by Amy Finney

Oregon State University is represented in many ways. I believe that it is fair to say that the Memorial Union is the best symbol to describe the wonderful University that I call home.

The Memorial Union was constructed about eighty years ago and within those eighty years it ahs been a place for students to go and rest their weary souls. The MU (as students refer to it) has been great for shelter and warmth from the crazy Corvallis weather. It’s a soft couch for the students to sleep on in between classes and most importantly it is a great place to grab a bite to eat when you are a starving college student.

To me though, the Memorial Union is something different. The building was my comfort building when I first arrived at OSU. I vividly remember my first campus tour, as we walked by this huge building I remember marveling at it’s size and beauty. It stuck out like the first red berry on the vine. I remember thinking “As long as I could find my way back to this building I would be able to make it anywhere on campus.” That seems to have held true in my past three years at Oregon State. As long as I was able to make it back to the MU I know that I am going to be able to make it through anything that this great university has in store for me. This is because I know that through the Memorial Union I will be able to get a needed cup of coffee before a final, possibly a bite to eat at Woodstock when my refrigerator runs out and even an ear to listen to me from my employer.

The spirit of the Memorial Union is everything Oregon State. From our athletics to our award winning teaching staff, it is our rainy days of students cautiously navigating the slippery steps as well as our few days of sun with students gathered at the feet of the grand building. It is said that the spirit develops and grows over time, which is exactly what has happened at Oregon State University’s Memorial Union. The soul of this building has withstood many generations of Oregon State graduates. It is an immensely important building to the Beaver Nation.

The spirit of the Memorial Union runs through all of the students and teachers on this great campus. I would like to meet a person on campus who doesn’t know where or what the Memorial Union is. I can say with great pride that I call Oregon State home and my driving spirit is the Memorial Union. c