Frequently Asked Questions...

Do You Want to Know Something About Your Illini Club? If it is not here ask a Board Member....

What do I have to do to become a member of this Club?
Just sign up using the Member page.  While most members or their spouses are graduates of the University of Illinois, that is not a requirement to join our Club.  Anyone who likes the colors Orange & Blue and would like to be considered an Illini is welcome to join our Club.  And dues are FREE!

How is the Indianapolis Illini Club related to the University of Illinois Alumni Association?
We are separate organizations, but we work closely together.  For example, the Alumni Association supports this website financially, but most of the contents are created by Club volunteers.  Club volunteers plan events for members and conduct all of our activities as an autonomous organization.  Once a year we submit a report to the Alumni Association on our activities. And…we are all loyal Illini.

How much does membership cost?
It is FREE to become a member.

What’s our Club’s Mission Statement?
The purpose of the Indianapolis Illini Club is to express loyalty and to promote the welfare and the educational purposes of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as the other University of Illinois campuses. The Illini Club will endeavor to cultivate friendship and fellowship among the alumni in the greater Indianapolis area.

Where do I get more information about the Club?
One place for more information is this web site. However, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have…  Go to “About Us” and then on the dropdown menu click “Contact Us” and send your question to the appropriate person.

Why join?
You will be joining an active alumni club, linking more than 4000 Illini friends, family, and fans in the Indianapolis area. The Club has won 110% awards from the UIAA.

Are there any other benefits to joining?
Your primary benefit is that you will be directly plugged in to all Illini events and Illini news taking place in or related to Indianapolis. Meet old friends and make new ones as you participate in social, cultural and sporting events with other Illini alums. There are sponsored Club activities year round.   And there are currently no fees to join nor any annual dues.

Is the Club only interested in social activities?
As you will read below we do organize many activities that are fun, and provide opportunities for local Illini to network with one another.  Another example took place in August 2007 and June 2010. Indianapolis was chosen to be the a stop of the “Illini 4000,” a two-month cycling trip by 16 Illini cyclists from the east coast, through Urbana to the Pacific Ocean.  Their objective was to raise money to fight cancer. We organized dinners to celebrate the arrival of the cyclists in Indianapolis.

Can the Club help with the purchase of tickets to Illini sporting events?
Normally we can help get tickets depending on the event. We are sometimes able to secure a limited amount of tickets for Indianapolis-area sporting events. Also, local Illini share opportunities to resell tickets to other area Illini fans.

What about other activities that the Club sponsors?
We typically sponsor a variety of events throughout the year. Here is a sample of the sorts of events our Club has organized over the past few years:

  • "Game Watches”—with these informal events you can join fellow Illini to watch basketball and football games on large screen TVs and enjoy a bite to eat at Fox & Hound in Castleton, among other places. 
    Special social/networking events
  • Picnics
  • Sporting events such as: Indianapolis Indians baseball games—along with a pre- or post-game social, and Indianapolis Pacers basketball
  • Symphony on the Prairie