The Mountainlair, commonly called "the Lair" by students, is the three-floor
student union building at
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
. The current building dates to 1968 and replaced an earlier structure built in 1948.
The Mountainlair is also the site of American sculptor
Donald De Lue
Donald Harcourt De Lue (October 5, 1897, Boston, Massachusetts – August 26, 1988, Leonardo, New Jersey) was an American sculptor, best known for his public monuments.
Life and career
De Lue studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and la ...
's 1971 statue ''The Mountaineer'', a bronze representation of West Virginia University's
''Mountaineer'' mascot.
Description
The student union offers many services to students including an information desk, lounges, a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, bank,
movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
,
bowling alley
A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a Meetinghouse, clubhous ...
,
pool hall
A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly ser ...
,
video game arcade
An amusement arcade (often referred to as a video arcade, amusements or simply arcade) is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such as ...
, cafeteria, and several
chain restaurants. Along with these recreational facilities, the Mountainlair is also home to a large events ballroom, several meeting and conference rooms, and many administrative offices of the university. In addition, The Student Government Association (SGA) and other student organizations of special interest hold offices in the Student Organization Wing (SOW) of the Mountainlair, including the Hockey Club, Muslim Student Organizations, and
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
National Service Fraternity. The Mountainlair's north wing additionally houses a coffee shop and the campus's main bookstore (managed and stocked by
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
) and university shop. Located behind the main building is the Mountainlair parking garage, containing 245 short-term spaces and additional space for long-term. These facilities and its central location make the Mountainlair the "heart of the WVU campus."
WVU "Up All Night"
WVU "Up All Night" is a program designed to provide a safe environment for WVU students to socialize during weekends. The Mountainlair has hosted "Up All Night" every Thursday through Saturday during the fall and spring semesters since 1998.
The University provides free food and beverages, and entertainment such as movie screenings at the Gluck Theater, laser tag, game shows, astro bowling, comedy caravans, and casino night. The program has garnered national attention from other universities as a solution for reducing alcohol consumption and partying on college campuses across the country.
WVU administration have been asked to speak about its success at national conferences, and estimate the program's cost at $350,000 annually.
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References
External links
Mountainlair Student Union
{{coord, 39, 38, 05, N, 79, 57, 12, W, display=title
West Virginia University campus
Student activity centers in the United States
Buildings and structures completed in 1968