded by TargetX, a consulting firm that audits colleges’ tours and makes recommendations, and has adherents at the likes of the University of Texas at Austin and nearby American University.

The Times article highlighted one institution in particular, Hendrix College, a liberal arts school in Arkansas. Hendrix revamped their campus-visit programs three years ago and has since seen increases in the number of high schoolers visiting and applying to the school (granted, the number of students applying to college in general has also risen).

But what say you, should Blue & Gray explore some forward-facing pacing and ditch the dates?