Union now open to students 24/7

The Indiana Memorial Union will allow students to remain in the building 24/7 starting today.

The Union Board voted Oct. 15 to keep parts of the Union open to students, as well as hotel guests, for 24 hours.

From 2 to 6 a.m., students with a valid university ID will be allowed to enter or remain in the Union.

With the new Student Technology Center computer lab, members of the Union Board thought students should be allowed to use the Union and its resources all night, said Union Board President Andrew Dahlen. It’s a place for students to study, he said.

The Herman B Wells library’s 24 hours Information Commons is popular with students, Dahlen said, so Union Board thought it would be good to have another location to utilize.

“It’s definitely a great benefit to students,” Dahlen said.

The idea came from IU’s Vision of the Ideal College Environment report, as well as from internal forums Union Board conducted last year.

The purpose of the new policy is for the students to use the new Student Technology Center, said IMU Building Manager Andy Smriga.

The policy that students must have a valid IU ID has been implemented because in the past unwanted visitors have tried to stay the night, he said. The policy also states that in 12 months, the 24-hour rule should be reviewed to determine if there are safety issues or a negative impact.

Smriga said that there is always a building manager roaming the IMU at night, so if a student feels unsafe, they can either find him or her or go to the front desk, who will radio. The building manager is trained in first aid and can escort students to their cars.

“We just want to make this feel like home for students late at night,” Smriga said.