Several times a day, on foot, in buses and on golf carts, well-dressed University of Alabama students – the men in charcoal-gray suits and red ties, the women in vivid red dresses, pearls and high heels – lead groups large and small to the campus’ notable and photogenic sites.
On a college campus in a casual era, the guides stand out. They’re supposed to.
They are the Capstone Men and Women, The University of Alabama’s official ambassadors.
Katherine Omo-Osagie is in her third year with CMW. She attended one of those guided campus tours when she was in high school. She was immediately impressed.
“I thought they were so incredible. They were so kind, they were so articulate, and it was so clear how much they loved The University of Alabama,” she said.
Capstone Men and Women traces its ancestry to 1962, when it was known as the “Crimson Girls.” Its modern co-ed form began in 1976. It’s a very small group – about 45 to 50 people out of a student body north of 40,000.
Joining its ranks is much more involved than filling out an application. A selection committee presides over two interviews. Applicants must memorize and pass a test on roughly 30 pages of material about The University of Alabama’s history, buildings, student life and more. CMW members are quizzed again annually to make sure their knowledge is still current.
Capstone Men and Women are also expected to meet and maintain a dozen criteria that include devoting five to 10 hours a week to their duties, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher – and of course, the verbal and personal skills to handle the campus tours.
A typical admissions tour takes about 3,800 steps. In an average week, a CMW guide may lead four or more tours. During particularly busy times, such as late spring or Fridays during football season, the sum can be much greater. In 2024, the CMW led more than 3,700 tours totaling more than 12,000 hours of time.
Capstone Women have to walk the route in high heels, a challenge Omo-Osagie said took some getting used to. Some perspective from her mother helped.
“I called her one day and I was like, ‘Mom, my feet hurt so bad.’ And she was like, ‘Kat, I have worn heels every day of my life and I’m 55 years old. If I can do it, then you can too,’” Omo-Osagie said, laughing. “After that, I never said anything again. And it’s become such a staple. I love wearing the heels. I’ve got a whole collection of heels now.”
The campus tours aren’t just a test of physical stamina. They’re also a little bit like a press conference, where parents and prospective students ask questions about the University, student life and Tuscaloosa. Other times, according to third-year Capstone Man Worth Hewitt, the questions are a little more off-the-wall.
“I get asked all the time…do I see X, Y or Z athlete on campus?,” Hewitt said. “You know, all these kids are football fans and they’re asking me, ‘Where can I find them?’ I’m like, ‘I really don’t know. I don’t have their daily schedule.’”
Beyond the tours, Capstone Men and Women work football tailgate parties at the President’s Mansion. They help staff campus assemblies. They may escort visiting dignitaries. Sometimes, they’re even responsible for washing the white golf carts used to ferry visitors around campus.
The days are busy and the duties soak in. Reminders even drop in during sleep.
“Everybody has the dream where they are late to a test or they didn’t study and they’re in the classroom,” Hewitt said. “I have the dream [where] I overslept for a tour. I missed a tour and I’m getting a phone call where I’m supposed to be there.”
Omo-Osagie said the material she memorized for the campus tours is burned into her memory.
“I think I will probably be 60, 70, 80 years old and come back to The University of Alabama and still be able to recite those facts,” she said.
Just as they were once inspired by the Capstone Men and Women, Omo-Osagie and Hewitt are now inspiring younger students to make the University of Alabama their collegiate home.
“It’s been really rewarding and really cool to see people on campus who I’ve given those tours to in the past, and [now] they’re going through their freshman and sophomore years,” Omo-Osagie said. “They’ve come up to me and they’ve said, ‘You convinced me to go to The University of Alabama.’ And that kind of makes everything worth it.”
This is the clear sense one gets from talking to the Capstone Men and Women. They love what they do. They develop friendships among the group and working relationships across campus. They feel like they’re part of an honored few. And they say they will take those feelings with them for the rest of their lives.