DC Illinotes

University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.

Spring 2015 www.dcillini.org

Illini of the Year Luncheon

New annual luncheon venue expected to yield higher turnout

Club members expect the new location of the Illini of the Year Luncheon Wildfire Tysons Corner
will bring more members to the
annual event, to be held this year on
May 17 at 12:30 p.m.
In the past, club members noted
that the luncheons were pricey and
far from public transportation. But
the new venue offers Silver Line
Metro access, and it will allow the
club to sell tickets at lower prices.
Board member Merle Mulvaney
(58 ACES) started attending the DC

Illini luncheons in 1992 and has not

missed one since.
Its a nice event. You get to meet
people who you normally wouldnt
run into because a lot of the folks
who attend dont have time to regularly attend other club events, he
said. I always have fun.
Jack Wagner said he benefits
professionally from attending the
annual luncheon.
It isnt a straight networking
event, yet you meet someone and
later remember a name, which leads

to a connection or referral, he said.

Tickets are $35 for members and
$45 for non-members. The ticket

Alumni can help

University amid
budget cuts

Illinois in Washington

During the Young Illini event on Jan. 29 interns joined alumni for small group discussions on careers, networking
and the social scene in DC.

Club hosts networking

event for D.C.-area interns
Continuing its outreach to local interns
and recent graduates, the DC Illini held another successful semesterly Young Illini
Welcome Reception and Career Discussion
Event on Jan. 29 at the D.C. office of Hunton
& Williams. The fifth such event in the clubs
nearly 2-year-old outreach effort, the event
represents an ongoing partnership between
the DC Illini and the universitys Illinois in

price includes a family style meal,

dessert and beverages. All tickets
can be purchased via dcillini.org.
Children under 12 need not pay
for a ticket; parents will be able
to pay Wildfire directly for what
they order off the childrens menu
the day of the luncheon. Children
guests still must purchase a free
ticket on dcillini.org for headcount
purposes.
Wildfire Tysons is located at 2001
International Dr., McLean, Virginia
22102. n

The school year is finishing up back on campus,

and Im sure were all looking forward to the summertime months here in D.C. But before I start focusing on events impacting our
local club, I want to bring your
attention to some important
matters happening in Illinois
and at the university.
The current budget proposal
for the state of Illinois would
slash higher education funding
by up to 30 percent. That is a
drastic increase from the cuts DC Illini President
Nisha Patruni
the state has seen in recent

Washington intern program.

The welcome reception provided an opportunity for the approximately 15 participating
interns and recent graduates to network with
a group of 20 local alumni. Following the reception, the group participated in a series a
small group speed dating discussions a
new feature for this semesters event. Par-

years. Those cuts would have

a major impact on tuition costs
at the university, among other things. While we may
be far away in D.C., there are still ways our alumni
can help support the university.
Illinois Connection is a grassroots advocacy network for the university. We are encouraging our
club members to reach out to any friends or family

Interns on Page 5

President on Page 5

University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.

DC Illini dean
looks back on
history of the
club

DC Illini Volunteering

D.C. area Illini including Andrea Wilson, Gary Johnson, and Andreas son Ajani (AJ) (below, right to left) shared their time and
skills at the D.C. Central Kitchen and N Street Village to start off DC Illinis 2015 philanthropy.

I Loved Volunteering:
DC Illini Making a Difference
Illinois alumni started 2015 off by heading back
to D.C. Central Kitchen to provide invaluable service to those in need. They worked with graduates
of D.C. Central Kitchens culinary job training
program to prepare meals for nearby homeless
shelters, transitional homes and nonprofit organizations. They spent time washing and slicing
produce to ensure that those in need have healthy
food options and prepared other tasteful dishes.
I loved volunteering there and cant wait until
we do it again! Jen Nevius, DC Illinis events cochairwoman, said.
D.C. Central Kitchens mission is to use food as
a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds and
build communities.
The first quarter of 2015 also marked the beginning of a significant shift in our philanthropy
and outreach endeavors. We began highlighting
members of DC Illini who are either employed by
or serve on the executive board of philanthropic
organizations. Each quarter, we will spotlight our
fellow alumni and their organizations while also
holding volunteer events to allow other Illini to
support their cause.
Our first quarterly spotlight is on Kate Akalonu,
a 2001 alumna of our Champaign-Urbana campus.
Kate is currently the manager of communications
at N Street Village in Washington, D.C. N Street
Village is a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in
Washington, D.C. With comprehensive services

