I SSU E
66
The Independent Student Voice of Boise State Since 1933
Volume 21
First Issue
F R E E
J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 0 9
ARBITERONLINE.COM SUB GRAND OPENING
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Are you new to Boise? Check out our guide for restaurants, activities and bars.
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FOOD FESTIVITIES
WAC PREVIEW
AND FUN
Student BUILDING: The
Union
Life at the Epicenter of Bronco Universe BY BEN MACK
Arbiter Journalist
W
hen brushing up on your French, here’s one word to remember when you’re inside the Student Union Building: vitesse. It means speed, and you’ll find plenty of it in the bustling heart of Boise State. “This is the place to be. There’s something here for every student,” said Jack Rahmann, Student Union director. With a gaming center that offers bowling and billiards, a food court offering nearly every imaginable food, the BroncoTec store and a new student bookstore that offers all things Boise State (who knew that they made BSU dog bowls?), it becomes apparent that the SUB is the center of Bronco Universe.
The expansion of the SUB and ballrooms
University Dining Services The BRC is serving it up hot and fresh!
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“We recognized that our enrollment was on the rise, and our meeting rooms and ballrooms had reached the point of saturation,” said Rahmann. “There just wasn’t any space left.” Strolling through the SUB on a typical afternoon, it becomes apparent just how dramatically the building has been upgraded. The architecture has improved dramatically, most notably through the construction of the gorgeously glass-paneled atrium. The new ASBSU offices allow for increased meeting space that enables the student government to more effectively serve and meet the demands of the booming student body. More ballrooms and meeting spaces serve a great utility for the SUB which books reservations for approximately 12,000 groups and student organizations each year. The new space is great for hosting events in areas ranging from the cavernous 1500-person capacity Jordan Ballroom to the miniscule (by comparison) Shipman Room. According to Rahmann, the most recent expansion cost around $30 million to add 67,000 square feet and remodel an additional 27,000 square feet.
The Boise River Cafe
2009 WAC Preview The Arbiter’s 2009 WAC football ranking is out!
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The old Table Rock Café, the subject of an intense love-hate relationship among students, has been replaced by the new Boise River Café (BRC). The food, oftentimes made fresh, tastes like the building’s mood: satisfying and newly refined. The BRC is now the primary eating area on campus, serving over 2,000 meals per day.
The Pulse The brainchild of a former Station Manager, the new Pulse studio is a beautifully designed, glass-enclosed
PHOTO BY lindsey ward/THE ARBITER
Like a colony of busy ants, 7,000 students, faculty and visitors amble through the sun-drenched corridors of the new atrium, grab a quick bite to eat at one of many restaurants, or shop at the bookstore daily.
space near the SUB’s redesigned patio entrance. Student producers are often found within, recording radio programs and interviewing all manner of people from nationally touring bands to politicians. Free tickets to events are sometimes given away in the studio, a fact that is not forgotten by many. The new studio in the SUB is, “probably the best asset the Pulse has,” said Dustin Verburg, Program Director of the University Pulse student radio station.
Bronco Gallery Across from the Moxie Java is the new Bronco Gallery. This new element of the SUB supports artists and creativity. This new addition is, “a campus retailer and frame shop committed to inspiring the imagination of student guests, giving visitors a chance not just to purchase art, but to experience the vibrant Treasure Valley art community in a welcoming environment,” according to the Bronco Gallery.
Oldies but goodies The Information Desk is located in the heart of the SUB. Aside from providing information to students and campus visitors, students can purchase tickets to athletic events, discounted movie tickets, along with tickets to other events on campus. Other features of the SUB include the Bronco Card office, a campus mailing center, an art gallery on the second floor and the Special Events Center (SPEC) which often screens free movies for students.
Go to arbiteronline.com to read more about the history of the SUB and plans for the facilities future.