Illini 411: Did the U. of I. really invent Homecoming?
A: It’s complicated. The idea that Illinois invented Homecoming comes from The Daily Illini, which ran an enthusiastic editorial after our first Homecoming in 1910 that called the U. of
Illini 411: Did an Illinois student pay his tuition with pennies?
A: Yes! Sort of. In the summer of 1987, incoming freshman Mike Hayes worried about how to pay for his education, until he got an oddball idea. He asked the
Illini 411: Were the Main Quad’s sidewalks based on the paths students naturally took?
A: The simple answer is no. According to the U. of I.’s Facilities & Services, the sidewalks were well-planned and reinforce the formal geometry of the Quad. (If the sidewalks
Illini 411: Is there research at Beckman Institute that interferes with Bluetooth?
A: I’ve also wondered about this, after noticing that every time I drive past Beckman, my Apple CarPlay malfunctions. I did some asking around on the north side of campus,
Illini 411: What’s the weirdest thing ever left in the Illini Union’s lost-and-found?
A: Thousands of people visit the Illini Union every day, and its lost-and-found is a catalog of the human experience, ranging from the mundane (I-Cards and eyeglasses) to the baffling
Illini 411: How did the “Dairy Queen in Altgeld Hall” rumor start?
A: Ever since its construction in the 1890s, jokes have abounded about Altgeld’s labyrinthine design and the treasures that undoubtedly lie within. In the early 2010s, students on Reddit began
Illini 411: Why did the U. of I. not have a Commencement speaker from 1976 to 1983?
A: By the mid-1970s, the class sizes at Illinois were enormous, and the campus-wide Commencement ceremonies, then held at the Assembly Hall, had grown uncomfortably long. In 1976, organizers decided
Illini 411: What happened to the alumni portraits displayed at the Illini Union?
A: The portrait gallery in the Union’s east corridor honored recipients of the Alumni Achievement Award, which the Alumni Association has sponsored since 1957. A few years ago, the gallery
Illini 411: What percentage of the campus is in Urbana versus Champaign?
A: It’s almost an even split. Keeping in mind that the dividing line between Champaign and Urbana is Wright Street, it breaks down like this: Champaign, 52.7 percent; Urbana, 47.3
Illini 411: Whatever happened to the local band One Eyed Jacks?
A: Founded at the U. of I. in 1966 as a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity band, the “Jacks” quickly became one of the Midwest’s most popular live acts, opening for iconic
