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ISU STUDENT SPEAKS OUT ABOUT CANCER

WOMEN’S SOCCER SCORES FIRST WIN

FEATURES 7

SPORTS 8

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016

videtteonline

Vol. 129 / No. 03

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1888

Corn Fest welcomes Redbirds to campus Uptown Normal hosted the annual Sweet Corn Blues Festival this weekend, serving over 20 tons of fresh corn STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ News Reporter | @StephanieRoddd

For over 40 years, the Sweet Corn Blues Festival has celebrated the crop that best represents central Illinois while bringing community members and college students together. Uptown Manager Joseph Tulley said that planning for this event usually goes smoothly because most participants have been a part of it for decades. “It’s a community-oriented festival that has a couple of different focuses,” Tulley said. “We have f lea market-style vender booths up and down the streets of Uptown Normal, we have a large section of local non-for-profits and we have a variety of street food. Most importantly we have a large corn cooking tent that is run by a variety of volunteers.” Of course no celebration of corn would be complete without the ISU students received free ears of corn with their student IDs. corn — and a lot of it. Tulley said Tulley hopes that the festival … and this is a place where we can the festival goes through about 20 can help keep the relationship all enjoy the same space and have tons of sweet corn each year: about between citizens and students a good time,” Tulley said. 12 on its first day and eight on the strong by giving them common Illinois State University freshsecond. ground. man Samantha Wyrzykowski “It happens every year the week“[The festival] is very popu- heard about the festival through end after ISU starts and part of the lar among our citizens so it’s an a friend and said that she likes point is that it’s a welcome back to opportunity for them and the stu- that these kind of events happen ISU students,” Tulley said. “We dents to comingle in a friendly in Normal. have it every year at that time speenvironment, sometimes that “My friend found out from her cifically so we get students coming dynamic can be a little adversarial Spanish teacher that there was a in and they can explore the town.”

the I Am Normal booth. Though college students got one free, the price of one ear of cooked corn for everyone else was only 50 cents. While one cooked ear was only two quarters, a bag of a dozen raw ears was available for $4. Tulley said that they like to keep the prices low to keep the corn accessible and popular. Though corn was the main focus, there was also live blues music during the festival. The music was sponsored by local radio station WGLT, which chose the bands that performed throughout the two days. Tulley said his favorite aspects of the festival are the two corneating contests, one for adults and one for children. “I like the fun, down-home aspect of the sweet corn eating contest and I like that we have kids and adults,” Tulley said. “It’s Anna Gallagher | Vidette Photographer probably the most authentic celebration of the corn.” In an attempt to encourage fescorn festival in town so we thought tival-goers to ride their bikes, the as freshman we should go out Friends of the Constitution Trail and see it,” Wyrzykowski said. offered free valet-style bicycle “We also heard one of the perks parking. Free parking for cars was of being a student is that you get available on the College Avenue free corn so we thought it would be­ deck during both days. nice to come to the festival.” All students, not just those from Check out the related ISU, were able to get a free butphoto gallery at tered ear of corn if they presented their student identification card at videtteonline.com

ISU enrollment numbers continue to grow EMA SASIC News Editor | @ema_sasic

As Illinois State University wraps up its first week of the 2016-2017 school year, more than 21,000 students are currently enrolled based on first-day numbers, an increase of about 300. According to WGLT, freshman numbers are up as well. ISU has set a 27-year record for freshmen at 3,651, compared to last year’s 3,612. “University administration, Enrollment Management and the entire campus community can be proud of these incredible numbers,” Director of Admissions Jeff Mavros said. “They are a testament to the strength of the Illinois State brand and the work of so many faculty and staff who make the University such a special place for students.” Despite problems with state funding, ISU has continued to grow in enrollment compared to other public universities. Southern Illinois University, Eastern Illinois University and Western Illinois University have seen declines. “Those are preliminary and those numbers could change, but I think the big story is that given the current economic and political climate in Illinois, particularly with the budget impasse last year and what a difficult recruiting environment it was

for all public colleges and universities in Illinois, that this is really good and remarkable news for Illinois State,” Chief of Staff Jay Groves said. Groves said many of ISU’s notable features are why enrollment numbers continue to grow. “As President Dietz always says, parents and students shop universities for the best value for the investment and after making the comparisons they vote with their feet, and a lot of those feet are traveling to Illinois State,” he said. “The word is out about our top 10 percent graduation and retention rates in the country, about our low student debt, our low percentage of students who default on their loans. Those are the kind of things that students and their families are looking for when investing in a university and Illinois State fills the bill and more on those accounts.” With numbers growing, Groves said the school is within a “fairly comfor table margin” for t he resources, faculty and staff members available at the university. “The University manages enrollment strategically and considers the student experience at all times. We are committed

Infographic by Jeremy Burcenski | Vidette Art Director

to providing an affordable, high-quality education and world-class student services, and we are careful not to exceed the limits of our resources,” Mavros said. Students will enjoy the same level of

personal, student-centered attention that has been the hallmark of an Illinois State education for decades. Official enrollment numbers will be released on the 10th day of classes.


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