Spring 2015 www.dcillini.org

addressing emergency and long-term needs, N

Street Village helps women achieve stability and
make meaningful gains in their housing, income,
employment, mental health, physical health and
addiction recovery.
During the first quarter, our alumni served
breakfast, lunch and dinner to the women at N
Street Village. DC Illini Director of Philanthropy
and Outreach Director Andra Wilson took her
teenage son AJ to prepare and serve lunch in N
Streets Bethany Center Jan. 31. On Feb. 28, Marcus VanSickle, who is a UIC alumni member, and
a friend headed over to N Street Village to prepare
and serve dinner to residents.
We managed to get the food prepared and
served without incident and many of the residents
expressed gratitude for our efforts, VanSickle
said. It was truly a great opportunity to give back.
Stay tuned for our quarter two alumni spotlight
and organization: Illinois alumnus Carl Vacketta
and the Capital Area Food Bank. n

When Merle Mulvaney and his wife Jan

first moved to the area in the 1970s, they
had only attended one University of Illinois
event since they graduated in 1958. But after one DC Illini get-together, the couple
was hooked.
They ended up becoming one of the universitys biggest supporters in the area and
even won the schools Distinguished Service
Award in 2009.
Now, after about 40 years with DC Illini,
Mulvaney has become the unofficial dean of
the club. While chatting with DC Illinotes
about the clubs future, he discussed how
it has changed and
some of the opportunities and challenges
the organization faces
in the years to come.
Merle Mulvaney
In the early days of
the club, the university didnt have a large Washington presence, Mulvaney said. So the club was a key
connector between the school and lawmakers. The job came with perks: Members got
invites to swanky events and were able to
hobnob with key university leaders.
Our club members were really beneficial
to the university, said Mulvaney, an Army
veteran who originally came to Washington,
D.C., to take a job at the Pentagon.
Some of his fondest memories were of
special events the club hosted at the Wolf
Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
in Virginia, and the exclusive tours of the
Capitol grounds and Smithsonian museums
coordinated by members who had highprofile positions at the institutions. Indeed,
one previous architect of the Capitol was a
University of Illinois graduate.
Looking ahead, Mulvaney said the club
needs to determine how it will integrate
itself with the clubs of the University of Illinois other campuses: Springfield and ChiMulvaney on Page 5

University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.

Spring 2015 www.dcillini.org

D.C.-Area Illini Events Calendar

National Library of Medicine Tour

April 17, 3 p.m.

A special tour of the campus in Bathesda, MD

Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Govt

April 29, 5 p.m.

Honoring Rep. John Lewis, civil rights leader

Capital Area Food Bank volunteering

May 16, 1 p.m.

Donate your time with fellow alumni!

Annual Awards Luncheon

May 17, 15

Join us in honoring the 2014 Illini of the Year!

Nationals vs. Cubs

June 6, 15

Watch the Northsiders at Nationals Park with fellow Illini.

A new spot
for Illini game
watches

DC Unofficial

Illinois alumni Dennis Paul, Cathleen Paul, Carol Stalun and Jerry Stalun joined the DC Unofficial bar crawl as their own mini
reunion. Cathleen and Carol were roommates in Alpha Phi in 1979

District Illini recreate campus

event for third consecutive year
The crowds came out for DC Illinis third annual Unofficial St. Patricks Day Bar Crawl on
March 7. The party started out strong at City Tap
House and continued to pick up speed at Jackpot.
At Penn Social, members cheered on the Illini as
they took on Purdue in an attempt to clinch a spot
in the Big Ten Tournament. Things wrapped up
at Iron Horse, and Illini could be heard shouting
I-L-L into the night.
From recent grads and interns to seasoned alums, Illini of all ages turned up in force. Our Illinois in Washington interns made a strong showing and connected with the young alums. There
was even a reunion between old friends who
hadnt seen each other in years.
Carol Stalun and Cathleen Paul were roommates at the Alpha Phi house in 1979. In the years
following graduation, the two moved all around
the country but still kept in touch, even attending each others weddings. Finally, in 2013, Carol
and Cathleen both lived in the same state. Despite
busy schedules, the two came together during Unofficial for a roommate reunion.

We had such a good time at the D.C. Unofficial

St. Pats bar crawl. How fun to feel like we were
back in college and going to the bars on Daniel
[like Kams] and Green streets! We even made it to
all four bars! Cathleen said.
Whether people were forging new connections
or re-establishing old ones, everyone who came
out showed some Illinois love and embraced the
spirit of Unofficial.
If you enjoyed the event this year, or are looking
for ways to improve it, contact Susie Wachowski
(swachow2@gmail.com) to give feedback or become part of the planning committee. n

