Mr. EIU!

If you spend much time around Eastern Illinois University, it’s a pretty good bet you’ve crossed paths with Omar Solomon. In fact, it may just be an exercise in futility to find another EIU employee who puts himself “out there” as much as this staff member in the Office of Admissions.

An admissions counselor by trade, Solomon’s job is to recruit prospective students – his territory is Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area – but he’s never been one to let his relationships with these students end once he gets them on campus.

“I love working with them,” said Solomon of Eastern’s students. “Every day is a new story. Every student, every year … they have a new story to tell. You get to work with them. You kind of get to mold them, almost.”

Attend a sporting event or any other large-scale campus function like First Night or the homecoming pep rally, and you’ll see Solomon at the forefront, leading cheers and getting participants revved up.

“The feeling, the atmostphere is so electric,” said Solomon of these various events. “When I go to a game, I like to assist with the Blue Crew or any of the students; I just think it’s greatfor the entire atmosphere of the university. When you’re growing up and you look at high school and college football games, you see that excitement.

“I want to bring that here at EIU. Even as a student I did that, and I want to continue that as a staff member. You’re never too old to have school spirit.”

A native of the south suburbs of Chicago, Solomon transferred to Eastern from a community college and fell in love.

“EIU was like a home away from home,” said Solomon. “It was like (the television show) Cheers, where everybody knows your name. No matter where you go, no matter where you walk, someone is saying ‘hi’ to you. They’re opening the door.

“The interaction you have with the faculty and staff is so personal, so one-on-one, so intimate. You can’t beat that.”

How exactly did Omar get so comfortable being this guy who is out front leading cheers and working crowds? He traces it back to his days as a student and his first football game at O’Brien Field.

“I heard them saying ‘EI-EI-EIU’ and I’m like ‘you know, I can do that’,” Solomon remembers. “So I just yelled it out and they said ‘hey, keep doing that. You’re pretty good.’

“I pretty much became known on campus from there. I just kind of broke out of my shell; I got involved in various registered student organizations, became a resident assistant, a tour guide. Now after I graduated, I’ve been working in admissions. This is the start of my sixth year in the profession.”

Breaking out of their shell is what Solomon forever preaches to EIU students when he recruits and interacts with them.

“I really think (students) just need to step outside their comfort zone and have fun – really enjoy what it means to be a student. Just by doing a little chant, they might (get the confidence) to go up to a professor and not be afraid to ask a question.

“Stepping outside their comfort zone is the most important thing I tell the students when they’re entering the university. They feel more at home. They feel more comfortable. That’s what we want at EIU.”

At the end of the day, it’s clear Solomon looks around Eastern and sees one big extended family to which he is extraordinarily dedicated.

“I really think we’re all in this together,” said Solomon. “Everyone is out to help each other, no matter what’s going on inside or outside their personal life. They really want to see students succeed. They really want to see students walk across that stage. I really think our faculty and staff dedicate their lives to that.

“When I’m going throughout the state and recruiting at various high schools, I try to leave that positive impression about EIU; not just the academics we have to offer here, but also the experience you can be a part of if you come to Eastern.

“And when I see them on campus, I get excited! I give them a high five. I take a selfie with them. You can even find them on Twitter. I think a lot of students truly enjoy that. They say ‘Hey, you remember my name!’ That’s what we are here at EIU. We’re a family. We’re supposed to know who you are. We’re supposed to build a relationship. That’s why students choose us, and that’s why students graduate here from us.”