Revised Assignment 3

The Iowa State Memorial Union

 

               

                Through many physical changes and transformations over Iowa State University’s Memorial Union’s eighty three year existence, its main purpose and tradition of serving its students and remembering its fallen servicemen and women still continues.  

                Over the span of Iowa State University’s existence, its students have continued to be actively involved in improving Iowa State’s student services. Post World War I, there was a strong push from students to build a memorial on the campus to recognize the Iowa State Students that had died in the war while serving their country.  While memorials such as bronze plaques and gateway arches were suggested, the majority of students rallied for a living memorial that would include services that would continue to serve Iowa State students in the future.  By 1925, after the formation of The Memorial Union Corporation was formed, enough money was pledged for the construction date to be set for April of 1927. Land was chosen near Lake Laverne where a veterinary clinic sat.  Throughout the entire funding and construction process, students became very involved in how the Memorial Union would someday by becoming members of the Student Board which still exists today.

                While several memorials are scattered throughout the Memorial Union, some are better known than others. One of the most important memorials that past students funded is Gold Star Hall. Named after the gold star that families placed in their windows when their son or daughter’s life was lost in the war, Gold Star Hall officially opened in the fall of 1928. Carved into the walls of the hall are the names of the brave Iowa State students who died in World War I. Nearly thirty years later in 1958, even more names were recognized on two bronze doors when several students of Iowa State died in World War II. In 1984, these doors were removed in order to add the names of servicemen and women who died in Korea and Vietnam.  Although Gold Star Hall was built in order to represent the lives lost in war, no one had expected the extensive amount of names to be added to the wall after World War I when the Memorial Union was proposed. Again, several new names have been added between 2003 and 2009 to recognize overlooked names from previous wars as well as fallen servicemen in Iraq.  Though the students wanted a building to house many of the schools important services, it was important for them to include a memorial that recognized their classmate’s efforts in the war. It is interesting to consider how no one knew the extent to which this country would be at war in the future and how many more names would be added to the walls of Gold Star Hall. It leaves the question as to whether or not the Memorial Union would have been created had there not been a World War, or if it had not been created then would it have been after any of the other wars in our country’s history? Throughout time, Gold Star Hall has kept its original purpose and significance. Even though it was in fact created for World War I, students remained very aware of the lives lost in more recent wars and wanted to represent that in Gold Star Hall. It still remains a place of silence, tranquility, and remembrance. As an Iowa State student with family members in the service, I enjoy seeing the respect that people give to Gold Star Hall.

                Just outside the doors of Gold Star Hall is a smaller foyer that bears another war memorial in the form of a phrase commemorating World War I casualties.  Below this phrase engraved into the foyers wall lay a Zodiac, one of the Memorial Unions greatest traditions that still exist today.  After the Memorial Union was officially opened, students decided that walking over the zodiac created a bad luck causing the student to fail their next exam. Along with this, the students stated that if you are to walk over the zodiac, you may toss a coin into the fountain in order to rid yourself of the bad luck. While it is still a myth, it is a popular one that even I follow despite my lack of superstition.  

                The priority of the Memorial Union was to remember the victims of war, however, student interest in a living memorial and a venue for student events and services also played a large role in how the Memorial Union was constructed.  The original building was fairly simple, but over time the Memorial Union transformed in many ways to meet the needs and desires of the students.  In the early 1940’s and 1950’s, large expansions took place to accommodate the numbers of incoming students taking advantage of the GI Bill and therefore more students using the building. With this, more spaces were built to provide students with extracurricular as well as after class activities.  The Ballroom as well as bowling lanes were added. Not too much farther into the future, students pushed to expand the ballroom and add more places for tables and chairs in the commons as well as a meeting space for student organizations. A terrace was added in the 1980’s in order for students to have Friday afternoon Terrace Parties that included live music and food for students.

                Like today’s events such as concerts in the Maintenance Shop on the weekends or bowling and games in The Underground, the Memorial Union had many fun student events take place within its walls since it was first built. Big band dances in the ballroom hosted many special guests such as Duke Ellington. Coke Dates were very popular among young men and women first getting to know each other and consisted of sipping on Coke in the commons. Another popular social event was Friday evening Coffee Forums in which students would come for free coffee in the Oak Room and to socialize. After the outbreak of war, the Coffee Forums became used to discuss the war and flooded with people wanting to learn more about it. The formation of Coffee Forums led to Books and Cokes, another social event that included students presenting reviews of books to audiences, usually university students. Today, the Memorial Union hosts similar events to connect Iowa State students and to make the university a more comfortable and enjoyable. Attendees to art classes, lectures, and concerts consistently fill the Memorial Union.  Art from regional and on campus artists is displayed throughout the building. Other services provided such as study centers, study abroad, multicultural center, Greek affairs, browsing library and chapel, and the book store are also used regularly by students. The transformation of student services over time is something that I find intriguing, especially when you take into consideration things such as war and economic hardships that affected the events that were able to be held there.  

                I find that the Memorial Union is as important today as it was when it was built. It is a central part of campus that attracts many students every day for multiple reasons. Although I don’t go there on a daily basis, when I do it is for an important reason or to have a good time after class or on the weekends with friends.

The Memorial Union is the heart of Iowa State’s campus, providing services to every student and remembering the brave students who gave their life in war. Whether it is a place to study, help with a student affair from Iowa State faculty, or a weekend concert at the Maintenance shop, the Memorial Union serves its students the way that the students who first proposed and created it had intended.