Southern Illinois University Carbondale

The College of Agricultural Sciences consists of four academic departments: Agribusiness Economics, Animal Science, Food & Nutrition, Forestry, and Plant, Soil & Agricultural Systems. There are eight majors and twenty-six specializations. The college's Ph.D. program was added in December 2007. The Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences is a research degree that prepares graduates for developing and funding their own research program, and for teaching graduate and undergraduate students.[42]

Since its inception as the Vocational Technical Institute, CASA has undergone continuous change to address the workforce needs in the southern Illinois region, the state and the nation. The College presently includes four schools which house three master's degree programs, fourteen baccalaureate, and two associate degree programs. The masters of science in Medical Dosimetry and one baccalaureate program, Fire Service Management, are offered off-campus only. CASA provides off-campus opportunities to receive baccalaureate degrees in the areas of Aviation Management, Electronic Systems Technologies, Fire Service Management, Health Care Management, and Medical Dosimetry. The baccalaureate degree in Information Systems Technologies is offered online. Forty-nine hours of upper-level and selected elective courses are available to students at various locations throughout the country.[43]

Morris Library is the main library for the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus. The library holds more than 4 million volumes, 53,000 current periodicals and serials, and over 3.6 million microform units. Morris Library also provides access to the statewide automated library system and to an array of electronic sources.[44][45] These figures make Morris Library among the top 50 largest research libraries in the United States. Library users have access to I-Share (the statewide automated library system) and to a comprehensive array of databases and other electronic data files. As the campus center for access to academic information and collaborative academic technology projects, Morris Library provides a wide range of services, including reference assistance, instructional and technical support, distance learning, geographic information systems (GIS), and multimedia courseware development. Morris Library is a member of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA). Delyte's, a new coffee shop named after former SIU President Delyte W. Morris, operates near the entrance of the library.[46]

The SIU Law Library provides legal research resources for lawyers, law students, SIU faculty and staff and members of the community. Located in the Lesar Law Building, the library has evolved to meet the changing nature of legal research and user expectations by providing wireless access to a wide array of electronic legal materials.[47]

"Glow bowling" at the SIU Student Center bowling alley

With over 8 acres (3.24 ha) of floor space, the SIU Student Center is one of the largest student unions in the nation.[48] The programs and services offered provide SIU students, faculty, and staff a place to relax, gather a group to study or grab a bite to eat. The Student Center hosts multiple dining locations, the University Bookstore, ATM and Western Union stations, bowling & billiards facility, check cashing services, the ID Card office, and Debit Dawg activations and deposits all under one roof. The Student Center offers several ballrooms and smaller, expandable conference rooms for small or large gatherings. Student-run radio station WIDB 104.3 FM[49] broadcasts from the Student Center, and the Black Affairs Office, International Student Council, Student Programming Council, student governments and the Greek Council have offices in the building.

Student Center patio

Campus Lake, located on the southwest portion of campus, is a 41-acre (16.6 ha) spring-fed lake set in 25 acres (10.1 ha) of woodsland. A 2.2 miles (3.54 km) trail surrounds the lake.

SIU Lake and residence halls

The Student Recreation Center,[50] or "Rec," is the university's primary hub for intramural and fitness activities. With more than 220,000 square feet, the SIU Recreation Center is also one of the largest among universities in the nation. Although SIU's Recreation Center doesn't receive state support, it operates on a $4.8 million budget, most of which is raised by a student recreation fee that is included in student fees.[51] The rest of the money is revenue generated by instructional programs, camps and community citizens who pay for membership.

Indoor facilities include an Olympic-sized pool.

Pool features:

• One ten-lane 50-meter course
• Two eight-lane 25-yard courses
• Four one-meter diving boards
• Three three-meter diving boards
• One five-meter diving tower
• Three underwater viewing stations
• Underwater speakers
• Colorado rlectronic timing system
• Rapid sand filter system

The 770,000 gallon natatorium is surrounded by a closed gutter filtration system which drastically reduces water turbulence helping to increase the swimmers' speed.[52]

The facility also houses areas for basketball, volleyball, racquetball, handball, squash, weightlifting, martial arts, aerobics, and programs for the disabled. There are over 180 fitness stations distributed throughout the building. Other on campus outdoor recreation include tennis courts at three campus locations, a frisbee golf course, and 100 acres of playing fields. Picnic areas, and boat dock facilities are available at Campus Lake.[53][54]

