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Unofficial Saint Patrick's Day, commonly known as Unofficial, is an annual holiday at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.It is celebrated by students starting on the first Friday of March, with celebrations continuing throughout the weekend, as an alternative to Saint Patrick's Day, which has historically fallen during the university's spring break. Unofficial celebrations bring a bit of day drinking, time with friends and memories that will last a lifetime. For some, the celebration is just getting started, while others are already a few hours in. “Today, we went to a (day party) from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; it was like an apartment crawl,” said Alexis Bond, sophomore in LAS. Report of the Chancellor’s Task Force to Review “Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day” and Other Alcohol-Related Events, January 2007, RS 41/1/6, Dean of Students Subject File, Box 172, “Task Group – Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day 2006-2007”, University of Illinois Archives. St. Patrick’s Unofficial weekend will take place once again on campus. Here are some quick facts on what to expect for this green series of events. Q: What is Unofficial? A: According to “Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day: The Official Story,” an article in the University of Illinois Archive, Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day started in the In 2006, in response to the death of alum Caroline Yoon, the Office of the Chancellor created the Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day Task Force to develop recommendations to mitigate harm during the holiday. Additionally, in 2011, Champaign police issued 364 court notices to students after bolstering patrols during Unofficial weekend. URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day is a longtime event on University of Illinois’ campus, celebrating the holiday early before students go home for spring break. Now, officials say enthusiasm for the event has dwindled the more that safety has been put at the forefront. The day gained infamy after a 23-year-old student [] CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — You might not know it, but this weekend was Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day on the University of Illinois’ campus. That’s quite a switch from the peak days of the celebration that started in 1995. For years, “unofficial” was a large event on campus, with thousands of students drinking all day and all night long. Expect a sea of green this weekend as tens of thousands of students from the University of Illinois and elsewhere flock to Champaign-Urbana for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. Over the last several years, the event has been marred by underage drinking, destruction of property, and the distribution of drugs. We want to make it clear that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign does not sponsor or sanction Unofficial St. Patrick's Day. On that day, as on other days, the University responds to all violations of the Student Code, regardless of where the behavior occurs. Unofficial is an annual celebration at University of Illinois. Short for Unofficial St. Patrick's Day, it allows students to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Champaign-Urbana, even though the University is generally on spring break on March 17th. Meanwhile, University of Illinois officials are taking steps to minimize disruptions to classes and campus operations during the Unofficial St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The U of I also noted that if students drink too much alcohol, they should not be afraid to go to the hospital for care because they "will not get in trouble. Officials and police at the UI are again working with area police agencies and city and state officials to plan for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, a commercial event expected to take place March 5. Measures are in place to help ensure the safety of students and faculty and staff members, prevent property damage and prevent disruptions to C-U Law Enforcement, University, Prepare for ‘Unofficial’ University, Police Want Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day To End; Social Media Played Big Role in Alcohol Awareness During Unofficial; Police, U of I, Discuss Strategy for ‘Unofficial’ Fewer Arrests and Citations For Unofficial St Patrick’s Day University officials are joining forces with Champaign Police and Champaign city officials to help keep a lid on this year’s Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day celebration, a drinking holiday promoted by some local bars that resulted in the death of a UI alumnus and in significant property damage in the Lincoln Hall theater and Foellinger Auditorium in 2006. As the day gradually comes to an end — kids go home, classes are dismissed and most stores prepare to close — for some people, the day’s just started. Herds of individuals gradually show up on Green Street dressed in neon green to celebrate this yearly unofficial holiday — Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Unofficial is famous — or maybe notorious — for being a day full of partying and binge-drinking in celebration of a premature St. Patrick’s Day. Despite past accidents and the endless number of tickets given out on the day, the made-up holiday continues to be one of the University’s biggest traditions. On Friday, March 2, 2012, many students and visitors will participate in an event known as Unofficial St. Patrick's Day. While the University does not support or condone this event, steps are being taken to ensure safety and to minimize disruption to classes and campus operations. The Champaign, Urbana, and University of Illinois police It’s back. On Friday, March 2, many students and visitors will participate in an event known as Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. The university does not support or condone this event. Steps are being taken to ensure safety and to minimize disruption to classes and campus operations. The chair of a committee set up to deal with Unofficial Saint Patrick’s Day at the University of Illinois Urbana campus says he cannot be certain that the death of a student was definitely due to the unsanctioned event. Dean of Students Kenneth Ballom says the very nature of “Unofficial” as a de-centralized, unorganized event makes it hard to be sure that the fatal fall of Jonathan Unofficial is said to have originated in 1995, and it is essentially an alternate St. Patrick’s Day on the University of Illinois campus. Because St. Patrick’s Day falls during spring break, some local bar owners came up with idea to celebrate an “unofficial” St. Patrick’s Day on campus.
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