Annual Report 2023-2024
Executive Summary
The IU Board hosted 176 events with 46,072 students attending during the 2023-2024 academic year, on par with the previous year’s numbers. The level participation number prompted conversations about engagement and why those numbers remain level. As a result, the staff will conduct focus groups in Fall 2024 to better understand student interests, needs, and desires for engagement. The IU Board’s Enriching Committee hosted two high-profile guests in Spring 2024: Monica Lewinsky and Tyler James Williams. The attendance for the Lewinsky program exceeded 450, and 900 (a full house) attended the Williams program.
The Illini Union worked with Ballet Folklorico Mitotiani (RSO) to identify and install flooring in room 104 to accommodate their dance practices as no space on campus was able to accommodate the percussive dance shoes used in this traditional cultural art form. Ballet Folklorico is a long tradition of dancing that varies among regions of Mexico. For these dances to be heard, heels for women and boots for men have nails on the tip and the heel. This requires a vast range of dancing techniques. Ballet Folklorico is a cultural enhancement to our campus, bringing lively color to many events that promote Latinx culture.
Over the past year, The Illini Union Bookstore achieved notable successes and addressed significant challenges. The Day1Access Program, initiated in Fall 2023, included three courses and 1,934 students, saving the students $146,032.29 with a 98% participation rate. Expanded in Spring 2024 to 11 courses and 3,144 students, it maintained a 97% participation rate, saving an additional $210,729.49. Overall, it impacted 5,078 students across 14 courses, enhancing affordability and accessibility.
The Rec Room added a full-time manager and mechanic in the past year. The total hours of billiards played increased to 11,573 (nearly 2,000 more than the previous year). The Rec Room hosted more than 36,000 visitors bowling, playing video games, billiards, and board games in the past year.
The Illini Union Retail Operations served over 659,101 customers at all retail locations by providing required course materials, food and beverage operations, apparel, supplies, and souvenirs in the bookstore, and campus vending operations throughout campus and online.
The Bookstore hosted 49 events last year, including book signings and collaborations with other campus departments. Examples include UI_CON, UIUC Healthcare Fair, Black Illini Day, Illini Fest, and commencement events at Krannert Center and Memorial Stadium.
The relocation of the Tech Zone to the former Amazon space at the Bookstore increased visibility and sales opportunities. Efforts to eliminate inefficiencies, improve accountability, and enhance student training revealed substantial growth opportunities.
Document Services produced more than 4,772,967 impressions, 24,467.50 sq. ft. of wide format printing and produced orders for over 1,568 customers.
Campus Mail metered 674,715 envelopes and flats for mailing through the USPS, sold nearly 10,000 stamps and shipped nearly 22,000 packages. The return of delivering library books after a 16-month hiatus has seen an increase to pre-pandemic levels, delivering nearly 15,000 pounds of books to campus customers.
Food Service and Campus Vending filled three restaurant locations in the Food Court and are working to set up a food service company at Willard Airport. Work is underway to complete a contract with a vendor to fill the vacancy at the Siebel Center for Computer Science. Work continues to fill two vacant food vendor locations in the Union. Interest remains low among potential vendors for many of the satellite locations due to an on-going soft market in the food service industry.
Accomplishments
Accomplishment #1
For the first time in over 20 years, every position on the Illini Union Board, including the appointed, non-student positions, were filled. This resulted in a more diverse board that included diverse voices representing the populations within our campus community.
Accomplishment #2
The Illini Union Roof Replacement project began in Spring 2024 and is the largest capital project in recent years. This project addresses a significant deferred maintenance expense that will not need to be included in the final cost of a major renovation.
Accomplishment #3
The Day1Access Pilot Program launched in Fall 2023, including three courses with 72 sections and 1,934 students, achieving a 98% participation rate and saving students $146,032.29. Building on this success, the program expanded in Spring 2024 to 11 courses with 80 sections and 3,144 students, maintaining a 97% participation rate and saving an additional $210,729.49. Overall, the program has included 14 courses, 152 sections, and 5,078 students, demonstrating its effectiveness in making course materials more affordable and accessible.
