Student voting at Western Illinois University increased 12 percent in last year’s presidential election, moving from the 2016 rate of 45.3 percent, to 57.3 percent in 2020. The data was compiled by the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), creators of the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE). IDHE is located at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life. “Voting improved at Western across racial and ethnic groups, as well as for most majors and fields of study reported,” said WIU Political Science Chair Keith Boeckelman. “We... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — A systemwide test of the WIU Emergency Alert System (WEAS) will be initiated at 10:50 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12 to test system functionality. Individuals receiving a test call, e-mail or text do not need to take any action. When a message is received, simply listen to or read the test message and then hang up and delete the message. The test message will be delivered to every phone number and e-mail address in the WEAS emergency contact database. The message, which will come from “noticetocampuscommunity@wiu.edu,” will be: “This is a test of the WIU Emergency... Read More

Western Illinois University honors military service throughout the year. In recognition of Veterans Day, WIU will host military appreciation activities through Thursday, Nov. 11. Participants in any University-sponsored event or facility are expected to be vaccinated, and all staff, faculty, students and guests are required to wear a face covering in all campus indoor settings. Thursday, Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Flags of Love Chandler Park The recognition begins with volunteers setting up the Flags of Love at 7 a.m. in Chandler Park on Veteran’s Day, Thursday, Nov. 11.... Read More

The McDonough County Health Department, in cooperation with Western Illinois University, will host two COVID-19 vaccination clinics (including boosters) for WIU faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the general public, in November and December as the Fall 2021 semester comes to a close. The clinics will be held in the University Union Sandburg Lounge from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9., and Tuesday, Dec. 7. Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be available at no cost. In addition, individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following... Read More

The Western Illinois University Office of Student Engagement (OSE) – Volunteer Services, in cooperation with the Salvation Army, is sponsoring an Angel Tree in the University Union Concourse from Monday, Nov. 1-Friday, Dec. 10. With 100 children in need as part of the project, participants from the WIU and Macomb communities can select an angel from the tree to donate gifts to children who otherwise might not receive any gifts. Those wishing to participate should select an angel, register at the service desk located next to the University Bookstore and return new, unwrapped gifts to the Office... Read More

Let the Western Illinois University RockyTHON (Dance Marathon) do the cooking Tuesday, Nov. 9. From 4-8 p.m. Nov. 9, RockyTHON students will host its annual pancake dinner at the Macomb American Legion, 221 E. Washington St., as part of the organization’s year-round effort to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The year-long event culminates March 26, 2022, with the 12-hour Dance Marathon, which honors the 12-hour shifts of doctors and nurses, as well as children who are unable to stand. The “breakfast... Read More

Western Illinois University honors military service throughout the year. In recognition of Veterans Day, WIU will host military appreciation activities from Saturday, Oct. 30 – Thursday, Nov. 11. Participants in any University-sponsored event or facility are expected to be vaccinated, and all staff, faculty, students and guests are required to wear a face covering in all campus indoor settings. Wednesday, Nov. 3 – 3:30–4:30 p.m. and In Their Own Words: Vets and Cadets Panel University Union Lincoln Room and via Zoom (wiu.zoom.us/j/94972998212) Military service students will discuss how their... Read More

Lori (Wust) Menke, who had served as the office manager in the Western Illinois University (former) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 27. She was 52. Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Wise Family Funeral Home in Roseville. Visitation will be held two hours prior to service. “The Western Illinois University community mourns Lori’s passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to Lori’s family, friends and colleagues,” said Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang. Menke began working at WIU in... Read More

The Western Illinois University Department of Broadcasting and Journalism launched an online news aggregator named “The Proxy Report” in September 2021. The website was built to bring WIU student media created content together in one place online, and be used to help promote student media news across the Macomb campus and beyond. The site hopes to work like other news aggregation sites, such as the Huffington Post, by hosting content from NEWS3, the student-run news broadcast organization, The Dog, the student-run radio station, and the Western Courier, the student-run newspaper, along... Read More

A curiosity about the history of automobile dealers in western Illinois, and visits to search through the Western Illinois University Archives, has turned into a unique story of a Macomb man finding members of his biological family in the process. Gary Neuhardt and his wife, Marika, moved to Macomb from Arlington Heights, IL, in 2018, after retirement to be closer to family. As a retirement project, Neuhardt decided he wanted to find out what dealerships sold specific brands of cars throughout Macomb’s history. He was discussing his idea while having coffee with a group of people that included... Read More