by Katherine Gerweck

It is the place where students go to take a nap during their two hour break in their schedule. They come in and head straight up the stairs and begin to search for a suitable spot. Usually, they find that many of the aged, yet inviting couches are occupied by sleeping bodies. Some of these sleepers cover their heads with a coat, intending to block out the traffic that circulated through the MU or to conceal an unflattering, open mouth sleep posture. There is usually an open spot to be found, allowing those accustomed to a midday nap set their cell phone alarms and settle in.

Some students use the MU to fight their afternoon drowsiness in a different manner. They maneuver their way past these couches to Java Stop. There they fuel up for their afternoon classes with one of the many caffeinated rinks that amateur coffee drinkers cannot distinguish between. To many the MU is their place to recharge, it is their cup of coffee.

Some students prefer the commons. They prefer the action and options of the commons. It is where they go to meet up with their friends and grab a slice of pizza. They com there everyday and there day wouldn’t be the same without it. Some only venture into the MU at the start of each term. To these students it is the place where they buy their books. They shove their backpacks into a cubby, track down their books, bare the lines and then don’t return until the first week of class the following term.

To other students the MU is the place that they rent rooms or tables for their club to meet. It is the setting for group projects, heated debates and event planning. While for others, the event goers the MU is the place where they go to the fashion show or a choir performance; they head to the MU to be entertained.

For some, like me, the MU is their place of work. There are many employees in the MU and only some of them are students. Some work there everyday while others just a few hours a week. Some where suits while others OSU t-shirts and suits, their attire depending on their job.

Those that enter the MU are as diverse as their reasons for being at the MU. The assortment of flags that line the top of the arched ceiling of the MU really reflects the array of the MU “clients”. With some many things to do at the MU draws a large crowd that when looked closely at is filled with very unique individuals. There are the head covered sleepers, the jittery midterm takers, the seventeen year olds looking at colleges, Campus volunteers. The ages vary. Some are there with dad picking out a cookie, while others are much older than the average college student. This diverse crowd makes the MU unlike any other building on Campus.