Heather Glidden, age 14, of Manchester, N.H., for her question:

WHY IS YALE UNIVERSITY CALLED 'OLD ELI'?

Yale University, the third oldest university in the United States, is located in New Haven, Conn. It was started in 1701 when a group of 10 Connecticut 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 acquired a vast fortune. He also served as governor of Fort Saint George in Madras. In honor of the man who made the generous gifts, the school changed its name to Yale University.

And "Old Eli" became the school's nickname because of Mr. Yale's first name: Elihu. The undergraduate school, known as Yale College, was open only to men until 1969.