Last first day of class? It’s a lot like freshman year OPINIONS, 4A
Beckman begins Football coach works to change culture SPORTS, 1B
The Daily Illini
Monday August 27, 2012
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Vol. 142 Issue 2
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Thousands of students attend 41st Quad Day Group likely breaks world record for enlisting most organ donors in one day BY MADDIE REHAYEM STAFF WRITER
Despite some early rain, the 41st annual Quad Day gave hundreds of student organizations a chance to promote themselves to students at the University. Scott Ca rrico, event coordinator and Student Organization Resource Fee program adviser, said he estimated 10,000 to 12,000 students attended Quad Day. “It’s the most important recruiting day of the year,” he said. About 650 organizations set up tables across the entire Quad, each doing what it could to get the attention of students passing by. “We have our horns set out to attract people,” said Sara Timberlake, sophomore in FAA, who was on the Quad representing the Illini Cont raband, a campus cover band. Other groups handed out candy, pens or key chains as students signed up to receive information by email. New to Quad Day this year was the demonstration area, between Noyes and Davenport halls, where groups with more hands-on presentations set up. Pride had a meet-and-greet event, while others had demonstrations ranging from science to dance. Representatives from the Gift of Hope
DARYL QUITALIG THE DAILY ILLINI
Two Champaign firefighters watch as other firefighters put out remaining embers in a trash bin in front of 306 E. Green St. in Champaign on Saturday.
Fire still under investigation Champaign Fire Department evacuates everyone out of IHOP, Roland Reality apartments in less than 5 minutes BY KLAUDIA DUKALA STAFF WRITER
The source of a fi re that started in a trash bin outside the apartment building at 306 E. Green St. early Saturday morning is still being investigated, Champaign Fire Department officials said. Lt. John Hocking said investigators have determined that the fi re was human-caused but not whether there was malicious intent. “There is a lot of debris on campus right now from all the people moving in,” Hocking said. “It’s important to
keep all that debris away from ... any ignition sources.” The emergency, which lasted about an hour and a half, was reported to the Champaign Fire Department around midnight. The fi re was found soaring out of the trash bin, which spread toward overhead balconies. Firefighters then evacuated Green Street between Third and Fourth streets nearest to the Roland Realty apartment complex. Resident Dan Berger, sophomore in DGS, was getting ready to head out for the night when he noticed
the fl ames leaping out of the trash bin right beneath his apartment’s balcony. “My initial reaction was to try and grab as much as I could,” he said. “It was very surreal seeing our balcony engulfed in fl ames.” Berger said the emergency responders quickly evacuate the building and estimated that everyone was cleared out in under five minutes. Customers of IHOP, the building adjacent to the apartment, were also evacuated as a precaution immedi-
ately after the fi re was spotted. Manager Jenny Kroncke said customers and staff tried to remain calm as they exited. “After we were out, people were still trying to pay their bills,” Kroncke said. “We didn’t accept their money, though; that wouldn’t be fair in this situation.” She said everyone was evacuated in time and nobody suffered any injuries. Bystander Kendall Rodheim , sophomore in LAS, was walking down Green Street when emergency responders began blocking off the road. “People were being evacuated everywhere,” she said. “The apart-
See FIRE, Page 3A
BY CORINNE RUFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Despite the hit that crops took this summer during the drought, there were still 30,000 ears of sweet corn to go around at the 37th annual Urbana Sweetcorn Festival this weekend. For the past several years, the Urbana Business Association has sponsored and coordinated the free two-day event, which is held between Cedar and Vine streets in downtown Urbana. “Corn is something that identifi es the area,” said Cynthia Johnson , executive director of the association. “(Because of) a demand from the community, we have recently switched over to buying locally grown corn.”
DARYL QUITALIG THE DAILY ILLINI
Matt Soltys, senior in AHS, husks an ear of corn, along with 3,462 other people, directly following New Student Convocation on Friday. Members of the Class of 2016 and new transfer students broke the world record for the greatest number of people simultaneously husking corn. A representative from Guinness World Records was on hand to certify the results, and Guinness presented a certificate to the University on the spot. The corn was washed, cooked and served for dinner Friday night in University dining halls.
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In addition to sweet corn, there were many activities for kids. A parking lot on the north side of Main Street hosted an array of bouncy-house fun, as well as rock climbing, sumo wrestling, minigolf, bull riding and balloon animals. While many students attended the festival, Johnson said people come from all over. “Our average attendance in the past has been somewhere around 50,000 people,” she said. “It’s really big for students and people to be able to come to a big festival like this for free.” James Hascall, Urbana resident, said his family puts the
See SWEET CORN, Page 3A
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For the second year in a row, a local, family-owned company from Warrensburg, Ill., Maddox Sweet Corn Farm, supplied all corn at the festival . Owner Ted Maddox said to ensure the corn was just perfect, he and his family had to plan two months in advance, down to the day of crop planting. “This corn was planted on June 12 for this festival specifically,” Maddox said. In addition to food and merchandise vendors, informational booths for groups such as U-Cycle, an Urbana recycling organization, were also set up. “We have six locations where people can throw their recyclables, and we also have bins, so corncobs will be composted,” volunteer Tina McCombs said.
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DARYL QUITALIG THE DAILY ILLINI
Spokeswoman Dominique Johnson, sophomore in LAS, speaks to students, trying to convince them to join Partnerships in Action at Quad Day 2012 on Sunday.
Sweetcorn Festival brings local community together
A record-breaking beginning
We’ve Got ‘Em!
See QUAD DAY, Page 3A
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