Blog
It’s construction season at Memorial Union!
By Jacklyn John, Memorial Union Reinvestment project coordinator After years of planning for the first phase of the Memorial Union Reinvestment project, construction has finally begun. The first phase of the Memorial Union Reinvestment project focuses mainly on Memorial Union’s west wing, and partition walls have been built on every floor to block the rest of the building from the impact of construction. While construction crews will be hard at work on one side of the partition walls over the next two years, visitors to Memorial Union will...
read morePreserving Paul Bunyan: saving one of the Union’s most treasured rooms
By Herschel Kissinger & Zach Thomae, Wisconsin Union interns Being in the Paul Bunyan Room earlier this June was like watching a story being untold. At first, the room was alive with warmth and color with the tales of Paul Bunyan being illustrated on all four walls. As the hours grew longer, the story came down in pieces, unscrewed and dismantled panel by panel, until all that was left were empty walls. A woman named Joan Gorman oversaw the process, guiding Union facilities workers as they took down the panels, unscrewing bolts and...
read moreUnion weddings have a new home
Summer has finally arrived at the Wisconsin Union, bringing with it all the sights and sounds so familiar to the UW Madison community. The brat stand is open, the pitchers are plenty and the Terrace comes alive every night with the rhythms of the season. And just as usual, less visible but perhaps just as important to summertime at the Union, wedding bells are chiming. This year the Union will host approximately 120 weddings, making it one of the most popular places in Madison for couples looking to tie the knot. There’s no secret to its...
read moreThe many faces of the Wisconsin Union Theater
By Erin Bannen, Union Theater marketing intern The Wisconsin Union Theater will soon be going dark for renovations. But don’t worry! We still have a fabulous season for next year. We’ll simply be using some of the other lovely performance spaces on campus. It doesn’t take interning here to know that over its 73-year history, some fantastic things have happened between the walls of this beloved Union Theater. To celebrate our storied past, I asked my co-workers to share some of their favorite Theater memories: “There have been many...
read moreGiving back to a place that keeps on giving
By Anna Johnson, member relations intern At the age of 85, George Elder remains a regular visitor to the Union he loves so much. He was recently spotted at the Fan Taylor Memorial dinner and concert, sharing his stories and celebrating the Memorial Union and its staff. He said, “It’s just something everyone can relate to. Students one way, alumni another. You go back there. [It] maintains the relationship between the University and the people … whether present or past.” George graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1948 and has...
read moreBlue chairs on the Terrace?
By Sean Drout, Wisconsin Union social media intern Party @ The Terrace was truly a memorable event. As a senior here at UW-Madison, I’ve seen many events at this great venue, but the orange, yellow and green Terrace chairs have always been a constant and comforting symbol of summer’s arrival. Hence the confusion and curiosity when I arrived early Sunday, April 29 to find bright BLUE chairs carefully placed among the traditional furniture. Why now were they changing the iconic palette of my favorite place on campus? After hearing the big news...
read moreAn “engaging” night on the Terrace
This is a true story featuring Katie Kautza and Jared Larson. Retold by Zach Thomae, Terrace Views student editor. *** I had just found out that I had gotten the job in Chicago, which was where Jared was going to be working as well. After I told him he asked me if wanted to go celebrate, to go have an adventure. Of course, I said yes. I told him to come pick me up later, and he said he would. But when I tried to give him a kiss, he wouldn’t kiss me. “Is everything alright?” I asked. He only told me, “that’s not...
read moreThe “memorial” history of the Memorial Union
By Zach Thomae, Terrace Views student editor The year is 1919, and the past few years had not been kind to the fledgling Wisconsin Union. What could then be called the Union had been kicked out of its previous location inside the YMCA main lounge. An attempt to secure state funding for a new union had been revoked. UW-Madison President Charles Van Hise, the inspiration for the Union project in the first place, was dead. The project to build a new Union had almost run out of steam at this point. And now, like at many other universities,...
read moreMeet Colonel Feucht: Badger abroad
By Zach Thomae, Terrace Views student editor Here, we have something very special. We were contacted by a reader who is currently stationed in Afghanistan. In typical Badger fashion, he has a very interesting story to tell. So, we have for you a portrait of a Badger and Terrace Views reader in action. Colonel Darrel “AJ” Feucht was brought on to lead the Wisconsin National Guard’s 82nd Agricultural Development Team (ADT) in 2010. ADTs have been deployed to Afghanistan with the goal of helping Afghan farmers grow food more...
read moreTerrace Views readers give valuable feedback
Last February, we asked our readers to take a survey and tell us what they thought of Terrace Views. First of all, thank you for all of you who participated! We listened very closely and learned some things we never would have figured out without you. You’ll start to see some changes in the coming months, so get excited! Here are some of the survey highlights: You read Terrace Views for some great reasons 62% said it helped you feel connected to the Wisconsin Union 56% of you read it to hear about upcoming events 49% of you read it because ...
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