Chapter 8

Cultural, Social, and Recreational Opportunities

ILLINI UNION

The Illini Union is the University's community center, serving students, faculty and staff members, alumni, and guests. The Union combines in one establishment 76 hotel rooms; accommodations for meetings and banquets; a food court and a lunch buffet served in the ballroom; a billiard room and bowling center; a vending service; a browsing library; check-cashing services and a ticket office; and other facilities and services which are outlined in the Illinibook, available from the Illini Union Bookstore.

Bookstore

The Illini Union Bookstore, located on the corner of Wright and Daniel, is a campus textbook and trade book store operated by the University of Illinois. In addition to all required and recommended textbooks, the bookstore carries thousands of paperback titles in a variety of subject areas, University of Illinois Press titles, and outstanding hardback books, including those authored by faculty members. The bookstore also maintains a wide selection of school and office supplies and electronics, as well as such sundries as University of Illinois apparel and memorabilia.

LEVIS FACULTY CENTER

The William E. and Margaret H. Levis Faculty Center is located at 919 West Illinois Street, Urbana. The facilities include large and small meeting rooms, as well as space suitable for meals and receptions. Food and beverage service (for functions held at the center) is provided by a catering service, which is located in the building. For room reservations and rates, call 333-6241; for catering information, call 333-3435.

CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA) functions both as a training facility for University performing arts students and as a cultural center for surrounding communities. The gift of University alumnus Herman Krannert and his wife Ellnora, the complex was designed by University alumnus and architect Max Abramovitz.

KCPA is home to School of Music performing organizations, the Departments of Dance and Theatre, Sinfonia da Camera, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. World-renowned guest artists appear as part of the Krannert Center's Marquee Season.

The KCPA complex includes a world-class concert hall, three theatres, and an outdoor amphitheater; The Promenade, a gift shop specializing in performing

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arts-related merchandise, jewelry, cards, and imported candies; Intermezzo, a café offering breakfast, lunch, light suppers, pastries, Krannert Blend coffees, and other specialties; outdoor patios and terraces; two-level parking underneath the building; rehearsal facilities; and shops for scenery construction, lighting design, costumes, and props.

To receive notices of upcoming events, for tickets, or for current program information, call the Krannert Center Ticket Office at 333-6280, or visit the Krannert Center Web site at KrannertCenter.com

African-American Cultural Program

The primary goal of the African American Cultural Program (AACP) is to promote the contributions and interests of people of African descent to the University community. We seek to help create an environment conducive to the cultural, political, and social needs of African American students on campus, while informing the entire campus community about African Ameri-can culture and issues. The AACP seeks to serves as a central meeting place for individuals and groups, providing a safe, welcoming atmosphere for all.

The program supports the following performing workshops: the University of Illinois Black Chorus, the Omnimov Dancers, and Theater of the Black Experience. The AACP also sponsors the WBML student radio station and the Griot newsletter; both are student run and provide practical experience in broadcasting and creative writing. The program works with student groups and campus units to sponsor and cosponsor visiting artists and lecturers. These activities seek to enhance learning and understanding of issues related to African American concerns.

AACP sponsors several annual programs: MAAFA Commemoration, A Time of Reflection About the Past and Current Struggles of African Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium, a Black History Month program for local school children, and the congratulatory program, which recognizes the academic accomplishments of African American students just prior to their graduation. The program also sponsors an annual Mom's Day celebration featuring a Black Expo and Black Chorus concert. All programs and workshops are open to the entire University and the neighboring community.

La Casa Cultural Latina

La Casa Cultural Latina is a cultural resource center at the University. Its mission is to provide a supportive environment in which Latina/o students can grow, develop, and understand Latina/o issues, experiences, and values within the University and extended community.

