Joining past and present: Students, fathers reflect on their time at UIUC
Photo courtetsy of Delanie Stein
Delanie Steinweg (center left) comes from an Illini family. Her father, Ed (right), is a University alumnus, as well as her two brothers.
November 4, 2015
It’s 2015. Freshmen Ellie DiGiulio, LAS, and Delanie Steinweg, LAS, now follow in their fathers’ footsteps after deciding to attend their alma mater.ss
Much has changed since each of their fathers were students here, while some things seem to be the same as they were 32 years ago.
A noticeable difference that the two men have noticed between then and now is in the campus itself. Some of the buildings and locations that students are accustomed to weren’t around back then.
“I spent most of my time on the Engineering Quad which was home to the men’s baseball team, at the time,” Roger DiGiulio said in an e-mail. “The Engineering Quad and the South Quad are now firmly established, many of the dorms have been modernized, and downtown Champaign, which was a place to be avoided at night, is now has a trendy cultural scene.”
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Delanie Steinweg said she thinks the campus is a lot more developed than it was when her dad was here.
“They’ve done a lot of renovations, and there are lot more high-rise apartments here now,” Delanie Steinweg said.
But some places, such as the Union, were frequented back then for much of the same reasons they are now.
“It was a good place to relax and unwind between classes. In my days, there were a lot more video games in the basement. We didn’t have video games on our TV so we used to go relax down there and play,” Ed Steinweg said.
While students now may head to Antonio’s or Second Story to grab a quick slice of their favorite pizza, back then it was Garcia’s Pizza that was the go-to for a slice of deep dish.
“For home football games they would fly a tomato-shaped hot air balloon because they were nicknamed the ‘home of the flying tomato,’” DiGiulio said.
The traditions and atmosphere at sporting events have changed significantly as well. While there may not have been a designated student section at football games back then, many students still tailgated and attended the games.
“I think the best part about the games was that we were still allowed to have Chief Illiniwek out on the field,” Steinweg said.
Nowadays, not only is Chief Illiniwek no longer allowed to perform at sporting events, but student participation at these games has declined.
“I think that attending the football and basketball games was more of a big deal during his years at school,” Ellie DiGiulio said. “People today still have a lot of Illini pride, but they don’t always go to games, and my dad always texts me on Saturdays to make sure I am going.”
However, whether it be 1983 or 2015, there is one thing that will never change.
“It was, and still is, a Big Ten university where you gain from strong academics, good friends and a lot of great opportunities,” Roger DiGiulio said.
