Ball State Student Union

Abstract

The college union is the community center of the campus. It is a gathering place that encourages interaction, education and the exchange of ideas. It is to the campus, as the family room is to a home.Experiencing "growing pains," Ball State University is finding its L.A. Pittinger Student Center inadequate. Not only is the facility poorly located, but is architecturally unfit to house the functions of a true student union.This thesis proposes that a new student union be located along McKinley Ave. at the center of Ball State's campus. Becoming a part of the campus' "north academic quadrangle," the project makes serious proposals as to how the building should complete and compliment the quad.This issue is one of three major goals of the project. The second concern is for the facility to provide a desperately needed gathering place for the student body. Currently, Bracken Library has (unwillingly) assumed this function, disrupting its use as a library.Last, it is proposed that the union facility provide an environment of escape and "refreshment." Hopefully, students will go to the union to find refuge from the pressures of their studies.Overall, the facility would have a variety of effects on the university. First, such a positive committment to student life increases the desirability of campus (especially to prospective students). Thus, the facility could affect enrollment. By providing a place for out-of-class interaction, conversation and exchange of ideas, the union will foster a "true academic environment." Bringing students together in this manner, the union could also reduce Ball State's acute apathy problem. Students might even become involved in and work towards bettering the college community!