by Dalenisha Crabtree

I remember my freshman year here at Oregon State University being introduced to the Memorial Union as the Headquarters of the student life of our school. This person even went on to refer to the Memorial Union Lounge as the living room of the entire university. To an incoming freshman those analogies were extremely comforting. I was immediately able to make the connection with home. Everyone who has experiences being away from home soon encounters the deep yearning for protection and comfort. I soon discovered that spirit of refuge at the Memorial Union.

As the school year came to start I would routinely visit the MU in order to fellowship with my new found friends, study, eat, or just unwind. The Memorial Union has a place suitable for every need, whether it is academically or socially inclined. I have even witnessed mother and fathers of the Corvallis community gathering for lunch with their young children. On any given day you can be sure to encounter events going on in the ballroom, lounge, or other areas. It is a place where you can definitely become informed and connected with the happenings of our community.

I was fortunate enough to be employed at the Recreational Center. If we can consider the Memorial Union Lounge our university living room then, I would like to claim the Recreational Center as the university game room. I have been working at the Recreational Center for three years. Working there has been a great help to me financially and also socially. I have the added opportunity to meet people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. What brings these different people together is the common interest that everybody likes to have fun. Being a student can be terribly stressful and students need a place to release this stress. It would be unhealthy to live without fun or some sort of socials fulfillment. At the Recreational Center we like to make sure that our fellow peers feel free to have good fun watching the big screen television, bowling, playing billiards and video games, or just listening to good music and socializing with friends.

Over the years I have accumulated many nice memories that have taken place at the Memorial Union. In the future as I reflect on my college experience I will remember the laughs I shared with friends between these walls, the long hours of studying I endured, the activities such as the Black History Month Dinner in the ballroom, the angelic singing of the Belle Choir or soothing sounds of the piano in the lounge. All these memories will always be ringing in my mind. But what I will remember most and pass on to students after me is the spirit of community and togetherness of the Memorial Union intends to bring to all students of every background.