I read the column on why Ivy League Schools are called Ivy League schools. As interesting as the artical sounds, I learned, In my American Civilization class, that Ivy legue schools are called that because they are the first IV Colleges to exist. It has to do with the roman numeral IV and not the fact that they have Ivy growing on them.
Welcome to the SDMB, mistris75. A link to the Staff Report is appreciated. Providing one can be as simple as pasting the URL into your post, making sure to leave a blank space on either side of it. Like so: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mivyleague.html
Ken does a good job of debunking the Roman-numeral theory. Anyway, the VIII League doesn’t have the same ring to it somehow.