By Heather Goldin, Staff Writer
@HeatherGoldin

Think you know all the secrets that Boston University has to offer? You might have to think again if you haven’t been on Assistant Dean of Students Daryl Deluca’s VIP rooftop tour. What is this mysterious tour, you ask? Only one of the craziest experiences you might have the privilege of enjoying while attending BU. All I have to prove the greatness of this tour are these crazy views of Boston from the rooftops of the School of Management and the BU School of Law. Sorry, I still don’t know where the law library is because I was too busy chilling on the rooftop. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning.

Deluca knows quite a bit about BU. And he should, considering he has been giving this rooftop tour for 10 years. He claims to have given the tour to well over 10,000 people. It’s a wonder why I haven’t heard of it until recently. On Wednesday, some friends and I met Deluca in the SMG lobby, where he showed off his geography skills. Deluca had been to almost all of our hometowns at some point. I can’t promise he gives every group a special treatment, but I received my very own tin of BU mints. That’s right folk, mints with the BU logo.

The dean led us over to the elevators that supposedly went up to floor six, but when we stepped inside, Deluca swiped his card and we were off to the eighth floor. Did you know the ceiling in the SMG is false? We found ourselves on the presidential floor, home to BU President Robert Brown’s office and full of rooms for special guests to stay in. On the balcony of the eighth floor, we were at eye level with the Citgo sign. When the dean saw us eyeing some odd blocks on the ground, he said they were for scaffolds to attach

to when windows are washed. Each window on BU’s campus is only washed once a year, Deluca said, but it takes an entire year for every window to be washed!

On the ninth floor of SMG is the office of former BU President John Silber. One of the many BU secrets of is that within the office (now conference room), there is a safe room built in near the bookcases. By now, we were well above the Citgo sign, but still we went higher, literally onto the rooftop. The view was beautiful, and we even had a clear view up Commonwealth Avenue. Just when we thought the tour was over, Deluca asked us if we wanted to see more. Depending on the group, Deluca usually brings the tour through two or three different buildings, including SMG, BU Law, Warren Towers and the Student Villages.

Our group made its way to BU Law, where we went straight to the top floor and bounded many steps to the rooftop. Since we started our tour fairly late in the afternoon, night had by now made its way across the sky, coaxing the city lights to come alive. If you have not yet been to BU Law, it’s quite tall, so naturally the view was stunning. With the conclusion of our tour, I was left speechless, that is until I found the words to write about it on the FreeP blog.

How do I get in on this amazing tour, you might ask? Asking is all you have to do. Simply request a tour from Deluca himself, and he will be happy to give one to you and a few friends. Deluca’s office is on the third floor of the George Sherman Union.

Happy exploring!