| Eastern Michigan University Student Center |
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| Eastern Michigan University | |
View of the east side of the building |
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| Motto | Centered on You![1] |
| Nickname | The Student Center |
| Type | Student Center |
| Director | Carlos Costa [2] |
| Location | Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States of America |
| Erected | 2006 |
| Architect | Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann[3] |
| Style | Post Modern |
| Number of floors | 4 |
| Special features | Kiva Room, LAN Gaming Center |
| Address | 900 Oakwood St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 [4] |
| website | www.emich.edu/studentcenter/ |
The Eastern Michigan University Student Center is Eastern Michigan University's student union. Since its opening in 2006 the EMU Student Center replaced McKenny Union as the student hub of campus life.[5] The building is simply referred to as "The Student Center" by students faculty and staff. The building is located in University Park near the Rec/IM and Library. It is also the location of the EMU Bookstore, a 24/7 computer lab, two art galleries, various offices and Admissions.[6] The Student Center also includes the Kiva Room.[7]
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Eastern Michigan University's first Student Union was McKenny Union. McKenny was first proposed by President Charles McKenny in 1924. McKenny Union opened in 1931 it was the first student union on the campus of a teachers' college.[8] In the early 2000's EMU began to look at a possible expansion and renovation of McKenny Union. The University found that rebuilding a new student union and renovating McKenny would be cheaper. In 2004, construction began on the former site of Pine Grove Apartments and tennis courts. The building officially opened on November 17, 2006. Since its opening EMU Student Center uses the slogan "Centered on You!". When opening in 2006, the EMU Student Center replaced McKenny Union as the student hub of campus life.[9] Once the Student Center opened McKenny Union closed for renovations and reopened as McKenny Hall.
The building offers student services, a Chase Bank branch[10], dining facilities, meeting rooms, two art galleries, administrative offices, student organization offices, an auditorium, a 24-hour computer lab, a Kiva Room, bookstore and a gaming center.[6][11] The cost of the Student Center is estimated around 40,500,000 (USD).[11] The building's Architecture Style is Post Modern. The building is approximately 181,000 square feet (16,800 m2) in size.[11] The building is located in University Park near the Rec/IM and Library. During the buildings construction a lake was made adjacent to the Student Center. This completed the area known as "University Park". Outside the building to the south is a small reconstructed prairie and a bridge.[11] The Student Center is home to offices such as Campus Life, VISION, a box office, Service EMU, and Admissions.[6] The Student Center was the home of the first LAN Gaming Center (Savage Geckos); purchased by the university in Spring 2008 and renamed E-Zone.
Current food vendors in the Student Center include sites run by EMU's Dining Services, Starbucks, Wendy's, and Subway.[12] Past vendors include Taco Bell, KFC, Sbarro, Panda Express. In recent years EMU has transitioned away from chain restaurants to sites run and owned by the university.
The Student Center also includes the Kiva Room, a round, 360-degree room patterned after spaces used in Native American cultures, on the north end of the second floor.[13] The Kiva Room is used as a meeting space, for collaboration, or for musical purposes.[7]
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