The Ole Miss Student Union

https://youtu.be/aYQDH0J1Z-k

Danielle Angelo
deangelo@go.olemiss.edu

The second phase of the Ole Miss Student Union’s remodel is going to be completed by early spring semester of 2019.

Construction on the Union began four years ago. The first phase of construction remodeled the food court which opened in August 2017. The second phase of construction is remodeling the Union offices and meeting areas and began in January 2017.

Student Union Director Bradley Baker is excited for the project to finally be complete.

“The renovated part of the Union will bring back the living room to the center of the Ole Miss campus,” Baker said. “The renovation and expansion of the Student Union is something that will forever change the heart of our campus.”

There are many changes students and faculty can look forward to once construction is complete. The new Union will welcome the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, a student organization and leadership suite and expanded programming space on the Union Plaza. Like the previous Union meeting spaces, lobby and the bookstore will be included in the new design.

Baker has made sure that the design of the Union is easier for students to navigate.

“When the renovation opens, the building will flow much smoother with more entries and easier access to floors whether through stairwells or additional elevators,” Baker said. “The food court is already located on the first floor while McAlister’s Deli is located on the second floor which will lead into the newly remodeled space.”

Once the remodel is complete Baker said staff will begin moving into their new offices as soon as the building opens.

Baker said that construction of Student Unions has been common at schools around the country recently and that Ole Miss is not the only school in the SEC to have undergone a large remodel.

“Our project, along with others at the University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee, will each open right about the same time,” Baker said. “There have been others who have renovated or expanded recently, but those are the two other projects that are wrapping up along with ours.”

Baker knows the Union will have a large impact on current students and will add to the appeal of prospective students when touring.

“The Union’s purpose is so much more than a quick stop for breakfast or lunch,” Baker said. “It serves as the hub for campus life and it is the only building on campus that brings together all campus community members.”

Junior Emma Davis is looking forward to the completion of the Union.

“Coming in my freshman year it was cool to get to have the transition from the old Union to the new Union,” Davis said. “It’s nice to have been able to see the progress. I know so many students will prosper from the new Union.”

Davis is most looking forward to the new study facilities in the completed Union and the additional space they bring to campus.

“I think anytime you put a fresh building on campus it helps our growth and we as a student body need more space on this campus to study and have a nice place to go sit and eat,” Davis said. “I think it will really encourage students to get out of their dorm rooms and to come on campus and do things rather than stay at home.”

Sophomore Erin Devine is most excited to have the bookstore back on campus and new study spaces.

“I think the student body will really benefit from having a newly renovated building on campus,” Devine said. “The Union is a place that will help bring everyone together again and will be the center for campus activities.”