1967
The 1960s brought about great change to life on campus. The volatile social issues that were beginning to consume the nation emerged on college campuses around the country. The war in Vietnam was accelerating and more and more men were being drafted into military service.
Changes were coming to how most students lived on campus as well. The old requirement that every student live in certified university housing was going away and students were now able to make their own housing arrangements. At this time, the new towers of Illinois Street, Pennsylvania, and Florida Avenue Residence Halls were rising and fraternity and sorority houses remained popular places to live.
Also at this time, the orderly and often rigid structure of the Dean of Men's Office was transformed into Student Affairs. In many ways, this diminished the practice of a paternal relationship between the University and its students and allowed for more self governance, such as curfews, but also less control by the University over its students.
Clothing
Fashion in the 1960s was “mod". Starting in the mid 60s, skirts began to get much shorter, culminating with the micro-mini by the end of the decade. The "mod" style featured bold and often clashing colors. During this time the "hippy" style also began. Blue jeans started to emerge as a popular style as did all things anti-establishment.
This orange and red cotton corduroy dress was made from a kit. The fabric was printed with the buttons and belt and simply sewn along the edges to size.
A Music City
The University of Illinois was the epicenter for great music in the 1960s and 70s. REO Speedwagon bass guitarist Gregg Philbin remarked, “The thing that always amazed our whole band was how competitive and how good the music was in Champaign. I have been all over the country, and perhaps the only music scenes that were on a level or higher were, of course, Nashville, and Austin, Texas."
The live music scene emerged from local bars such as Chances R, which opened in downtown Champaign in 1966. The Red Lion would join the act by opening at Green and Third Streets with The Brown Jug on Sixth Street completing the big three. The community had a continuous stream of sound seven nights a week.
Television
Turning on the television in 1967, students would have had their choice of the three major broadcast networks; CBS - WCIA, NBC - WICD, and ABC - WAND, and educational programming on the University's WILL. Much of the prime time line up was being broadcast in color. On a Wednesday night you could have watched:
5:30 - CBS News with Walter Cronkite (CBS - Color)
6:00-WCIA News (CBS) 6:30 - Batman (ABC - Color)
7:30 - Beverly Hillbillies (CBS - Color)
8:00-Green Acres (CBS - Color)
8:30 - Gomer Pyle USMC (CBS - Color)
9:00 - Merv Griffin (NBC)
10:00 - WCIA News (CBS)
10:30 - The Tonight Show (NBC)
Photos On Demand
Until the Polaroid camera, taking and developing photos was a tedious and expensive process. That all changed with the introduction of the Swinger. At $19.95 ($152 in 2016), it became the first truly affordable instant camera on the market. Unlike previous generations, this advancement allowed students to capture more of the important moments of their college experience.
