Throughout each student’s college experience, the social nature of any university plays a huge

role in the individual development of each student, as these connections are vital to establishing

positive social influence. This sense of togetherness is promoted through many aspects of college

life and can be openly observed through examples such as a campus student union; at any time of

the day, you can see students studying, walking to class, getting coffee, being students. When

observing my peers in our on-campus Student Union during our class assignment, I found it

particular how the building seemed to serve as a central hub of sorts for the typical campus

routes or routines. The many purposes that this location serves for students shows how essential

its locational and operational structure is to students on a daily basis, whether it be for the quiet

space offered by the lobby in the mornings or just the simple taste of a Starbucks coffee to kick-

start your morning before class. I believe it would be interesting to examine some of these

various intended purposes and analyze their actual efficiency or impact against what they were

initially intended to be, as the Student Union is important to the function of our campus for many

different reasons and in many different ways. This can be proved by sheer observation when

considering the amount of students who can be seen walking to class with their book bags each

morning, representing how the structure almost serves as a corridor between a large portion of

the residence halls and the main academic buildings on campus which also complements it’s

close proximity to both sections of the campus. I think that much of the information required for

explaining some of the aspects of the student union’s function can be found throughout different

areas or departments of our campus, and I hope this will aid me in conducting more direct

research that will procure a more accurate and informed answer. In considering the planning of

the execution of this study or research, I can immediately reference the work I did analyzing

different tendencies of students in the morning throughout the student union, though it will be
beneficial to collect additional data from other areas of the building to ensure we are compiling

an accurate compilation of observation and conclusions. I think it would be most beneficial to

obtain information from the campus or student union layout designers, although I realize that it is

unlikely for this information to be accessible from a reliable first-hand source, so I will resort to

consulting more online or on-campus resources. I also realize that much of the information

concerning specific details of the building’s initial development may not be available to the

public domain, as it is likely that the university contracted a company to assist in developing and

constructing their student union, so it is likely that this company also had a role in deciding the

final placement of the building, and it may be necessary to obtain details from this aspect of the

structure’s planning and creation. Overall, I hope to be provided with a more in-depth look into

the initial planning and development of our on-campus student union, as well its placement or

other structural feats, as I believe this will allow me more information to describe the

importances and impacts of the building to our audience while also providing the relevant history

of an important piece of each student’s on-campus experience each day.