DC Illini had a new home for basketball

games watches this season. Illinois basketball fans enjoyed cold beverages and rooting for the Illini at 201 Bar in Capitol Hill
with a private room, huge flat screen TVs
and a personal bartender.
Having our own space means that you
know you can walk up to anyone and start
a conversation because we have similar experiences, even if we graduated 30 years
apart, Paige Deckert (09 LAS) said. It
makes it feel much more like a community.
Members also saw new faces out at the
new bar. Thanks to some dedicated Illini
basketball fans, the club had quite a large
turnout this season.
There were also new activities during
the games. This season featured a raffle of
Illinois gear during halftimes with great
giveaways like Illini shirts, mugs and other
choice swag. The person who attended the
most game watches won a $50 bar tab; Paul
Christianson and Kyle Easter tied for this
and both walked away with the gift certificates.
While the basketball season may be over,
stay tuned for information about football
game watches this fall. n

Donate to the
DC Illini scholarship
fund!
http://bit.ly/1vMtAsd
All donations to the DC Illini scholarship
fund are tax deductible and qualify for
university gift credit.

University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.

USS Illinois and the Illinois State Society

The USS Illinois, a Virginia Class nuclear submarine, will be commisioned in late 2015. (Photo provided)

Fighting Illini battleship crew

honored at reception
For the first time since the battleship USS Illinois took part in President
Theodore Roosevelts Great White
Fleet, the name of the state of Illinois will again be borne at sea.
The crew of the USS Illinois was
honored on Illinois Statehood
Day in December by the Illinois
State Society at a reception on
Capitol Hill.
The event featured the USS Illinois
commanding officer, Cmdr. Jesse Porter, as well as members of the Illinois
congressional delegation, including Sen.
Mark Kirk, a former officer in the Naval Reserve.
Set for commissioning in late 2015, the Virginia
Class nuclear submarine USS Illinois will not only
be driven by the men and women of the U.S. Navy,
but also the spirit of the Fighting Illini.
The USS Illinois is the state-of-the-art in submarine technology and will provide the Navy with
the capabilities required to maintain the nations

undersea supremacy well into the

21st century. However, the crew of
the USS Illinois must be prepared
for the inevitable point in any deployment when time on the ship
becomes wearing. Master Chief
David DiPietro, the submarines
chief of the boat, explains that this
is where Illinois and its universities play a role.
We want the crew to not just
look at the Illinois as a submarine,
but as something bigger, so we take
the ships namesake personally. Each
division in the boat is named after an
Illinois university, and the entire ship adopted the University of Illinois.
He added, In fact, our nickname is the Fighting Illini.
To learn more about opportunities to support
the USS Illinois, visit the USS Illinois Commissioning Committees website at http://ussillinois.
org. n

DC Illini on Social Media

To get the latest updates on game watches, volunteer opportunities and other events, or to share
your Illinois news or photos with your fellow alums, please join us on social media.
In her first three months, our new social media
director Paige Deckert (LAS 09) already ramped
up our presence across many social platforms,
and were excited to see whats in store for the rest

of the year. Remember to also stay on the lookout

for announcements on our website, in emails, and
in this DC Illinotes newsletter!
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/dcillini
On Twitter: @DC_Illini
On LinkedIn:
Illinois Alumni Club Greater Washington

Spring 2015 www.dcillini.org

Membership
committee
seeks new
volunteers
We look forward to strengthening our
membership in 2015 and have some exciting initiatives to announce. We welcome
Brian Legan as our new membership director and Jayme Hennenfent as the inaugural
member of the newly formed membership
committee. We are seeking two or three
other volunteers to serve on the 2015 membership committee. If you are interested,
please contact us at DCIlliniPresident@
gmail.com.
At our last quarterly board meeting, Brian recently presented an assessment of core
areas supporting strong membership for
the upcoming year:
(1) Re-invigorate membership enrollment and increase diversity.
(2) Raise awareness about the value of
dues-paying membership in our club and
the distinction from UIAA membership.
(3) Develop and implement a membership recruitment strategy.
(4) Enhance the value of dues-paying
membership.
As the second-largest Illinois alumni
club, we are committed to enhancing our
membership and tailoring our clubs activities and benefits to ensure that we are serving the needs of our evolving base. We also
remain committed to raising funds to support scholarships for deserving students. A
robust dues-paying membership is vital to
this cause since two-thirds of membership
dues are dedicated to the scholarship fund.
While our membership is strong and continues to grow, we also experience a high
number of membership lapses each year as
well as a large number of non-dues-paying
members who we are interested in getting
more engaged. Given the unique access
that the D.C. metropolitan area offers to activities, resources, charities and venues, we
want to ensure that membership in our club
offers value in areas that are most important to our alumni.
We are embarking on several initiatives
to achieve our objectives and look forward
to a terrific year. n

University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.

