Well...they reluctantly go and seek out several locales strewn out across a city-sized campus. That should have been obvious. Regardless, the adventurous mishaps of said group were laced with good times, crammed with information and topped off with a bit of frustrated exhaustion.
Due to this group's lack of motivation and drive, they convinced themselves that wherever they went, Waldo, the infamous stealth professional himself, would be lurking in all of the remote locations they were to seek out.
The first place that Group 20 went to search for the sneaky stripe-shirted man was at the Communications Library in Gregory Hall. After mistaking tour guide Joel Spencer for Waldo, the group was roped into a longwinded blabfest about the Communications Library and all of it's charm and grandeur (just kidding, we enjoyed the tour).
Group 20 learned several things about the Communications library that they previously were unaware of. The first astonishing fact was that there was a Communications Library. What is that? Not only that, but it is part of the University's greater library, which holds a ridiculous 11 million volumes in its massive inventory. To put that in perspective, only Harvard and Yale have larger academic libraries (eat it, Princeton!). Also they have a large on-hand newspaper library which is a spectacle to be marveled at in its own right. However, the creme de la creme of this info-overloaded library is its mountainous advertisement library. "We have more Coca-Cola ads than Coca-Cola does," Spencer said. In addition to that, the caged mammoth that is this advertisement library assisted lawyers who were prosecuting tobacco companies by providing evidence that companies used to advertise to children. Another benefit of the communications library is its limitless access to files via databases. Databases contain thousands of files that either no longer accessible in print or that the university may not have on file. The university pays for all the subscriptions to the databases. Those subscriptions aren't cheap, either. How much does the university spend on database subscriptions? "A lot. The total's in the millions," Spencer said.
After learning all the information they could ask for regarding the communications library, group twenty set off to find Waldo elsewhere. Word on the street was that he was hiding out in Campbell Hall, home of public television station WILL. So they decided to try and catch the ever elusive man there. Martha Brown, being the nice lady she is, decided to help Group 20 find their target whilst simultaneously divulging loads of info about the studio itself.
Urbana-Champaigns local TV and Radio station WILL, is a fully equipped facility running out of Campbell Hall on Goodwin Street. While taking technology to the next level, their cameras are now robotic and can be controlled with a joystick from the control room. But the control room isn’t cramped, despite the assumption made by Group 20. There will be 4 people, at most, manning the systems during a show. The students then moved on to the Master Control room and saw a flash of red stripes. They looked around and realized they were in a room filled with hundreds of machines and thousands of buttons. They learned that there are only three men experienced enough to handle all the technology in the room, although outdated. They are currently in the slow process of switching from high quality VCR’s to DVD’s. The same goes for the music library located upstairs, which still holds several records organized by some sort of ancient computer. The WILL radio station usually has several guests and will soon be streaming live to iPods.
Group 20 made their way up to their last destination in the Illini Union, the Tenant Union, which was not easy to find all the way up on the third floor of the northern sector of the building. Upon entry, Group 20 was greeted by a pair of Tenant Union employees, unfortunately, neither happened to be Waldo. The two employees gladly gave the group a plethora of information about their services. The Tenant Union seemed to be a very helpful service to anyone, young or old, renting an apartment. The students learned that they can easily check potential landlords’ complaints, as well as get their unsigned leases reviewed by the helpful staff at the Tenant Union, free of charge. In addition to these free services, the Tenant Union offers to help try and resolute any complaints made by tenants, in which the Tenant Union speaks directly to the landlords in hopes of mending any problems.
At the University of Illinois, Group 20 learned that there were many programs here to help transition incoming freshman into the complex settings of college. That meant Waldo could have been anywhere! One of Waldo’s favorite programs included the 100 Strong Program. Designed for new African-American students, the 100 Strong Program has proven to be very helpful. 100 Strong is all about guidance. This program pairs a student up with a mentor, who is an upperclassman, and their mentor teaches them the dos and don’ts of college. This format is very helpful for students; they make fewer mistakes when receiving helpful information from the upperclassmen. Along with a mentor, students take a class based around this program. The class has many informative lectures, and help students learn more about the African-American culture. This class also provides extra credit hours for students. The 100 Strong Program is ran out of the African-American Culture House or commonly known as the “Black House.” This program is a tool for freshman to use, and is widely recommended by Group 20. It is better to have a smooth year than a hard-fought one, and with this program students will!
As group 20 followed the trace of Waldo, they arrived on the third floor of the Illini Union. The Office of Volunteer Programs, located in the Illini Union, provides a clearinghouse where volunteer opportunities can be matched with willing volunteers. It opened in the Fall of 1989 to promote community service and volunteer activity. The OVP also does the following: “provides informational resources on volunteerism; advises student service organizations; connect student groups and agencies; connects the C-U community and the University; offer consulting to strengthen community service-related programs; educates students about community service via workshops; and conducts outreach with community agencies and student groups.”
