The importance of each Union member’s voice
As the weather cools and leaves begin to fall, it reminds me how exciting it is to start a new academic year at the Wisconsin Union. And while students establish their new routines on the campus (like they do every autumn), Union members continue to frequent their favorite Union spots as they have all year long.
As much as the Union acts as the “living room” of the UW-Madison campus on a daily basis, it also serves as the heart and soul of the University to the Union’s thousands of members. Whether you live hundreds of miles away or right down Langdon Street, each member belongs to the Union family. Your dedication and affection for the Union’s programs and buildings is what makes everything we do here a success.
This fall presents new opportunities for the Wisconsin Union, especially regarding the Memorial Union Reinvestment project. The Union is fortunate to have the opportunity to provide new student programming spaces, renovate old heating and cooling systems, address accessibility concerns and preserve the historic integrity of our iconic Memorial Union. And it’s the opinions from our thousands of Union members – both locally and around the world—that have ensured the Reinvestment project is a success.
Many of the project’s elements and designs are still under careful consideration. For instance, currently planned new spaces, like the Student/Theater Lounge addition, are responding to questions raised from some of our members. We’ve proposed a multi-functional space to serve both student and member needs. The new lounge will create much-needed student lounge space as well as allow the Wisconsin Union Theater to grow and flourish with additional lobby space. Some of you have raised concerns about the size and structure of the current design, and we greatly value your input. Without your voices, the project could never be realized. I encourage anyone who is interested in becoming informed about the proposed lounge to visit the Reinvestment website. You’ll not only find information on the lounge, but also a wealth of data on the overall project.
As a membership organization, we seek to serve a broad audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni and Madison community members. Sometimes you all want the same things – and sometimes your interests differ. However, without each of you in attendance at our programs, eating brats at Badger Bash and enjoying afternoons on the Terrace we simply wouldn’t be here.
So, listening carefully to all of you is important to us. Meeting as many of your needs as we can has been a hallmark of the Union’s mission since it was founded – a community gathering place for all members of the campus community. In many ways, the Memorial Union Reinvestment project has demonstrated once again that we are committed to continuing that tradition for a very long time.
All my best,
Mark
