On any given Friday night in Bousfield Hall, it is not unusual to find Marching Illini members gathered in the lounge, watching movies or swapping stories about rehearsal. For some freshmen, living alongside their bandmates was their first introduction to a new environment and new people.
That was the case for Ananya Maddulapalli, junior in FAA, who spent her first year living on the sixth floor of Bousfield with other Marching Illini members.
“It was good to be around a lot of people who were in the same activity as I was,” Maddulapalli said. “A lot of times, my roommates and I would walk to rehearsals together, and we would get ready for game days together. Marching Illini takes up so much of your time, and it is really a big commitment. So having somebody who is also in that commitment with you is a nice way to stay organized.”
Barry Houser, director of the Marching Illini, set up the arrangement. He messaged students planning to live in University Housing and offered an option to live in Bousfield with other band members. Maddulapalli signed up and was placed with a piccolo player as her roommate.
“I just got randomly assigned to my roommate,” Maddulapalli said. “Our entire hallway had Marching Illini members.”
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She said the setup helped her make friends and eased the transition into college.
“We spend a lot of time together, and we are hanging out together a lot,” Maddulapalli said. “That definitely helped me form more connections, because you are around these people all the time.”
While Greek housing is often considered central to campus life, other student organizations have created their own shared living spaces. Beyond the Marching Illini, groups like the Illini Waterski and Wakeboard Club, the Adventure Club and the Men’s Golf Caddy Club have also formed houses and apartments where members live under one roof.
For band members, those arrangements stretch beyond dorm rooms. Off-campus houses have become a popular option, with several organized almost entirely around Marching Illini sections.
Tiffany Saxinger, senior in ACES, lives in one of these “music-centered houses.” She lives with six roommates, five of whom are involved in the Marching Illini.
“It is a house that primarily has members of the trumpet section,” Saxinger said. “Three out of the six of us here are trumpet players, and two others are in the saxophone and trombone sections. Our sixth roommate is not in the Marching Illini, but he does play saxophone.”
Saxinger said the house allows her roommates to host section events, like ribbon making, and serves as a meeting hub for the trumpet section of the Marching Illini. She said it also helps them bond over shared schedules.
“For rehearsal, we are all leaving the house at the same time,” Saxinger said. “We can carpool to events, and if someone has a question about the band, usually one of the five of us has an answer.”
The idea for the house originated from a similar living setup in past years. After the original group graduated, new members formed another such house. Saxinger jokingly said they are a sort of “reincarnation” of the original music-specific house.
“We all have the same busy weeks and not busy weeks,” Saxinger said. “With having such a busy schedule, it definitely helps living with people with that same busy schedule.”
Saxinger added that her experience living with band members has been better than living with friends from back home.
“I like this better because scheduling is easier,” Saxinger said. “Band members are like-minded. We all care about school, good grades and supporting each other. I would definitely suggest other people consider it.”
Whether it is a dorm hallway full of band members or an off-campus house for trumpets, students across campus are finding unique housing arrangements.
For Maddulapalli and Saxinger, those living spaces made their transition into college easier and helped them meet new people who shared similar interests.