Accomplishment #4
The 2024 Illini Union Culture Survey was administered by Employee Learning and Organizational Effectiveness (ELOE) during Spring 2024. The survey results provided a clear picture of the current state of the organization. The External Program Review was completed in April 2024 by three external peer reviewers. Themes that emerged from the External Review mirror several of those from the Culture Survey including communication and transparency.. The data from these initiatives provide a strong foundation for ongoing improvement and fostering a strong, healthy organizational culture and presence.
Key Challenges
During the 2023-2024 period, the Illini Union faced numerous challenges impacting its operations.
- The Illini Union has an aging infrastructure, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, and building finishes, leading to escalating maintenance costs and a deferred backlog exceeding $100 million. Despite its historical richness, the Union can feel more like a museum than a vibrant student center, emphasizing tradition over modern amenities needed to meet the diverse student body's evolving needs. There is a pressing necessity for strategic upgrades to enhance inclusivity and modernization, aligning facilities and amenities with contemporary student expectations.
- Operational shortcomings in food services, retail concepts, and overall customer experience highlighted the necessity for improvements amidst financial constraints and staffing shortages. The inability to fill key food court spaces resulted in lost revenue opportunities and hindered student engagement efforts.
- Construction disruptions due to a major roof replacement project starting in Spring 2024 affected meeting rooms and hotel operations for about two years, impacting revenue streams.
- Despite efforts to increase event reservations, daily foot traffic remained below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting ongoing recovery challenges exacerbated by hybrid work arrangements.
- Adapting to evolving student needs required aligning job roles and addressing communication breakdowns between departments operating in silos, hindering innovation and collaboration.
In conclusion, the Illini Union navigated challenges including infrastructure maintenance, operational deficiencies, construction impacts, foot traffic fluctuations, and adapting to student expectations. Addressing these issues will necessitate strategic planning and resource allocation to sustain service excellence and adaptability in a dynamic environment.
Assessment
The Illini Union conducted several formal and informal assessments over this reporting time. An informal on-going building usage assessment was used to look at daily entry counts, and area building usage. These assessments helped the staff understand how spaces were being utilized and could help determine when to add additional study spaces and justify offering free individual and group study spaces. Below are more formal assessments we undertook:
Illini Union Student Satisfaction Survey
Benchworks by Elentra (formerly known as Skyfactor Benchworks) works closely with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) to deliver a robust instrument to provide a clear picture of the university union’s performance and the importance of various union functions for the students. The evidence provided by the survey can be used to confirm success, support change, develop strategic plans, and allocate resources more efficiently. The survey was conducted between October 4 and 21, 2023. The prior survey was conducted in Fall 2019. The response rate was 4.94% (297/5,000). Six peer institutions were selected: Purdue University, University of Washington, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, Texas State University and University of Arkansas.
- The Illini Union displays strength in providing a positive environment and cleanliness of the Union.
- 94% of the participants were satisfied with safety and 93% were satisfied with being a welcoming place.
- 89% of the participants were satisfied with the cleanliness of the entrance and 90% were satisfied with the cleanliness of hallways.
- 80% of the participants were overall satisfied with the Illini Union.
- The results showed some areas for the Illini Union for improvement: overall program effectiveness, Bookstore items variety and price, publicize the union the promote campus. Enhancing life and leadership, and food, variety, quality and price.
Illini Union Student Employee Learning Outcomes Assessment (ongoing)
The purpose of the study is to understand the student employees’ working and learning experiences through their employment with the Illini Union. The Illini Union has drafted eight domains of Learning Outcomes to help student employees gain purposeful employment and prepare them for future professional workforce. The eight domains of learning outcomes are communication, customer service, collaboration/teamwork, leadership, work ethic/integrity, team management/organization skills, appreciation of diversity, and personal/professional development. Particularly, we are examining the learning outcomes that student employees gain and improve from their employment.
