Strolling down State Street in the heart of Ann Arbor this weekend, I came upon an ivy-covered brick building with a massive tower rising from the middle. I walked through a heavy wooden door into the Michigan Union, the university’s student center. The first thing I noticed once inside was a large study room. The quiet reading room, with overstuffed leather chairs and large wood tables on decorative rugs, was packed with students. The Union has a Subway, Wendy’s and other typical fast food options, but there are also unique offerings. Rather than a millionth Starbucks, Amer’s coffeehouse serves fair-trade drinks and homemade pastries and the University Club serves gourmet food.
Throughout the building, students have views through maize and blue stained glass windows. The Union is a place for students to study, eat, socialize and relax. It’s a true home for Michigan’s student population.
After spending time in the Union, Norris, our attempt at a student center, seems pathetic by comparison.
Northwestern has discussed Norris’ deficiencies for years, but little happens. Yes, installing a Starbucks and a sushi bar helped. But these minute improvements amount to placing a Band-Aid on an axe wound. Even on a sunny day, Norris’ main seating area is dark and uninviting. How is it that in a building just feet from Lake Michigan, on one of the most beautiful pieces of land imaginable, you can hardly see the water?
The “underground” social space feels more like a dank dungeon than a place to relax with friends.
Other Big Ten schools, such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, have or are spending millions of dollars on updating or reconstructing their student centers. They understand that creating a true home for students has the potential to transform a campus. NU especially could use a student center makeover because of our north/south campus isolation.
A real student center could become the most important building on campus. NU currently lacks a central gathering place for students, a place where they want study, eat and relax day and night. It lacks a heart.
President Bienen has said attracting donors for a student center is difficult because they prefer to support academic buildings. He needs to make donors understand an effective student center is also an academic place.
Right now the administration looks to the library as the place students go to do work. But traditional libraries are outdated. Students don’t need books; they need a good place to study. Core now stays open until 3 a.m ., but it’s a miserable place to work, and you get kicked out halfway through your all-nighter. Modern student centers incorporate student-friendly work spaces, which enhance their academic experiences.
At other schools, student centers are the first place people go in the morning and the last before bed.
Can’t picture it? Go on a college tour. See what impresses you.
