Decoding Commencement
For what is believed to be the first time in IU history, university officials were compelled to cancel Commencement festivities for the class of…
IU History
5 Facts of IU Commencements Past
Much has changed over the course of IU’s 200-year history, including the largest and most symbolic of the university’s ceremonies—Commencement. With historical research and…
Myths of IU: Bad Feelings with Purdue
What led to the IU–PU hostility of the early 20th century? Indiana University and Purdue University have battled on many fields. In the first…
A Trio of Alma Maters
Blashfield’s Alma Mater In January 1924, IU President William Lowe Bryan, BA 1884, MA 1886, LLD’37, wrote a letter to muralist Edwin Howland Blashfield…
The Early IU Nurses of WWI
Rhuie D. Caster graduated from the IU School of Nursing on June 12, 1918. Five days later, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and…
The Rocky Road to the Creation of Riley Hospital
In the early 1920s, Indiana was still reeling from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. Through the collaborative efforts of Indiana University and the Riley…
Why is the IU School of Medicine Located in Indianapolis?
The IU School of Medicine has been a very influential part of Indiana University and the state of Indiana for over a century. Just…
Hidden IU: The Creation of Spring Mill State Park
What do 181 acres near Mitchell, Ind., a Scottish immigrant, caves with blind fish, lawsuits (lots of them), and Indiana University have in common?…
Cut from the Same Cloth
If the return of acid-wash jeans tells us anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as a truly worn-out style. Unfortunately, the same can’t…
The Green Feather Movement
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, Robin Hood and his merry band roamed Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. It was the 1950s…
Bridging the Visibility Gap
It all started with two names: Lulu Westenhaver (sometimes spelled as Lula Westenhauer) and Esther Bray. These names were the only mention of a…
IU Football, Preston E. Eagleson, and the 1885 Civil Rights Act
The Eagleson name is familiar to many at Indiana University and in Monroe County, as the prominent African American family is riddled with “firsts”…