The data show student employees were confident in communication and teamwork (means>=4.2) The data showed students felt less comfortable (means below 3.8, ranging from 1 to 5) in awareness of significant global events and issues (m=3.67) and making a global impact through my action (m=3.28).
Illini Union Board Learning Outcomes Assessment (ongoing)
This self-reflection assessment is designed for the IU Board members, committee members and committee directors to reflect on the outcomes because of participating in student volunteer organizations. The self-reflection questionnaire includes ten categories of learning outcomes: communication, teamwork, influencing others, research and data collection, critical thinking and presentation, social awareness and cultural understanding, global perspective, integrity, work ethic/time management, and career development and readiness. The data is reviewed by the IU Board advisors periodically to understand the experience of serving in leadership positions and help future student leaders perform their roles successfully.
Courtyard Café Event Survey
The Courtyard Café conducted a survey for the weekly events, asking about participants’ experiences. Attendees reported that they learn about the events from friends (37%) and from Instagram (11%) and Facebook (11%). More than 95.8% of the participants stated that they had a good experience and 78% would come to another Courtyard Café event.
Day1 Access Pilot Programs Survey (Fall 2023 & Spring 2024)
The Day1Access program is a digital access delivery model for required course materials through Canvas at a reduced price. The Illini Union Bookstore has ensured that all Day1Access materials have the lowest possible cost to the student. Access for all students begins the first day of class, with the option to opt-out of purchasing through the drop/add period. Three courses were piloted in Fall 2023 and ten courses were piloted in Spring 2024. Surveys were conducted for the pilot programs in both Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Students enrolled in the pilot programs were invited to complete a survey. The response rates were 3.92% (60/1532) and 3.12% (93/2980) respectively.
Wellness Campaign Survey (pre-survey)
The purpose of the survey is to collect information about students’ opinions and thoughts to understand the effectiveness of a wellbeing campaign on campus. The top three methods to know the campaign were from the poster, quad sign, and social media. 75% of the participants knew where to receive mental health care. 38% of the participants utilized mental health care. The Counseling Center, Mckinely Health Services Center and Campus Recreation are the top three places that students received mental health care. Reasons for not utilizing the mental health services are time constraints (39%), others, and utilizing off-campus services.
New International Student Fun Night Survey (Fall 2023)
The International Student Fun Night was one of the welcome showcase events hosting for international new students. The purpose of the post-event survey is to understand participants’ experience. 48.6% of participants were satisfied with the event and 53.5% would recommend it to a friend.
Illini Union Meditation Space Survey (Fall 2023)
The Facilities team conducted a survey for meditation/reflection space in November. The four basic themes of data were synthesized for design team’s benefits: 1) Identified anticipated number of users, user groups and sizes, frequency and times of use, and traffic flow; 2) Identified specific user needs based on personal meditation practices; 3) Identified each user’s top 5 most important features in rank order; and 4) Provided feedback on schematic design proposals 1 & 2.The purpose post-event Spring Jam survey is to understand participants’ experience for attending the 2023 Spring Jam. 49.4% of the participants said that they enjoyed the Spring Jam performance; 48.6% of participants were satisfied with the event and 53.5% would recommend it to a friend. The top five most important features which you require for your personal practices involving reflection, meditation, or spiritual wellness were 1) quiet space, 2) cleanliness, 3) ablution (access to ritual hand and foot washing), 4) walk-up space (available to all during building hours), 5) carpeted floor.
Starbucks Customer Service Survey (Spring 2024)
The results of Starbucks customer service survey were helpful to understand the customer experience. Survey QR code were displayed in three Starbucks campus locations— Ilini Union, Illini Union Bookstore and Sidney Lu MEB for the customers to provide their feedback. Overall, the data showed that more than 90% of the customers were satisfied with their product, customer service and timely manner. 90.7% of the customers would recommend the location.
Equity, Inclusion, Justice
The Illini Union continues to follow rigorous DEI principles in our hiring practices, new staff training and onboarding, and targeted training regarding specific situations we encounter in daily operations.
