Erb Memorial Union (University of Oregon)

The Erb Memorial Union (EMU) is the

student union building A student center (or student centre) is a type of building found on university and some high school campuses. In the United States, such a building may also be called a student union, student commons, or union. The term "student union" refers mos ...

of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

(UO) in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, United States.

History

The building was constructed in 1950. It was named for Donald M. Erb. Two subsequent additions were built in 1962 and 1973 respectively.

Facilities

The EMU dining facility known as "The Fishbowl" was the site of the famous food-fight scene in ''National Lampoon's Animal House''. The EMU Ballroom is a notable concert venue and has hosted shows by acts such as

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

, and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. The EMU was the site of Eugene's University Station post office.

Management and governance

The Erb Memorial Union board of directors is responsible for making general policy decisions and long-range plans for the operation of the EMU. The board allocates the EMU's multimillion-dollar budget, assigns space for student groups and advises staff in the management of the EMU. The sixteen-member board consists of twelve students (seven elected in a campus-wide election and five direct appointments from either EMU programs or the

Associated Students of the University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billio ...

(ASUO), three faculty members appointed by the University of Oregon president and one EMU staff member elected by their peers. Every fiscal year, the EMU Board prepares a benchmark increase to the ASUO Senate for approval. After the benchmark process, the EMU presents its final budget to the senate, requesting a decrease, increase, or no change in incidental fees to be allocated to the EMU. If the budget request is approved, the budget must be signed by the ASUO President and then the UO President. Unlike the budget process, any general policy decisions by the EMU Board do not require senate oversight or approval.

Renovation

University of Oregon officials have considered a number of projects modernize the aging building. In the early 2000s there was a push for the building to undergo a significant deferred maintenance project. However, that was proposal was scrapped, after it was determined that the building's layout and size were not adequate for current enrollment numbers. Additionally, the much-criticized layout resulted in student access concerns. Ultimately, it has decided that the building would undergo a massive renovation and expansion project. The $95 million project will renovate and modernize the 1950s wing and build a new structure on the site of the 1970s addition.

Controversy

The initial renovation project called for the inclusion of a 1,200-seat concert hall. The concert hall was to be partly funded by private donations. According to a UO official, the

Beall Concert Hall The MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building is the home of the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The building was originally built in 1924, expanded in 1948, 1955, and 1977, and was renamed after MarAbel B. Fr ...

, which is the only concert hall on campus, is not an adequate building because it lacks the size to accommodate large shows and there are some noted concerns relating to sound efficiency. However, student groups did not support this addition. The ASUO president criticized the commercial driven nature of the project.

References

External links

*
Erb Memorial Union
(official website)
Images of the EMU
from the University of Oregon Digital Archives {{coord, 44.044674, -123.073752, type:landmark_region:US-OR, display=title University of Oregon buildings 1950 establishments in Oregon