Every week, we’ll use STATEside to take a look back at the recent and not-so recent past, using the archives at the Vidette.
If you recall any of the campus happenings referenced in our This Week in Illinois State History feature, feel free to post in the Comments below.
10 years ago
A Vidette editorial on August 21, 2002, calls out the Milner Library for cutting the hours of its second floor, from 24 hours to closing at 2 a.m. and reopening at 7 a.m. The cost-cutting move meant students who liked the late-night computer lab access were left to look elsewhere, though a Milner official says “library employees often outnumbered the students studying late at night.” (These days, the library’s main floor and computer lab are open until 3 a.m. Sunday-Thursday.)
20 years ago
Students living in Illinois State residence halls have access to long-distance phone service for the first time. The best part of the CallEdge service, officials say: There is no surcharge for the long-distance calls. “It’s a pain because there are so many numbers to dial, but it’s better than a calling card because there are no operators and it’s cheaper,” one student says about the new CallEdge system.
30 years ago
The headline of the Vidette’s Page 3 lead story is “Universities are becoming dependent on computers.” The story touts the power of Illinois State’s central computer, located in Julian Hall, and the more than 200 computer terminals on campus that hook into the main computer system. That doesn’t include Milner Library’s own computer system (installed in 1980) or the Theater Department’s ticketing and booking system.
40 years ago
The 1962-63 school year at Illinois State Normal University is getting under way the week of September 10, a little later than today’s Illinois State University students. That missing “Normal” in the moniker — a link to the University’s teacher-education roots — is the topic of another article in today’s Vidette, hoping to educate new students about the debate over whether to drop the word. One reason to drop it: An alumni survey approved deletion of the name, by a vote of 24 to 9.
Ryan Denham can be reached at rmdenha@ilstu.edu.
