CARBONDALE - Sara Piolatto of Manteno near Kankakee has a year to think about where she will attend college.

The odds look good she could attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her older brother, Alex, is starting graduate studies here this fall in civil engineering. Her older sister, Nina, attends SIUC, where she is majoring in Spanish.

Sara will make up her own mind, however, and if she is thinking along the lines of her friends and Manteno classmates Jordan Stauffenberg and Alexis Gyrion, the odds look good all three high school students will be attending SIUC in the near future.

"I like it. It's a pretty campus," Stauffenberg said Friday, joining in with her Gyrion, who said about SIUC, "It looks cool and it's big."

Their remarks came shortly before they boarded a bus to get a tour of campus as part of the SIUC Open House, one of several open houses hosted by SIUC administrators and students throughout the year that is designed as a recruiting tool for prospective students and their families.

Despite new means to learn more about campuses and universities such as virtual tours by way of Web sites, nothing beats the good old campus visit, both Victoria Valle, SIUC's vice chancellor for enrollment management, and Ron Morris of The National Research Center for College & University Admissions said in an earlier interview.

"We've been experimenting with our format the last couple of years," Jim Carl, interim director for SIUC's undergraduate admissions, said about Friday's open house.

The open house began early for the more than 500 potential students, their friends and family members who had pre-registered for the event. Acting chancellor Sam Goldman gave a welcoming address. Admission counselors introduced themselves and greeted the visitors. There were fun activities, such as T-shirts thrown to the audience, spirited yells and a panel discussion on "How to Become a Saluki."

At 10 a.m., a huge dividing net on the SIUC Recreation Center floor was raised and information booths from each college and all student services were open to the audience.

This particular open house was aimed primarily at high school students who have a year left before their graduation so they can concentrate on important areas such as requirements for admission, what's available academically and financial aid, Carl said.

Other open houses are in October, November, February and March. These are designed more for potential students in their last year of high school who have likely been admitted to SIUC and other schools, Carl said.

Sara Piolatto's mother, Laura, said she was impressed at the early morning activities of the open house.

"I think it's very informative. The booths are especially helpful," she said.

Positive news about activities that are designed to boost SIUC's fall enrollment is welcomed by administrators.

Goldman said he enjoyed addressing everyone in his welcome speech. Fall admissions are down 2 percent from the same time a year ago. The good news is the incoming freshman number for the fall is up from a year ago. Transfer students and a decline of enrollment for undergraduate juniors are down from a year earlier, he said.

"We're asking ourselves why," Goldman said about the decline of transfer students and undergraduate juniors. "Retention problems complicate everything."

At the end of the month, administrators will have a final number concerning summer enrollments that showed a slight dip earlier in the official 10-day count from 9,460 in 2007 to 9,265 this year.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com / 351-5076