Union offers concerts, speakers, restaurants

The Indiana Memorial Union is the center of activity on campus – literally.

The Union’s 500,000 square feet is home to coffee shops, restaurants, a ceramic studio, a bowling alley, a gift shop and bookstore and hundreds of other services, all of which make it one of the largest student unions in the world.

“At the Union, students really do make a massive difference in the leadership and governance of the institution,” Kelly Carnahan, IMU marketing and communications manager, said in an e-mail. “Students decide which concerts (to host), how to raise money, whether or not to host politicians – they make the decisions.”

Class of 1911 student John Whittenberger, for whom the IMU’s auditorium is named, initiated the founding of the Union in 1909 when he saw the need for a central collegiate environment for the whole student body, according to the Union’s Web site. And the nearly 100-year-old IMU continues to keep students at the center of the decision-making process.

“How many people under the age of 22 can say they brought Dave Matthews to campus?” Carnahan said. “Or toured campus with Ben Stein or Maya Angelou or Guster or Jimmy Fallon?”

Union Board, a committee of 16 student directors, hundreds of committee members and the largest student-programming body on campus, helps bring speakers and events to the Union. But the IMU executive staff makes the big decisions about what services the Union offers, which restaurants it houses and what activities and programming should be available, Carnahan said. The executive staff meets twice a year to review data from research and surveys, then initiates plans for the future.
“I have a lot of respect for the people that maintain the Union,” said Clara Mitchell, a junior who calls the Starbucks in the IMU Gallery one of her favorite places to study.
“It’s so convenient to know that you can spend the day studying in only one building and literally not have to leave – everything you need is here,” she said.

While the IMU has everything students need – a computer lab, plentiful food services and even a mini Apple store – it also has hundreds of other amenities, from Starbucks to local coffee roasters and Sugar & Spice bakery.

“If you need it as a student, it’s likely offered in the Union,” said Andrew Dahlen, director of Union Board’s lectures committee. “Free films, lectures, concerts, comedic performances and other events are occurring on a daily basis.”

Dahlen, a junior who has been with the lectures committee since his arrival at IU, said his experience on Union Board is the most gratifying thing he has done during his time here.

“Union Board has created opportunities I never would have had as just a student,” Dahlen said. “Within a month of being at IU, I met Ehud Barak, the former Prime Minister of Israel. ... I’ve walked around the campus with Ben Stein and had dinner with Charlie Rose. Meeting people makes for a great story, but the lasting impact on IU’s campus is the true opportunity Union Board creates.”