Category: Research

Campus Traditions: Class Colors and the Color Rush

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Written by Anna Trammell We all know that the representative colors of the University of Illinois are orange and blue. For many years, however, students showed loyalty to their individual class by displaying a different set of colors. The tradition of class colors began early in the University’s history. In 1891,... Read More

Campus Traditions: the Failure of the Practical

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Written by Thomas Hendrickson Years ago, nearly a century now, the University of Illinois campus was rife with traditions that undergraduate classes were supposed to observe. Many of these traditions were written down for incoming freshmen in student handbooks published by the YMCA. These were traditions that involved the Senior... Read More

Writings Depict Illinois Student Experience

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Written by Ellen Swain As finals wind down and students leave campus for a much needed winter break, the SLC Archives thanks all students who visited the Archives this semester for class introduction sessions and tours or to conduct research for essays and final papers! Classes from the Undergraduate Rhetoric... Read More

World War II and University Housing

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Written by Thomas Hendrickson After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the United States launched itself into World War II and, like many universities and colleges throughout the States, the University of Illinois was fully engaged in mobilizing its resources for the war effort. New military-student programs began to be set... Read More

Beckoning Forward: The Extraordinary Life of Carlos Montezuma

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Written by Anna Trammell In 1871, a group of Pimas took a young Yavapai boy named Wassaja captive. From there, he would begin on a journey that would eventually lead him to Urbana, Illinois. Political activist, writer, physician, and the first Native American graduate of the University of Illinois, his... Read More