CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The 99th annual homecoming celebration at the University of Illinois kicks off with the iHelp volunteer project Friday (Oct. 2) through Sunday (Oct. 4).
Students on campus and alumni from around the world are asked to volunteer in their communities in the name of Alma Mater. The event is combined with U. of I. student service day on Friday (Oct. 2).
iHelp on campus is a volunteer project that sends more than 1,000 U. of I. students into the community and is organized by the alumni association's student ambassadors.
Homecoming weekend's "Rock the Block" party takes place from 7-9 p.m. Friday on Anniversary Plaza on the south side of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.
Rock the Block will feature a free outdoor concert, food, giveaways and appearances by U. of I. athletes.
For a complete list of scheduled events, visit the Homecoming Web site.
Other scheduled events:
- Oct. 6
Paint the Quad Orange, all day, to promote wearing orange. The event will feature music, games and "orange-out" competitions.
- Oct. 7
Undergraduate Library Research Rally, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Room 295, Undergraduate Library. Students can stop in for short research tutorials in a study push before Homecoming Weekend.
- Oct. 8
IUB African American Homecoming Pageant, 7 p.m., Illini Union Rooms A, B and C. As part of the IUB African American Homecoming tradition, this event will honor top contestants in the Mr. and Ms. U. of I. Pageant. Cost: $5 with Urbana campus ID; $7 for the public. Tickets available at the door.
- Oct. 9
Alumni Association Class of 1959 Reunion: 3:30 p.m. reception; 4:30 to 6 p.m. dinner and program, Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. Cost: $65 per person (includes reunion activities and football game ticket); $30 per person (reunion activities only).
Reconnect: Student Affairs Reunion, 4-6 p.m., Illini Union Rooms A, B C. The reunion with music and photos involves former student leaders, Student Affairs affiliates and those involved with activities such as the Illini Union Board, Volunteer Illini Projects, Student Alumni Ambassadors and student government.
Homecoming parade and pep rally, 6-8 p.m. The parade runs from 6-7 p.m. starting at Sixth Street and Taft Drive in Champaign, traveling through Campustown and turning south on Mathews Avenue in Urbana to end at the Quad. A pep rally on the Quad follows the parade and features performances by U. of I. organizations, appearances by head football coach Ron Zook and the football team and fireworks.
Illinois volleyball vs. Purdue, 7 p.m., Huff Hall, 1206 S. Fourth St., Champaign. Cost: $2-7; U. of I. students free.
- Oct. 10
Campus Recreation Alumni Tailgate and Open House, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Activities and Recreation Center, 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign. The ARC will host a tailgate from 9-10:30 a.m., which will include food, drink, a group photo, tour of the facilities and free gifts.
Illinois vs. Michigan State football game, 11 a.m., Memorial Stadium. Cost: $45. All U. of I. band alumni are invited to perform at the game.
An all-alumni post-game party will take place at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center from 3-5 p.m. The event will feature music, food and recognition of the Class of 1959.
Illini Comeback guests:
- Mark Filip, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1988
Filip was a deputy attorney general during the administration of President George W. Bush and acting attorney general under President Barack Obama.
Filip recently joined the law offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He served as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and was a partner at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Chicago. Filip also has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago and taught at the University of Chicago Law School.
- Robert G. Kennedy, College of Engineering, 1978
As co-president and co-chief operating officer at C-SPAN, Robert G. Kennedy has spent the last two decades bringing live governmental proceedings to the American Public.
C-SPAN was created as a public service by America's cable television industry to provide balanced, commercial-free coverage of the U.S. political process, including congressional hearings, speeches and political campaigns.
- Marvin White, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1969
An expert in automated mapping, White is the chief technology officer of Sportvision, a company that provides innovative technology for sports broadcasts.
White has been with Sportvision since its founding in 1998, leading the development of numerous technologies, including football's Virtual Yellow 1st and Ten Line, the KZone virtual strike zone in baseball, and RACEf/x in auto racing.
Sportvision's products have earned eight Emmy awards.