Connected to the Student Recreation Center on the east side of campus, the 57,000-square-foot health center offers students a continuum of care under one roof. Services include the medical clinic, pharmacy, wellness resources, psychiatry clinic, sports medicine and physical therapy and counseling and psychological services. Community partners Southern Illinois Dermatology and the Marion Eye Center also provide services in the new health center.[55]

• The baseball team has second-place finishes in the National Championship in 1968 & 1971.
• The men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for six straight seasons between 2002–07, including two trips to the Sweet Sixteen.
• The men's basketball team won the 1967 NIT National Championship.
• The women's basketball team was Missouri Valley Conference champion in 2007.
• Football had been ranked in the Top 10 in the Football Championship Subdivision for the four years 2006-09, and were in the playoffs for seven straight years, 2003–09.
• Softball has been ranked in the Top 25 in the nation for the past two years and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament five straight seasons.
• SIU's student-athletes lead the MVC in overall grade point average.

SIU has two primary bodies of student government responsible for distributing part of the Student Activity Fee to the RSOs:

• Undergraduate Student Government (USG)
• Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC)

Additionally, one student is elected as a student trustee; the other is elected at SIUE and appointed by the governor as a voting member of the SIU Board of Trustees.

The Daily Egyptian (DE) is an award-winning student-run newspaper. The DE is published weekly on Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters with a distribution of 78,000 copies, and an online edition on Friday. The paper has received more than 25 awards from the Illinois College Press Association. In 2002, it received the National Newspaper Pacemaker Award for General Excellence.[57]

Founded in 1959, the Saluki Patrol is one of the oldest student security teams in the country. The student members assist the Department of Public Safety in their duties.[58]

On-campus housing at SIU is provided in residence halls and apartments and is offered for students who are undergraduates, graduates, parents, domestic partners, or married.

There are two main residence hall areas, each with a commons building containing a dining hall, known as East Campus and West Campus. The traditional residence hall contract includes a furnished room, wi-fi, cable, utilities and a dining plan. Residence hall rooms are fully furnished, and many have been modified to meet the needs of specific types of disability.

Apartment housing is available in Evergreen Terrace, Wall & Grand, and Elizabeth Apartments.

The SIU Housing Policy states: All single students under the age of 21, not residing with their parents or legal guardians, with fewer than 26 credit hours earned after high school are required to live in University-owned and operated residence halls.[59] Students are considered to hold freshman status if they have earned fewer than 26 credit hours after high school.

Sunset over Southern Illinois University's Campus Lake

The Cardboard Boat Regatta is an event held every spring semester at Campus Lake. Participants include university students and community members. The goal is to complete three trips around a 200-yard course on the lake using makeshift cardboard boats. There are three different categories for entries: canoes or kayaks, experimental boats and instant boats (boats created on-site the day of the event).

The idea for a Cardboard Regatta first originated in 1974 at Southern Illinois University. Richard Archer, a professor of Art and Design, dreamed up a final examination for students in his freshman design class. Buckminster Fuller, then a Distinguished Professor at SIU, had espoused the principle of "doing the most with the least," and faculty members found it intriguing to apply these principles in their classes. Archer felt it would be a real test of students' creativity and three-dimensional design skills to build human-sized boats made only of cardboard, and more than 40 years later, it is still happening.[60] Many communities, organizations and other universities around the country have joined in on the fun and now organize their own Cardboard Boat Regattas.

• National debate champions – Under the direction of debate coach Todd Graham, SIU won the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence in 2008 and 2013. The team also won the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Tournament in 2013 and were ranked first in the country over the course of the 2010, 2012, and 2013 seasons.
• The SIU Flying Salukis Flight Team has taken first place in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region 8 competition for the past 7 years (2011-2017). At NIFA SAFCON 2014, the Flying Salukis won the team's ninth national title. As of 2017, the team has qualified for the national championships in 49 of the last 50 years.[61][62]
• SIU's award-winning half-hour alternative TV news magazine received an Emmy in the magazine news program category at the 2010 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Regional Chapter Emmy Awards in St. Louis.[63]
• SIU's Forestry Club was the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Conclave champion in 1992-2009, and 2017.[64]