INTERNS from page 1

ticipants rotated through six different 8-minutelong small group discussions led by local alumni.
Calling it a chance to meet other Illinois
alumni in the D.C. area, one recent graduate
said, it was great to hear from a variety of different people all with different backgrounds.
Lang, a principal at the marketing firm August,
Lang & Husak, said the discussion leaders also
found the conversations lively, I was impressed
by the opportunities the interns have found for
themselves all over Washington. Each group at
the table seemed to find something during our
question-and-answer session that was relevant
to their time in D.C.
The DC Illini is excited to continue building
this successful program. The club invites alumni

PRESIDENT from page 1

you still know in Illinois and encourage them to sign up as an advocate through Illinois Connection.
Although many of us are no longer
Illinois residents, we can also sign
up. Help Illinois ConnectionWa advocate for state and federal funding,
student financial aid, and research,
which will help ensure a bright, successful future for the University of
Illinois. Please visit their website for
more information.
The proposed budget and impacts

to attend future welcome reception and career

discussion events, which are held at the beginning of the spring, summer and fall semesters,
and are conveniently located across the street
from the Foggy Bottom Metro.
As well, we are seeking sponsors to fund future similar events, so that the club can continue
its outreach efforts to interns and recent grads.
Advertising opportunities are available. If you
are a club member and/or local business owner
interested in supporting the program, or have
any other questions, please contact the DC Illini
Intern Outreach Coordinator Eric Hutchins at
emhutchi@gmail.com.
For more on the intern program, you can also
read an article in the Spring 2015 Illinois Alumni
magazine, available at: http://www.dcillini.org/
images/vault/139.png n

on tuition make the scholarships we

offer as a club even more important.
As the cost of out-of-state tuition
continues to rise, our scholarships
may help talented students decide
to attend Illinois with that little bit
of financial help. We have already
started our DC Illini Scholarship
process and are currently accepting
applications from high school students in the D.C. metro area.
Over the coming weeks, DC Illini
board members will call students in
the area who have been accepted to
Illinois and encourage them to ap-

Spring 2015 www.dcillini.org

MULVANEY from page 2

cago. And he said the university has to learn
to make a better case for engaging graduates
to join alumni groups after students leave the
campus.
Well work our way through that somehow, he said.
In all, though, Mulvaney said the club has
been a wonderful experience for him.
The club is a wonderful opportunity for
old and young to mingle and learn from each
other, he said.
He added, We maybe have different interests, but the one thing we have in common is
were all graduates from the University of Illinois. And sometimes just having one thing
in common is all it takes. n

ply for our scholarships. Its a way

that we engage the community and
that we can recruit for the university.
Last year, we saw a great improvement in the number of applicants and believe our outreach to
students played a key role. Every
year, we have a difficult time choosing the winners because we receive
so many qualified applicants, and
we dont think this year will be any
different. Our scholarship committee will select scholarships recipients and then invite the students

and their families to attend our annual luncheon in May.

Speaking of the luncheon, I hope
to see many of you there!
We are trying a new location this
year and will be at Wildfire in Tysons Corner. Were excited to try
the new venue and think it will be
an enjoyable experience for everyone. We welcome any feedback you
have on the event and change of restaurant.
Nisha Patruni 08
DC Illini President

OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

The DC Illini strive to support the educational purposes of the University of Illinois, cultivate friendship among club members and
express loyalty to the university. We are also committed to providing community service to the area as well as to the U of I. We do this
through a variety of educational, social, cultural and athletic activities, and programs. Graduates, former students and friends of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago or Springfield may join. DC Illini provides a great way to get to know the area and to
expand your social and professional networks. Dues-paying DC Illini members receive discounts on club events. Club dues are $30 per
year. Two-thirds of your annual dues go directly to the club scholarship fund to support local students going to the University of Illinois.
President

Events Co-Chairs
Claire Huber, Jennifer Nevius

Illini of the Year Chair

Bob Bevins

Vice President

Membership Chair
Brian Legan

Philanthropy and Outreach

Andrea Wilson

DC Illinotes included articles by Nisha

Patruni, Julie Hutchins, Eric Hutchins, Andrea
Wilson, Claire Huber, Emily Bardales, Susie
Wachowski, Whitney Wyckoff and Brian
Legan.

Secretary

Scholarship Chair
Jason Cantone

Bears Viewing Chair

Jim Billamoria

Newsletter Chair
Jason Cantone

External Communications
Eric Hutchins

CAN Representative
Jake Schinder

Newsletter Design
Adam Nekola

Annual Luncheon Chair

Emily Bardales

Jan Mulvaney Award Dir.

Merle Mulvaney

Newsletter Editor
Whitney Wyckoff

Nisha Patruni
Julie Hutchins
Linda Moll
Treasurer

Lloyd Stallings