IMU offers food, study break

For students spending much of their day on campus, the Indiana Memorial Union can be a home away from home. As the second largest student union building in the country, the IMU sits in the heart of campus at 900 E. 7th St.    
      
The two-block-long building offers many different resources to students, faculty and staff, but some may not know where to begin exploring. Here is a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the IMU.

Food

Classes start in 15 minutes, and there’s no food at home. Thus, the IMU Burger King, which opens at 8:30 a.m., is the first stop for some students looking to grab a cup of coffee or some hash browns on their way to class.

Besides Burger King, the Union houses two other coffee shops: Starbucks and Sugar & Spice, which offers an organic coffee alternative.

Around lunchtime, students can snatch a snack at the Dunn Meadow Cafe or enjoy a more formal meal in the Tudor Room.

Students can also make a dinner stop at the Market, a food court with Pizza Hut and Sub Connection. The Market is open every day until 10 p.m.

Studying

Besides various food options, the IMU also offers students a place to catch up on lecture notes or finish typing a last minute essay due at midnight.

The IMU Gallery, next to Starbucks on the third floor, gives students a quiet place to relax and study on couches and chairs scattered throughout the room.

“It’s a really nice place to study where I’m not distracted by my computer or TV,” senior Leah Christian said.

Junior Mitch Klein added that since he lives off campus, it’s the only place to go when he has a large break.

Those students who don’t have a computer can enjoy the use of the Student Technology Center, open 24 hours, seven days a week.

The computer lab offers two rooms filled with computers for student use, as well as larger computers and tables for group study.

But with all that cramming, a student can need a break.

The East Lounge on the mezzanine level is one spot for students to take a power nap.

“I think that people sleep in the Union because it is the only place on campus with couches when you don’t want to go home,” junior Shannon Hossinger said. “The couches are actually pretty comfy.”

Date Night

The IMU is not all work and no play. If students are running low on cash, the Whittenberger Auditorium on the third floor offers free movie screenings every Thursday through Saturday.

If students are feeling active, they can head to the mezzanine level to enjoy a late night game of bowling at the Back Alley.

The Back Alley also has billiards and video games.