Emporia State University Memorial Union

History

The Memorial Union was built as a memorial to the students who died in World War I (WWI); therefore the name - "Memorial Student Union" - was established. It was the first student union building west of the Mississippi River. The building, which has three levels, us 168,000 square feet of space that is used for conferences, dining, meetings, recreational, and lounging.

Administration

The Memorial Union is a not-for-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors and managed by the Memorial Union Interim Director, Lynn Hobson, an associate director, and an assistant director. The management positions are supported by 16 full-time staff and up to 40 student employees. The Memorial Union is the single-largest employer of students on the ESU campus.

Board of Directors

The Memorial Union is governed by a board of Directors. The Dean of Students serves as the President of the Memorial Union Board of Directors and conducts the board meetings. The Board consists of faculty, students, and administrators, some of which fill designated positions. The board meets four times each year.

Services

Corky's Cupboard

In Spring 2014, the potential need to provide food assistance to Emporia State students was brought before the Administration. The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) and the Student Wellness Center volunteered to lead this initiative. Staff from these two departments, along with the Associated Student Government president and vice president, began meeting regularly to develop a plan. Corky’s Cupboard is located in the Center for Student Involvement and is open on Mondays and Thursdays, when classes are in session. Corky’s Cupboard provides a variety of non-perishable food items such as canned fruits, vegetables, proteins, snacks, soups, meals and mixes, and grains and starches such as rice, noodles, and pasta. The pantry is only allowed to assist students enrolled Emporia State. The students can use the pantry once per week, and may take up to 10 items per visit.

Dining

The Memorial Union is the only building that houses dining services. ESU's dining services is currently provided through Sodexo and drink provider is Coca-Cola. The students eat in what was known as the Lakeview Cafeteria, but is now known as the Hornets Nest. The Union also has two convenient stores, one called the Hornet Express (HX) and Buzzcotti. Also, in the Union, is the Skyline Dining Room, which is also open to the public, where as the Hornets Nest isn't.

Rooms

The Memorial Union has a total of 32 Rooms that can be rented for conferences. Some rooms are able to combine into one giant room. Webb Hall can either be split into two rooms, or can be one big giant room, which it stays that way for a majority of events. A list of the rooms in the Union are listed below:

Martha the Ghost

Over the years, there have been many reports of a ghost named Martha. From 1925 to about 1950, single female faculty members lived on the third floor of the Memorial Union, now The Bulletin and Sunflower offices. The story is that Martha asked her boyfriend to marry her, and he said no. So that night, she hung herself in one of the rooms. Stories say that Martha haunts that area as well as the Memorial Union Bookstore. There have been reports of doors slamming, lights going on and off and objects being moved. The most common report is that the operation managers will lock the building up at night, turn around, and see that a light on the third floor is on. So, they would go shut it off, go back outside, turn around, only to find out that the light was still on, and they wouldn't go back.