Running Head: EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate History: Eastern Illinois University

Kimberly Kuspa

Western Illinois University

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Undergraduate History: Eastern Illinois University

I completed my undergraduate experience at Eastern Illinois University. I spent 4 years

at the institution and I graduated in May of 2017. Eastern offered me a wide range of

opportunities and I do not think that I would have gotten the same experience anywhere else. I

was one of those students that did everything and anything I could to get the most out of college

possible. In this paper, I will cover the history and characteristics of Easter, what characteristics

influenced me the most, how Eastern served me as a student, and why I included the experiences

I did.

History and Characteristics

Eastern Illinois University has several components that are very similar to Western

Illinois University. Eastern is a midsize regional institution in a rural setting that sits on 320

acres of land in the heart of Charleston, Illinois. It currently has approximately 7,500 students,

which includes undergraduate, graduate, and online learners. Eastern was established in 1895 as

Eastern Illinois State Normal College, a two-year teaching college. The first graduating class

consisted of three men and one women. After going through two more name changes, Eastern

was officially given its current name some years later.

Eastern started as one building and gradually grew into a thriving campus. The first

building on campus was Livingston Lord Administrative Building, more commonly known as

Old Main. When the building was under construction, the area that is now the rest of campus

was a lake. The lake was later drained and filled in to provide a buildable space for the

University and the main reason that Eastern’s campus takes on a rectangular shape. Eastern is

also home to the first all-female residence hall in Illinois, Pemberton Hall, which was built in

1909 shortly after the institution was established. Even though Eastern started as a teaching
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college, it is now known for its business college and liberal arts as well as its still thriving

education program. Other popular majors on campus include communications, communication

disorders and sciences, health studies, and art.

Eastern is governed by a President Glassman with four vice presidents serving under him.

On campus there are 527 faculty members 1,528 staff members according to the Eastern Illinois

University 2017-2018 tour guide manual. In 1895 tuition and fees were $9.00 a year and now in

2018, tuition and fees $11,580 per year for 15 credit hours. Since the budget crisis in Illinois,

Eastern has struggled financially and last year had to let go 205 staff members due to the

inability to pay their salaries.

What Characteristics Influenced Me to Attend

I originally decided to attend Eastern Illinois University for several reasons. One reason

being that both of my older sisters attend Eastern and I have always felt comfortable on Eastern's

campus because I more or less grew up there. For the students that attend Eastern, it is seen as a

home and the students feel as if they are a family. When I went on my first campus visit, I

insistently felt at home and welcomed into the environment. I knew I was going to attend when

a stranger walked up to me and asked me if I needed help because I must have looked lost. I also

wanted to attend Eastern because of their Communication Disorders and Sciences program,

though I did not compete a degree in this field that was one component that I was looking for in a

school and I found it as Eastern. I knew I wanted a school that was small but still had a big

school feel and that I was seen by the faculty as a person and not a number. Even now I see the

same things at Eastern that I saw then and if I had to go through the process of choosing an

institution, I am sure the result would be the same. The reasons I came to Eastern were not all

the reasons I stayed.

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How the Institution Served Me as a Student

I decided to attend Eastern because both of my older sisters attended and graduated from

there but I stayed because of the things that made it feel like a home. I was a communication

studies major as well as being overly involved in almost every area on campus. I feel as though

the institution served me by providing a plethora of opportunities for me to engage in and with.

To name a few, I was in Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and served two years on the executive board,

I was the secretary for Student Government, a student representative for the school wide

vitalization project, and I worked in the New Student and Family Programs office for the

duration of my undergraduate career.

The two major things that influenced me the most as a student was being in a sorority and

my job in New Student and Family Programs. In both, I had the opportunity to grow and move

my way up the ladder. In my sorority, I started as a new member that knew nothing about Greek

Life and moved my way up to being the Vice President and the one everyone came to with their

questions. In New Student and Family Programs, I started as a welcome back weekend leader

and moved all the way up to being a Senior Program Specialist, the highest position that an

undergraduate student could hold. These two opportunities not only allowed me to grow but also

created the path to where I am now. Without both of these experiences, I would not be in student

affairs and I would not be doing the work I am doing now in Greek Life Programs.

I thrived in Eastern’s environment because it is one of the smaller state schools in Illinois

but still has all the pieces that a larger institution does. If I only had my academics and one or

two things that I was involved in, I do not think I would have been as successful as I was at

Eastern if I had attended any other university that did not have the same qualities that Eastern

possesses.
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Conclusion

Eastern Illinois University has provided me a positive and beneficial experience. I

included the experiences I did because being involved and engagement is what made my process

through college so successful. My major and my academics were important but I could have

gotten the same or similar classroom experience and many other institutions. My clubs,

organizations, and my job is what made my undergraduate experience so valuable. I do not think

that the way I went through needs to be the right way for everyone but it was the right way for

me.