Heather Urkoski, age 14, of Willingboro, NJ, for her question:

WHY IS YALE UNIVERSITY CALLED "OLD ELI"?

Yale, the third oldest university in the United States, is located in New Haven, Conn. It was started in 1701 when a group of 10 clergymen made a gift of books to found a college. At first it was called the Collegiate School.

In 1781, a retired merchant in London named Elihu Yale contributed money, books and other valuable goods to the school. For 27 years, Yale had been in service with the East India Company, where he had made a tremendous fortune. He also served as governor of Fort St. George in Madras.

In honor of his generous gifts, the school changed its name to Yale University. And "Old Eli" became the school's nickname.

The undergraduate school, known as Yale College, was open only to men until 1969.