Group 20 then journeyed through the Illini Union, in their search for Waldo, to the Illini Leadership Center. The Illini Leadership Center hosts an enormous amount of programs designed to cultivate average students into confident leaders. One of these programs includes the LeaderShape Program. For six days and five nights, hopeful students travel to Allerton Mansion, during their winter break, and work on different leadership skills. The program molds students into leaders by using a variety of team-based activities. During these activities, students are put into to situations where they will need to lead. Along with receiving new leadership skills, students get to network with many powerful people. All of these factors help shape students into great leaders. In order to be apart of this amazing program, students will need to go through a rigorous process. Along the road, students will have to contact their Dean’s office, and try to get nominated. Once nominated, students are selected for the program. Even though the selection process can be quite difficult, it is definitely worth a stay at a beautiful mansion with a grassy garden and marble floors! Plus, students become powerful leaders in the end.
The group’s next stop landed them at The Career Center, located at 715 S. Wright St. The Career Center provides an abundance of resources to help land students a job. At The Career Center, students can learn how to create resumes as well as have their own resumes critiqued –absolutely free of charge. Additionally, The Career Center allows students to set up mock interviews in order to hone their interviewing skills. Mock interviews require an appointment beforehand, however. Students should have no trouble finding help on campus, as The Career Center is one of over twenty Career Services located on the University’s campus. Just as the group approached the door to exit, a man with a red-striped beanie passed by quickly. Nobody happened to notice that it was Waldo until he was far down the block. Group 20 did their best to follow him.
Leaving the Career Center left the students invigorated and inspired and ready to test their skills in an office setting. The nearest-by office? That of the Daily Illini and The Buzz, located on the second floor of the media building on Green Street. The group went up and found out what it’s like to be members of the media (not really, but that does sound good, doesn’t it?). Illini alumnus Hugh Hefner now runs a slightly different publication, but he first put his genius to the test as a cartoonist for The Daily Illini. The Daily Illini is a newspaper publication that comes out every day, which is a lot harder than it sounds for a student-run operation. Even when the students go home for the summer, the DI doesn’t quit, as it comes out multiple times per week even on its employees’ time off. It’s sister publication, The Buzz, comes out every Thursday with about 24,000 copies made weekly. It also took home a 2009 College Press Association Award. Pretty nifty!
Then the group traveled to the Office of the Dean of Students. This is the host of the Emergency Dean Program, which everybody has heard plenty about, but no one really knows what it does. This and the whereabouts of Waldo were what drew Group 20 to the hidden lair of the Office of the Dean of Students. Upon arrival the gang found out that there is a dean on duty. There was a dean on duty four months ago. There was a dean on duty at 4:30 in the morning on the day of my eleventh birthday. There has been a dean of students on duty for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, since 1970. This is set up so that no matter the circumstances, if a student has an emergency, he/she can talk to a dean to address the problem. Emergencies include if the student has become ill, or a family emergency has taken place, or if an important deadline has been missed. You would think that this program would be far less necessary during the summertime when students are at home… NAY ! says the Office of the Dean of Students, there will ALWAYS be someone there to talk to in time of need. Waldo was found, but escaped before the group could interact.
“It’s all your fault! Hey you suck!” would be the phrases you would hear when in an Illinois hockey game. The Harassing Illini, which was founded in February 2002 by Dennis Timpanaro and Nick Bridge, is the official student organization that verbally harasses the opposing team. , “ We also have certain catch phrases we use for certain activities or actions of players ("Nice shot, Dick Cheney!", "That shot went as wide as your mother!") or even just taunting a certain player by saying his name.” said Kevin Fik, the former president of the Harassing Illini. Since an unfocused player is an advantage for the Illini, the Harassing Illini always tries to distract opposing players in any way they can. Currently the Harassing Illini is lead by Eric Stensland and Jacob Dubravec. As group 20 wandered around the ice rink, they thought they saw Waldo among the players on the rink.
McKinley Health Center is here to serve the students. With a 24-hour Dial-a-Nurse service, students can get medical help at the push of a button. They are prepared with everything a student might need at low or no cost. They offer stress relief packs, cold packs, and free condoms among other things. You can make appointments on a same day basis and get a full medical check up for free! Of course, this is all covered by the Health Service Fee paid as part of enrollment.
The final destination for this group was the Spurlock Museum. This “final boss” of sorts was over a century old. As the collection that sits inside of it today began forming all the way back in 1874. In a few months, it will have been 100 years since the fourth floor of Lincoln Hall was turned into a fully fledged museum that would become Spurlock Museum. However, the collection grew and grew to be 30,000 items large before being moved in 1997 to its current location. William and Clarice Spurlock blessed the collection with the funding for its expansion to a new, state-of-the-art building. There they encountered their nemesis Waldo for the final time and were able to capture him and make him reveal the secret of his conspicuous existence. “I dunno, I love being around other people, but I guess I’m sort of timid, and don’t like talking to people,” Waldo said. The group responded with a unanimous “really?” before the frightened fugitive was able to wriggle free. Waldo jumped down a manhole and was never seen in the Champaign-Urbana area again.
THANK YOU FOR READING OF THIS EXOTIC JOURNEY.
-Eliot Sill, Fiela Winston, Blake Pon, Danielle Brown, Sooyoung Ahn
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