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TechnographUniversity YMCA provides scholarships, forums
By Courtney Pischke
Posted: 10/28/04 Section: Features
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The red and yellow Thai Cuisine Eatery sign sitting at the corner of Wright and Chalmers streets often attracts more attention than the actual building behind it. Many students just affiliate the building, the University YMCA, with Thai food and other fast-food restaurants on campus.
Built in 1937, the University YMCA building on Wright Street provides an assortment of programs and guest lectures for the public, but many students spend their time here unaware of the resources in the red-brick building.
Such resources include Alternative Spring Break, a program that allows students to help people with poverty issues or diseases like HIV, and "Know Your University" forums where University people and groups speak at noon on Tuesdays to educate other members in the community.
"Students plan their own events and what they're going to do," said Betty Earle, director of operations for the YMCA. "There's really something here for everyone."
The third floor of the building houses 12 male students - ranging from freshmen to seniors - and the certified private housing comes complete with a kitchen and pool table.
"Cost and location are just some of the benefits of living here," said Leo Buchignani, junior in business and resident on the third floor. "You can't beat the location."
The University YMCA does not have the typical pool and gym that many students often associate with other YMCAs nationwide, and even has a T-shirt hanging in the main office that says "No Pool, No Gym" to make light of the situation.
While there might not be a workout facility in the building, they do hold yoga and pilates classes and rent out rooms to those interested in teaching other instructional courses. Starting from 11 a.m. until 6 tonight, Alpha Tau Omega will be running a blood drive with the American Red Cross in the YMCA's K2 room.
Aside from helping students on campus learn about leadership and relationships, the YMCA also reaches out to a larger scaled community - both young and old. One of the more popular programs is Volunteers in Schools, A Vital Instructional Service (Vis-A-Vis). Recently, Vis-A-Vis collected school supplies and donated them to needy schools in the Champaign-Urbana area. During the 2003-2004 school year, volunteers worked a combined 3,050 hours.
Built in 1937, the University YMCA building on Wright Street provides an assortment of programs and guest lectures for the public, but many students spend their time here unaware of the resources in the red-brick building.
Such resources include Alternative Spring Break, a program that allows students to help people with poverty issues or diseases like HIV, and "Know Your University" forums where University people and groups speak at noon on Tuesdays to educate other members in the community.
"Students plan their own events and what they're going to do," said Betty Earle, director of operations for the YMCA. "There's really something here for everyone."
The third floor of the building houses 12 male students - ranging from freshmen to seniors - and the certified private housing comes complete with a kitchen and pool table.
"Cost and location are just some of the benefits of living here," said Leo Buchignani, junior in business and resident on the third floor. "You can't beat the location."
The University YMCA does not have the typical pool and gym that many students often associate with other YMCAs nationwide, and even has a T-shirt hanging in the main office that says "No Pool, No Gym" to make light of the situation.
While there might not be a workout facility in the building, they do hold yoga and pilates classes and rent out rooms to those interested in teaching other instructional courses. Starting from 11 a.m. until 6 tonight, Alpha Tau Omega will be running a blood drive with the American Red Cross in the YMCA's K2 room.
Aside from helping students on campus learn about leadership and relationships, the YMCA also reaches out to a larger scaled community - both young and old. One of the more popular programs is Volunteers in Schools, A Vital Instructional Service (Vis-A-Vis). Recently, Vis-A-Vis collected school supplies and donated them to needy schools in the Champaign-Urbana area. During the 2003-2004 school year, volunteers worked a combined 3,050 hours.
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