There’s a sense of excitement in the air as students and faculty alike hurriedly prepare for the opening of the brand new Student Union, a project 3 years in the making.
The new Student Union is “by the students, for the students, and of the students,” according to Scott Silverman, Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Student Life.
The Student Union, which is located where the old cafeteria once stood, officially opens to the public on Wednesday November 11th. It will be open every day from 7AM until 2AM.
Silverman describes the new Student Union as “the living room of campus. Lots of stuff is going to happen everywhere else, but a lot of stuff is going to happen here as well. A lot of the casual interactions as well as a lot of the meeting room ones too.”
Make sure to stop by the Grand Opening of the Student Union tomorrow at 3pm-5pm to check it out for yourself.
While there are still last minute touches to be added, from administrative offices moving in to patio furniture being set up, Her Campus Cal Lutheran is here to provide you with your own personal virtual tour of the brand new Student Union. Let’s get started!
The Patio:
The Lobby and Information Desk:
When you enter the Student Union, and the first thing you’ll see is the lobby, which looks nothing like the old cafeteria did.
The information desk here will be staffed from 8AM until midnight Monday through Friday, and from noon until midnight on the weekends. The information desk here has been moved from the middle module that was across from Swenson. At the desk you can also rent out board games, video games, movies, and other equipment.
In the lobby there are also many tables, chairs, couches, and coffee tables all which feature different forms of power supply built in for students to charge their laptops and their phones (yes, USB plugs as well!) while they hangout. Above this seating you can find a large television which will be the home to digital sinage with information about events happening around campus.
There is also a collection of computers that are open for student use, with the possibility of a printer being added in the future.
The large windows allow for some beautiful natural light and a scenic view of the East side of campus and the patio which will soon have seating and furnature.
On the other side of the lobby they are planning on adding in some game tables for entertainment.
The Luther Lounge:
After you enter the lobby, walk to the right and you will enter the Luther Lounge.
This lounge is spacious, welcoming, and has a ton of unique seating options
The chairs and tables here also have their own power supply for electronics.
The Luther Lounge is the home to 36 lockers throughout the room, which will be available for students to rent out for free by the end of November.
On one side of the lounge there is a big television, and on the other side there is a projector and a screen which comes down from the ceiling. They are planning on getting video game consoles soon to add to the space.
The Kitchen:
If you continue past the lobby area, you will find the kitchen.
In this kitchen there is a large fridge, which will mainly be used for storing food for events, as well as a microwave which will be open for student use. Soon they will be adding a coffee machine, and vending machines for both snacks and beverages.
The Meeting Rooms:
Continuing down the hallway, there are many meeting rooms and conference rooms.
Downstairs there is: The Gumby room, Victory room, Regals Room, and Honor’s Reading Room. Upstairs there is: The Purple Room, and The Gold Room. All of these rooms will soon have televisions hooked up in them, and are open for all departments, clubs, and organizations to use and will be available for reservation until midnight each night.
Ahmanson Veteran Resource Office:
Kingsmen Room:
The Kingsmen Room is the largest meeting room in the building.
Senate will have their meetings here as well as other events which are normally held in Ullman 101. There will be a huge smart board hung across the front of the room, and the current capacity is 50 people though the hope is to be able to expand it by arranging the seating differently.
Student Life Offices:
There is a section here which is the home to the Student Life Offices, which were previously in the modules across from Swenson.
At the end of the lower level there is another little lounge which consists of many couches and chairs similar to those that you find in Starbucks, as well as some creative additions such as white board tables which will come in handy for group projects and brainstorming.
Upstairs:
Up the stairs you will find the home for many different offices including the Experiential Learning office, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship, and the Office of Graduate Research.
In addition to that there is the Student Affairs suite and the office for Career Services.
Over the Bridge:
When you go outside upstairs and across the bridge, you will find yourself at more offices such as the Multicultural/International Services, and Study Abroad, which will be moving in at the end of the semester, as well as the Roth Nelson Conference Room.
Additional Info:
There are 3 bathrooms located in the building. One multiuse female and one multiuse male one on the lower level, as well as one single use gender neutral one on the upper level.
The building got a complete makeover including: New interior walls, new paint, new flooring, and even a new HVAC system which uses 30% less energy than the facility has ever before.
There are multiple water fountains in the facility and they all have water bottle filling stations.
There is also a lactation room, located downstairs.
By the Students… For the Students…
A big goal of the new Student Union is to be able to bring a collective home to students across campus, including commuters.
Scott Silverman said, “whatever the students want to see in the space is what I want to see. If you were to come to me and say that you wanted to see a giant screen in the middle of the lounge or the lobby to have movies projected so we can sit in the lounge and watch movies, we would make it happen. Whatever ideas you have, we are going to have suggestion boxes out… talk to the front desk. Even if there’s board games or video games people want to see, you can suggest them. By the students, for the students, and of the students.”
Excited about the opening? Make sure to stop by and check it out, starting Wednesday!