 Planners faced a big task in replacing the aging Cone Center - how to create a true hub for campus life at dynamic, growing UNC Charlotte.
Their efforts have been rewarded. The Student Union, which opened last fall, delivers the visual and social impact that planners intended.
The largest and most costly building yet at UNC Charlotte straddles the pedestrian crossroads between campus housing, a six-tier parking deck, recently added classroom buildings and Halton Arena.
Whether students want to stage the 49ers Homecoming kickoff rally, as they did two weeks ago, take in a movie, shoot pool, recreate, reflect, study, meet, shop, dine or doze, they are doing it at the Student Union.
This is also the new home to scores of student organizations and a half-dozen dining choices from Wendy's to Bistro 49.
And it is a great campus hub for the rest of us, as well.
OUR VISIT
We visited the student union on a recent weekday afternoon to get a feel for how it is fitting into 49er life.
EASY TO FIND - Off-campus visitors have no problem finding the Student Union. The four-story building has one of the most visible locations on campus. The building towers above the hillside that overlooks Toby Creek and the UNC Charlotte athletic fields. Next door is a parking deck whose short walkway from the top level leads directly to the Student Union’s main floor. Another walkway leads across a 50-foot ravine to Lynch, Laurel and Witherspoon Halls.
ACTIVITY STARTS OUTSIDE - First-time visitors really need to enter the union by way of the main entrance facing Carver Road. A steady flow of students fed across Carver from the central part of campus on our visit. Several organizations had posted signs announcing upcoming programs, frat and sorority rush and the sale of class rings. Clusters of people talked in various tongues on the Student Union patio. Starbucks – the international caffeinated-beverage brand - has set up a few tables with umbrellas, but there were no takers yet. It was still too cold even to enjoy hot coffee outdoors.
STARBUCKS ATMOSPHERE - Step through the Student Union front door, however, and the Starbucks theme permeates the central atrium and two rings of balconies stretching up to the central dome. Students occupied most of the hundreds of padded lounge chairs filling the main floor and glass-walled balconies. Every chair provides a great people-watching vista – or a place to be seen by others.
49ER APPAREL RULES - Encircling the main floor are several shops, restaurants and activity centers. Need clothing with the 49er logo? Step into the Barnes and Noble bookstore, which sells 49er caps, Ts, shorts and just about every other piece of clothing, including several for alumni. The bookstore’s main-floor level also features a small B&N bookstore carrying fiction, magazines and expensive chocolates. Head downstairs to the basement if you actually came here to buy a textbook.
MANY DINING OPTIONS - Need some quick energy? Starbucks is here, of course, along with a food court selling burgers, pizza, Italian food and bagels. The Student Union also offers Bistro 49, a sit-down restaurant that recently partnered with the Wine Vault at University Place to host an evening dinner to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief.
ARTS OPTIONS - People wanting to forget the next calculus exam can chill in the game room, the movie theater (showing “2010” and “The Fourth Kind” this week; free with a campus ID; $2 without) and the art gallery – currently exhibiting “Digitally Inclined,” the first exhibit by The Digital Art Mob (DAM), an informal group of students, faculty and staff interested in the intersection of digital technologies and the arts.
CHARLOTTE'S OTHER APPLE STORE - Fans of Apple products will either love or hate the new NinerMac store located on the hallway leading to the parking deck. The manager used to work at the SouthPark Apple store, and the campus outlet bears a strong resemblance. He says the store offers Macintosh computers, Apple iPods and, soon, iPads at educational discount prices, along with other Apple products and support – but only to people who work or study at UNC Charlotte.
The Student Union continues to evolve. A new 6-stylist hair salon is set to open on March 1 (Make your appointments now at www.TheCampusSalon.com.)
If you haven’t seen all of this for yourself, you really should drop by and get a taste for UNC Charlotte campus life – 2010. Don’t worry about when to come. These are college kids, right? The Union stays open until 1 a.m. seven days a week.
WANT TO SEE MORE?
Visit the Student Union website at http://studentunion.uncc.edu. Keep up with the latest Student Union news and photos on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22496552600. Buy 49er gear on line at http://aux.uncc.edu/bookstore. Oh, you want to do something old-fashioned and actually visit in person? The Student Union is open 7 a.m.-1 a.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-1 a.m. weekends.
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