Welcome to the first day of class. Did you have a good break? Are you excited about the upcoming semester? Are you ready for this semester?

Here are some resources that you may want to check out during this first week of class:

Textbook Buying Guide

2010 Spring Course Catalog

How to Find Your Classroom

UIUC General Calendar

And what better way to start the semester than with an Illini Men’s Basketball game! Tonight at 8PM at Assembly Hall. The Illini will take on Purdue, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Illinois vs. Purdue // Jan. 19 // 8pm

• Live Audio | GameTracker | TV: ESPN
• BUY TICKETS TO THIS GAME | Fan Guide

Go Illini!

Today is the first day of class  :(  Where did the summer go?

In this space, I could write something about what to do on the first day of class, or how exciting it is to start a new year… but I don’t want to take that away from the Daily Illini.

Instead, I am going to inform you about the special anniversary today. It has been exactly 3 years ago today that Pluto lost its planetary status. You remember those days…”My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” (at least that’s what I learned). Either way, Pluto was a planet from February 18, 1930 to August 24, 2006. Our solar system consisted of 9 planets and literally all was right with the world. Then all of a sudden, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to define a planet and little old Pluto didn’t meet the qualifications. Conspiracy? Maybe.

For now, there are only 8 planets.  There are also over 1,700,000 members in the “When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.”  Facebook group. 

Happy demotion day, Pluto. Students, enjoy the first day of class!

A good tip for new and returning students is to locate their classroom before the first class. That way, you know where you are going and you won’t be late. If you are adventurous enough, map out your daily route from class to class and do a walk-through today to get comfortable with it.

Check the location of all your classes:

1. Go to the Illinois Campus Map Directory
2. Either search, or select your building from the list
3. Click on “ADA Accessibility Map” under the address
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Floor Plans”
5. Locate the room where you need to go to.

If you don’t know the building or room number of your course, check out the Fall 2009 Class Schedule.

Good luck on the first day of class!