Designed to assist Latina/o students in their pursuits and to foster an awareness and understanding of the cultures, contributions, and concerns of Latina/os in the United States, La Casa sponsors lectures, seminars, workshops, cultural film festivals, peer counseling, tutoring, and the production of a literary magazine and newsletter. In addition, La Casa coordinates a peer mentoring program that provides volunteer peer counselors/friends to aid Latina/o first-year students in adapting to University life and to help make the transition into the University easier. Call 333-4950 or e-mail lacasa@uiuc.edu. La Casa's Web address is www.odos.uiuc.edu/lacasa/

Office of Women's Programs

The Office of Women's Programs provides intervention and advocacy services to individual students, both female and male, around issues of concern to women, including sexual victimization and relationship abuse.  

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The office offers many educational workshops on topics ranging from personal safety to assertiveness and effective communication to acquaintance sexual assault. Additionally, students who are interested in gaining practical experience in working on women's issues can enroll in an internship program. Financial awards are also available for undergraduate and graduate women. Call 333-3137 for further information.

School of Music Concerts and Performing Organizations

The School of Music presents more than 500 concerts and recitals on campus per year, including performances by faculty artists, students, chamber groups, and choral and instrumental ensembles. The school is home to two symphonic orchestras and Sinfonia da Camera, a professional chamber orchestra, nine choral ensembles, ten bands, three jazz bands, a new music ensemble, and a multifaceted opera program that ranges from workshop and outreach productions to fully staged operas. Students and community members benefit from master classes and other presentations given by numerous guests each year.

Department of Dance

The Department of Dance is a unique cultural resource for the University community. As a resident producing unit in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts since 1968, the dance department has developed a rich tradition of producing significant and varied dance repertory, including works by resident faculty and guest choreographers and reconstructions of dance classics. Recent highlights include the Midwestern premieres of Nijinsky's original choreography of L'Apres-midi d' un Faune, and Martha Graham's Panorama; Jose Limon's The Unsung, Concerto Grosso, and Choreographic Offering; David Parsons's The Envelope; Doris Humphrey's Passagaglia and Fugue; Alwin Nikolais' Sanctum and Tensile Involvement; Talley Beatty's Mourner's Bench; Paul Taylor's Esplanade; Susan Marshall's Arms; Jawole Willa Joe Zollar's Bitter Tongue; Twyla Tharp's The Fugue; Ronald K. Brown's Strange Fruit and commissioned works by prominent contemporary choreographers including Bill Young, Lynn Dally, Joe Goode, Doug Elkins, Bebe Miller, Joe Chvala, Ralph Lemon, and Tere O'Connor. The Department of Dance performs in the Colwell Playhouse and the Studio Theatre of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. For information about performances, contact the Krannert Center Ticket office (333-6280).

Department of Theatre Performances

The Department of Theatre produces three series of plays each year in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Drawing from a wide variety of theatre genres, the Department of Theatre produces an annual season of three plays in the Colwell Playhouse, four plays in the Studio Theatre, plus a summer repertory season of three plays in the Studio Theatre. For information about performances, contact the Krannert Center Ticket Office (333-6280) or the Department of Theatre (333-2371).

Films

A rich program of films and film-related events is available on the U of I campus. Many domestic and foreign films are shown each week, and there are also special events each semester involving major directors, producers, actors, writers, critics, and scholars who visit the campus primarily under the sponsorship of the Unit for Cinema Studies and other cooperating groups.

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Illinois Radio Reader

The Illinois Radio Reader (333-6503) is a free radio service for the blind and physically handicapped community of East-Central Illinois. Listeners are kept up-to-date on world, national, state and local news via a special radio receiver.

WILL Television/Radio

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign operates a public television station and two public radio stations from Urbana-Champaign. The television service, WILL-TV, transmits programs from the Public Broadcasting Service as well as programs produced locally. WILL-TV also administers the University cable TV service, UI-7, available in Champaign-Urbana. WILL-AM 580, a National Public Radio affiliate, broadcasts NPR news and information programming as well as locally produced news, weather, call-in, and agricultural programs. WILL-FM 90.9 (101.1 in Champaign-Urbana) specializes in music classical, jazz, folk, opera, and big bandas well as spoken arts programs.

Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion

Founded in 1961, the Krannert Art Museum houses more than 8,000 works of art including paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts. Of particular distinction and size are its collections of Greek art; ancient Peruvian ceramics, textiles, and jewelry; Renaissance, baroque, and eighteenth-century paintings; and American art of the twentieth century. The Museum contains thirteen major galleries, an auditorium, a cafe/bookstore, a library, a print study room, and storage facilities. The Museum presents many temporary exhibitions each year and numerous lectures and symposia. Call 333-1860 for recorded information or 333-1861 to reach the administrative offices.

Spurlock Museum

Located at 600 South Gregory in Urbana, the Spurlock Museum will provide a new home for the 45,000 ethnographic and cultural artifacts formerly housed in the University's World Heritage and Natural History Museums. Significant collections of artifacts from around the world and throughout history will be displayed in the Museum's six galleries.

The Museum of Natural History, a division of the Spurlock Museum, is located in the Natural History Building just east of the Illini Union. The Museum features permanent exhibits on biology and geology as well as substantial and significant research collections.

Both museums will be closed during the preparation of the new Spurlock Museum facility, with the grand opening scheduled for September 2002. Though closed, the museum's education department continues to offer educational outreach programs and presentations on the new museum. For more information about the museum and its programs, visit the Virtual Spurlock Museum at www.spurlock.uiuc.edu or call Kim Sheahan at 244-3355.

Museum of Natural History (See Spurlock Museum.)

Assembly Hall

The University's versatile Assembly Hall, which accommodates a wide range of programming features, is not only a regional entertainment and sports center but also a nationally recognized pioneer and pacesetter in programming, administration, and architecture. 

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The Assembly Hall's primary function is to provide special events programming for University students, but it also houses activities and entertainment of statewide interest. Seating configurations accommodate audiences from 3,600 to 17,000. For more information, see the Assembly Hall home page at www.assembly.uiuc.edu.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Blood Donor Program

Volunteer Illini Projects sponsors several blood drives in conjunction with the Community Blood Services of Illinois and American Red Cross throughout the academic year. These monthly drives take place in the Illini Union. University staff members are encouraged to become regular blood donors and help prevent blood shortages.

Division of Campus Recreation

The Division of Campus Recreation offers an extensive variety of recreational opportunities for the entire campus community and their families. Programs and services include the informal use of recreational facilities; swim lessons; ice skating; intramural sports; group exercise classes; personal fitness training; strength and conditioning clinics; outdoor adventure trips; clinics and equipment rentals; sport clubs; summer camps for youth; and a variety of special events.

For more information on Campus Recreation programs and membership, visit 140 Intramural-Physical Education Building (IMPE) at 201 E. Peabody Drive, call 333-3806, or visit www.campusrec.uiuc.edu.

University of Illinois Alumni Association

The University of Illinois Alumni Association (www.uiaa.org) is an allied agency of the University that maintains alumni records, provides programs and services for alumni, and encourages support for all campuses of the University. It is one of the largest alumni associations in the world, with more than 129,000 members and an alumni body of approximately 508,000. The association publishes Illinois Alumni, UIC Alumni Magazine and Horizons (UIS) and maintains a significant Internet presence to keep alumni connected and informed about happenings on the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield campuses and to report on interesting activities of fellow alumni.

Robert Allerton Park and Conference Center

Robert Allerton Park and Conference Center is located four miles southwest of Monticello. The property was given to the University of Illinois in 1946 by Robert Allerton as an area devoted to conservation, education, recreation, and research. The park's special features, and 1,517 acre natural area, of which 1,000 acres are designated a National Natural Landmark, make it a rich resource for research and learning. Complementing the natural areas are formal gardens that feature nearly 100 sculptures, and a forty-room mansion that is in the Georgian architectural style, adapted for use as a conference center.

The park and visitors' center are open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk. For park information, call the visitors' center at 244-1035; for reservations and information about the conference center, call 333-3287, or see the Web site at www.conted.uiuc.edu/allerton/

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