THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010
DO SOMETHING GREAT
THIS IS OHIO’S UNION Welcome to the new Ohio Union at The Ohio State University
Over 60 student organization office spaces Seven dining options with seating inside and outside A nearly 18,000-squarefoot ballroom
Students check out the new Ohio Union on opening day, March 29. Each received a “memory box” to collect momentos of his or her collegiate experience.
OHIO UNION ONLINE Ohio Union web site: ohiounion.osu.edu
Audio slide show: osu.edu/features/2010/ ohiounion
Facebook : Ohio Union at The Ohio State University
Twitter: twitter.com/ohiounion
YouTube : TheOhioUnion
Alumni: ohiounion.osu.edu/ get_involved/alumni
OHIO UNION PROJECT— TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Have you visited Ohio State lately?
T
he 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. Stuck is particularly proud of the union’s new Center for Student Leadership and Service, which serves as home to nearly 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. The union was built with sustainability in mind. Ohio State is seeking silver status from the U.S. Green
“If our name is the Ohio Union,” Stuck says, “we should be as much about Ohio as possible.”
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, and a food waste pulper is used at the union’s dining facilities. 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.”
Come to campus and see what’s new. We think you’ll be impressed! 2
Brutus in bronze! It’s the real deal. 6
2004: Board of Trustees approves the new Ohio Union project
2005: Planning Committee members tour student unions across the country
2006: Farewell dinners held in the “old” union—one for student leaders and one for staff and alumni
2007: Construction of the new union begins on January 31
2008: Last piece of steel is placed at the highest point of the building during a “topping ceremony”
2009: Bronze bust of Beanie Drake (first Ohio Union director) is poured and floorboards signed by Ohio State notables are installed in Woody’s Tavern 2010: Grand opening March 29
New Union Makes an Economic Impact on Ohio Aside from the splendor of the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom, the fun of a bronze Brutus, and the wow-factor of the Great Hall—aside from the Buckeye spirit and traditions that permeate the rooms from floor to ceiling and the sense of real community fostered by the union’s many meeting spaces— aside from all that, let’s talk business. The Ohio Union has had a positive economic impact on Ohio since the first plans were drawn. More than 1,100 Ohio workers were involved in the design and construction of the union, with two Ohio minority-owned businesses heading up the project: Moody • Nolan served as the architect of record and Smoot Construction served as construction manager. More than 260 Ohio companies played a role in building the union, 43 of them food and beverage vendors, and 76% of the building’s furniture, fixtures, and equipment vendors are Ohio-based. In total, 98% of labor costs went through Ohio businesses. And now that construction is over and the new union is indeed open for business, the economic impact doesn’t stop there. The project resulted in nearly 650 new jobs for Ohio State students. Dining Services added 350 students to its workforce, now totaling 1,950 across campus—a 22% increase
overall. The new union has a student staff of 363, more than five times the number employed in the past three years when the team had no building to operate. Student employees work in areas of marketing, graphic design, hospitality management, and event planning for the union. And these jobs are not just a way to earn some extra cash during college. As union director Tracy Stuck notes, “Every student who works in this building will have learning outcomes. Our goal is to get them hired when they leave these positions.” Students are not the only ones benefitting from increased job opportunities provided by the new union. Dining Services also added 46 regular staff positions, and the overall union added 34 regular staff positions and five temporary positions. From the menus you read and food you order in the Union Market and Sloopy’s Diner to the beverages you enjoy in Woody’s Tavern—much is made in the Buckeye State. Add to this the 888,264 construction labor hours and the 50 prime contractors and their subcontractors who worked on the project, and perhaps the name Ohio Union has never been so genuine.
osu.edu
Get cookin’! Tomorrow’s chefs are in the union’s instructional kitchen today! 7