Click Here to read more special memories at the Student Union from: Dennis Busch Phil Rogers

Since it opened in 1951 the OSU Student Union has been hailed as one of the premier student unions among universities in the world for its size and diversity of services. As a place to eat, shop, bank, groom, see and be seen it’s no wonder the phrase “meet me at the Union” is uttered often by every student who passes through the doors of OSU. When OSU President Henry Bennett called for the construction of a student union in 1937 he envisioned a place that would provide programs and services to shape the intellectual, cultural and social environment of the campus. The OSU student body shared Bennett’s vision and funded the $4.3 million project through a self-imposed tax.

Student Union by the Numbers

Today, the OSU student body is proving they still believe in the mission of the Student Union by once again taxing themselves to provide a lead gift of $43 million for the renovation of the historic building to preserve one of the campus’s most treasured icons.

“There is no greater legacy on OSU’s campus than the building that was attained through generations of students’ financial support,” said Claire Carter, co-chair of the Student Union Planning Committee and previous SGA president, in a letter to the Board of Regents. “The Student Union encompasses the cowboy tradition and the essence of what it means to bleed orange.”

But the students can’t do it alone. The $43 million the students have pledged through a fee increase is only half of the $86 million needed to renovate the Union to better meet the needs of today’s students.

“How the needs of our students are being met is changing,” says Mitchell Kilcrease, director of the Student Union. “But the purpose of the Student Union hasn’t changed – we’re here to provide quality services and programs for our students.”

The renovations will include new centers for diversity and inclusion, and leadership and ethics; new Career Services and University Counseling Services areas; additional lounges and open spaces for students; state-of-the-art conference and meeting rooms; reorganization of current services to better fit the needs of the students; technology, infrastructure and life safety systems upgrades; and facility upgrades to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“A student’s college career starts in the Union and ends in the Union,” Kilcrease says. “Every student passes through the Union doors during orientation and graduation. Our core mission is to support the academic mission, which is why you won’t find another union with as many and as diverse services as ours.”

By committing to provide half of the funding for the first major renovation of the Student Union in it’s nearly 60 years, the OSU student body is hoping other members of the OSU family will follow their lead.

“Our school needs to remain competitive and serve the needs of the students,” said Angela Vivar, president of the Hispanic Student Association, in a letter to the OSU Board of Regents. “I feel that we have done our best to put together a plan that will do this.”

To help the OSU student body continue to build on the tradition or for more information, please contact Chad Haney at 405-385-5613 or chaney@OSUgiving.com or Click Here to give a gift now.

Do you have a special memory of the Student Union you would like to share?  Please e-mail your stories to debbie.shotwell@okstate.edu.

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