A drastic increase in the unhoused population and those with mental health and addiction issues are visiting the building. Our frontline staff continue to extensively train and retrain regarding providing great customer service to guests perceived as “homeless” no differently than any other guests, and to know what resources are available if guests need assistance. Conflict resolution strategies have been employed to deescalate several incidents in the past year involving unhoused or non-affiliated guests in the building.
We have ensured that free speech is protected for all in our public outdoor spaces through application and enforcement of the Campus Administrative Manual policies. This has ensured equity in the assignment of outdoor reservations and allowed for continuity of operations throughout a demonstration-filled year.
Collaborative Partnerships
Key collaborative partnerships included the Homecoming Committee, the Student Sustainability Committee, Office of the Chancellor, the Women’s Resource Center, Hive Society Improv, Spicy Clamato Improve, Odd Request Improv, and the Phoenix Improv Company.
The Event Services team continues to closely collaborate with the SODA (Student Engagement) office to manage daily RSO reservation requests; the Facilities team likewise collaborates and advises SODA on maintenance and facility upgrades.
The Illini Union’s Green Team and Illini Union Board partnered on several Sustainability initiatives such as co-sponsoring “Sustainapalooza” in conjunction with campus partners (Students for Environmental Concerns RSO, ISEE, and Student Engagement).
Facilities
- Illini Room Wall Finishes completed.
- Illini Union Roof Project Phase 1 under way.
- Design intent of Illini Union Meditation/Reflection Room complete, combined planning with McKinley Health Center underway for joint project.
- Tech Zone store moved to the Illini Union Bookstore
- Former Tech Zone space temporarily converted to office space, housing Illini Union staff during the roof project and a pilot Technology Services Help Desk location to assist students, faculty, and staff with basic IT needs.
2024-2025 Goals
Below are the 2023-2024 Goals and Strategic Initiatives for the Illini Union.
Goal 1: Complete the revision and edit of the Illini Union Board Operations/Training Manual. Implement a formal training program for Illini Union Board members in order to ensure adequate student leadership development as well as consistent event-planning skill maintenance.
Will finish editing the IU Board Operations/Training Manual. This will allow for better board transitions and consistent training programs from year to year.
Goal 2: Complete a reworked main floor of the Bookstore to allow for more retail space to be seamlessly used by our retail team or a vendor partner by Fall of 2024.
The Facilities staff worked with Retail’s Tech Zone operation to move into the former Amazon store within the Illini Union Bookstore, with minimal modifications to building infrastructure for power and security. This was driven by the need to create temporary office space within the Illini Union for offices displaced by the Union roof project. The moves were complete by the end of April, with the offices from the North Building Fourth Floor relocated following Spring commencement and prior to roof construction.
This project was also scaled back from a full rework as the Bookstore Starbucks remodel will not happen until Summer of 2026, uncertainty about the future of the current PNC Bank contract, and other priorities for capital improvements both at the Bookstore and Illini Union.
Goal 3: Refreshment of lower level seating area with seating, paint, and graphics, giving it more of a welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff. Inclusion of Reflection Space Meditation Space in the lower level.
Focus groups and a survey were conducted in Fall 2023 to learn from the students and campus community what they need and are looking for in a meditation/reflection space. The four basic themes emerged: 1) Identified anticipated number of users, user groups and sizes, frequency and times of use, and traffic flow; 2) Identified specific user needs based on personal meditation practices; 3) Identified each user’s top five most important features in rank order; and 4) Provided feedback on schematic design proposals. Data was collected and reviewed by the Reflection-Meditation Room planning team and included into the final design-intent drawings.
The Illini Union is partnering with McKinley Health Center to develop a joint construction project for the former CLASS area: the North section will be a McKinley urgent-care clinic, while the South will be the planned Meditation-Reflection Room.
The Food Court redevelopment planning kicked off in Spring 2024, with peer institution benchmarking completed in Apil and May, stakeholder meetings scheduled in the month of June 2024, and planning to occur Summer of 2024.