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Caption: UI Foundation Series - Bulletin 4 (1936)
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XtGu_ J~^— "UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BULLETIN P U B L I S H E D T W I C E A W E E K BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOURTH FOUNDATION NUMBER Vol. X X X I V , No. 29 Tuesday, Dec. 8, 1936 A N e w Privilege for All Illini World Famous Illini Spirit to be Rededicated Through Greater Cooperation Between Alumni and University UNION BUILDING PROPOSED AS ONE OBJECTIVE "The reward of one duty done is the power to fulfill another." —George Elliot. W E L V E years ago the Stadium was dedicated—the achievement of a great duty—nay, a privilege—by the illustrious family of the Illini. Today a new duty—nay, a privilege—awaits the call of loyalty. Another step towards a greater Illinois—a most vital move in that it affects the reputation of the institution as it does the welfare of her alumni, students, faculty, and friends—is being launched quietly but surely. Plans for a new and adequate Union Building, are materializing rapidly. Up to now it has been a sort of hazy dream. W e have been talking about it for more than twenty-five y e a r s ; now we are doing many things which will result ultimately in the addition of this unit so essential to present educational plants. Illinois Behind I t s Neighbors The collegiate and alumni world has long considered Illinois as being sadly behind her sister institutions insofar as a Union Building—call it a Student Center, or a Commons if you like—is concerned. W e have no adequate meeting place for students of both sexes, parents, faculty and alumni; no overnight facilities for official guests, parents and alumni; and no well-appointed ball room for general student dances and other social functions. W e need more adequate game rooms for student recreation; we need greatly expanded office space for the executive committees of the many and varied student activities. These facts have been clearly pointed out from time to time in the foundation bulletins. The proposed Union Building will not only furnish an adequate recreational center for all students and faculty but will also give each and every alumnus a definite place to call his "home" when returning to the campus. It is felt that (lie social and recreational features of such a building will better unite all of the students so that they will eventually become better and more active alumni and that the same features will more closely unite the present alumni so that they will return to the University more frequently and in greater numbers. President Willard Favors Union Building President Willard presented the facts clearly and concisely in a recent talk before a group of alumni when he said: "The University of Illinois, as of November 1, 1936, has a total student T enrollment of 12,919, the highest in its history for the first semester. Of these students, 11,806 are living in UrbanaChampaign and 1,113 in Chicago. T h e former group includes 8,560 men and 3,246 women. T h e r e are also located in Urbana-Champaign about 1,700 members of the administrative, technical and instructional staff of the University. "These two resident groups totaling more than 13,506 have no single, common social or campus community center more general social contacts than we have ever had in the past, would be greatly to promote student and faculty association, and to serve our rapidly increasing alumni and many visitors through an adequate headquarters comparable with such services and facilities at other institutions. It is my judgment that in the present situation without a suitable structure in which to realize the above objectives the University of Illinois is not only at a distinct disadvantage among all other mid-continent universities, but also is not providing facilities to its students, faculty, and alumni in an important field now generally recognized as an essential function of modern university life and administration." Foundation Sponsors Campaign T h e University of Illinois Foundation is actively sponsoring the Illinois Union Building. T h e Board of Directors has taken positive action and all the necessary committees are in the process of being formed and a nation-wide organization will be set up as soon as practicable. President K. J. T. Ekblaw and the Executive Committee of the Foundation will soon appoint the Central Committee which will be made up of the Chairmen who will direct the project in the various cities. A general meeting of this committee, with members of the Foundation Board, the Alumni Association Board, and the University authorities, will probably be held in Chicago within the next thirty days at which time plans for the campaign will be discussed and the basic principles of the campaign agreed upon. Plans for Campaign Much still remains to be done before the drive can be started. Several available sites for the building on the campus are being considered; preliminary studies of the proposed new Union Building have been made by the University's Physical Plant Department; a committee is discussing the features to be embodied in the building. Everything in the nature of preliminary work which can be done is being carried out. The campaign workers not only in Illinois but in all states of the Union must be organized; methods of financing the proposition must be set up with the help of our alumni who are skilled in banking and financial m a t t e r s ; and all details of the campaign must be accurately synchronized. An application for a grant from the Government to assist us in financing the building was made in July but the recommendations are still in the hands of the Public W o r k s Administration. As soon as we are ready to start, full details of the campaign will be announced. T h e Illini CAN do it! T h e Illini SHOULD doit! T h e Illini WILL do it! ®i}£ lltxxxtvrsitg af JIHnnia ifinmtbattcm a n i l OfB JUttmttt A&&ntmtwn tutaff t j i m A $£rtj Uforru Christmas attfc ©if* gfoat of lEutfrutfjfits for 1037 i f I which is open and available to all regardless of membership in fraternities o r sororities, or any other association. There are at present 62 fraternities and 27 sororities and various other organized groups which maintain separate houses. T h e three Women's Residence Halls provide for 350 women students. On the other hand there are 6,332 students in the so-called independent group who have practically no social center or common meeting place, and no opportunity to meet socially and in a general way with the fraternity and sorority groups. Indeed, these latter groups have no opportunity to meet each other in a common center open to all groups. W e Have N o Adequate Meeting Place W o r s t of all, in my opinion, there is no headquarters for visiting alumni who return to the campus in ever-increasing numbers, to say nothing of the hundreds, of mothers and fathers who come to the campus both before and after their sons and daughters become students. "The real service which such a building would perform, in addition to the great importance and value of unifying our student body through far better and
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