While many students hang out on the Strip or go to bars in their spare time, DuWayne Englert, a professor in zoology, is rolling his bowling ball down the alley in the faculty and staff bowling league.

The SIUC faculty and staff let down their professional guard every Monday to have a little fun and socialize, while making jokes and teasing each other.

Bowling helps me to release the frustrations of the day and to relax, Englert said.

The first faculty-staff bowling night was Monday at the Student Center Bowling and Billiards. The league meets at 6:30 p.m. every Monday to compete for the league championship.

The league was started in 1962 as a way for the faculty to get together and have fun. Over the years, it became a faculty-staff bowling league to include Student Services, graduate students, non-traditional undergraduates and alumni.

Englert is an original member of the bowling league and has helped his team, The Alley Cats, to become champions twice in the last five years.

The team (members) are my friends, and this gives us a chance to be together, he said.

Lucinda Vinson, the transportation clerk for Head Start, said although she has played in other leagues, she plays on the University Book Store team just for fun.

When I first came here, I came in a stranger, but I only was for a short time, she said. I just fit right in and was accepted.

Diane Muzio, a new member of the league from the Communications Disorder Sciences and Rehabilitation Institution, has been bowling since she was a child.

It’s a sport of a lifetime, she said. It is a fun thing to do and is right on campus.

Joe Cash, vice president of the league and associate professor of applied and automotive technology, said he enjoys the league because he is able to socialize.

You meet people from all academic lines and it breaks down the barriers of individual departments, he said.

Jim Scales, director of Career Services, helped his team, The Rough Riders, bring in the championship last year and is convinced that the team will continue winning for the next five years.

The league is a great way to spend leisure time with people that I work with, he said.

Ray Einig, secretary-treasurer for the league and associate professor of information management systems, describes the atmosphere as stress-free.

No one gets mad for not winning, he said. We are here to have a good time and enjoy bowling together. Any faculty or staff who has the physical ability to get the bowling ball down the alley, we have a place for you on our league.