"A more perfect Union"

The new Ohio Union is bursting with Buckeye spirit. One of the first things visitors will notice is the Ohio State seal embedded into the terrazzo floor; beyond that, a bronze statue of Brutus sits on a bench. Block O detailing is scattered throughout the building, turning up in everything from chandeliers to an outdoor fire pit.

But look beyond the scarlet and gray and you'll find something else: a place where students can get involved in extracurricular activities and even boost their resumes with jobs in their fields. The union is a sustainable building that helps promote Ohio products, to boot.

"When you walk in," says union director Tracy Stuck, "you're going to be a very proud Buckeye."

The new 318,000-square-foot union continues a proud Ohio State tradition; the university has been a leader in the student union movement since 1909, when Enarson Hall opened as the first student union at a public university. (See a floor plan of the new building.)

Stuck is particularly proud of the union's new Center for Student Leadership and Service, which serves as home to more than 1,000 student organizations. Center staffers, including student employees, will help students find volunteer opportunities and figure out which extracurricular activities are right for them.

For 363 Ohio State students, the union will be a workplace. Stuck says the union has hired students in fields such as marketing, graphic design, hospitality management, and event planning.

"Every student who works in this building will have learning outcomes," she says. "Our whole goal is to get them hired when they leave this position."

The union was built with sustainability in mind. Ohio State is seeking silver status from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

To that end, materials from the old union have been used, including flooring and fireplace stones. A food waste pulper used at the union's three restaurants. The pulper will grind kitchen scraps and turn them into fertilizer to be used at Ohio farms--an example of a green initiative that benefits the state.

More than 260 Ohio firms helped build the union. Companies such as Shearer’s Foods in Brewster and the Hobart Corporation in Troy have partnered with the union as part of an effort to support goods and services produced by Ohio-based businesses.

"If our name is the Ohio Union," Stuck says, "we should be as much about Ohio as possible."