by Kathleen Normandin

The spirit of the Memorial Union is all about the people that have walked up and down the corridor, studied in the lounge, or danced in the ballroom over the years.  The MU has been open since 1928 and is full of the history created by the students and community of OSU.  I have been privileged to be a part of this community as a student of OSU and as a worker within the Memorial Union.  I have been able to sit at a desk within the Memorial Union Programs office for the past three years and observe as people walk past the office and study at the tables in the corridor.  I have been able to interact with many different students who have come to office in hopes of creating something new, to enrich their college experience, or simply to say hi.  I have met many community members who have come to the MU for the many programs it host and given directions all over this building.  This past year I have even been lucky enough to serve as a MUPC director and gotten the chance to work with many other wonderful people within the MU and create programs for the building and the surrounding community.  I have observed the spirit of the Memorial Union first hand and interacted with the many who make this building so wonderful and give it its magic.

There is the man, who for my first two years as a worker here, would come into the MU everyday to play the same song on the piano.  The song would last about 20 minutes and he played it to perfection.  As his song rang through the corridor at around 1:30 everyday I was filled with the feeling comfort and familiarity and soon found myself humming along with his tune as I worked at my computer.  He brought his spirit to the MU everyday and I will always remember his song as part of my MU experience.  It still plays in my head.

There is also Charley, a local man, who is notoriously a little out-there.  He puts on his best suit at least once a week to come walk the halls of the MU.  Charley brings with him tape recordings of sermons that he has enjoyed over the years and leaves them in various places around the MU in hopes that someone will pick them up, listen to them, and enjoy the messages within.  Charley spreads his spirit all throughout this building with his tapes left on tables, the tops of trash cans, and on the arms of couches in the lounge.  I will never forget him and his clean white suit as part of my experience here.

There are the many students, Ben and Henry included, that come in and out of our office to use the computers as they frantically print off their assignments that are due that day.  There is the spirit of great academics with the familiar faces of students that come every day to study in the lounge and with all the professors and instructors that come to the MU to take a break from teaching and socialize with each other.  They fill Pangea and Java Stop at every lunch break.

There is Jaimee Colbert, the student president of the MU who can always be seen in the building with a smile on her face because she loves being here.  To her and all the past presidents, the MU has given so much and become a home, a comforting place, and a part of their family.  Their spirits and hard work will forever be part of this building.

There is Michael Henthorn and Don Johnson, who work harder and have a greater love for this building and its community then I have ever seen.  They have a dream of expanding the capabilities of the MU and work hard everyday to make it come true.  There was Kelsey with event services, who continuously brought magic into this building with all that he created.  He spent more hours at the MU every week than everyone else.  There is Penny, ironically named as she works within the MU accounting office, who, three years later, has never tired of explaining to me how to fill out a deposit form.  There is Kent, who puts so much effort into working with students so that their ideas can been physically seen and are a reality all over the building.  There is Linda and Michelle who both have such kind and generous spirits.  They never fail to bring a smile to my face just by being here and supporting all the students that approach them for help.  They help visions to be seen as well.

There is Saferrazza, who used to work at the business office that would greet every one with a big smile and very helpful attitude.  He always knew how to help and was happy to do so as students attempted to make their way around the MU.  There is the girl at java stop who, whenever there is a mistake made with a drink, would bring it over for us to enjoy.  Very special to me is Tat, who sits next to me day in and day out in the office sharing his weird thoughts but also his wisdom.  Tat will forever be a part of the MU as he has made many laugh, think, and be involved over the years.  Tat puts into the MU all that he gets out.  And lastly, there are all the MUPC Directors who spend numerous hours in the office pretending to work, but really just sitting on the couch enjoying each others’ company and visions for future programs, and having so much fun they never want to leave the building.  Working with all of them has been the most rewarding of my time spent within the MU. 

These are just a few of the many students, the many who are part of the faculty, and the many community members that enter this building everyday, share a little bit of their spirit, and who have made the Memorial Union special to me.

I am filled with this MU spirit as I have had the privilege of not only working here for three years, but also of attending many meetings within this building collaborating with so many different people and sharing great ideas, of spending the night here with great friends and exploring the building and all its history, and of being part of the Children’s Holiday Party, the MU’s oldest program and watching hundreds of children and their parents come to participate with the thought of all the kids who have participated in the program in the past.  I have hung Christmas lights throughout the MU Lounge and watched as I lit up the room, the faces of the students light up as well with the holiday spirit and the thought of break coming soon.  I have given my respect to the Women in Black who stand in protest to violence every week at the top of the stairs.  I have attended concerts and lectures, had dance parties, played soccer in the corridor, worked with some of the best this campus has too offer, hidden the golden cat, tried to give blood, folded shirts, sold shirts, given directions, made a mess and cleaned it up, programmed, tried something new and done according to tradition, I have laughed, cried and shared my own spirit all within this wonderful building and all with, or for the amazing community of people that give it a special place in my heart and give the Memorial Union its spirit.