Student Life
Memorial Union Activities and Services
The Memorial Union is an historic building that is regarded as the heart of campus life and the center of informal education at Iowa State University.
515-296-6848; www.mu.iastate.edu
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation:
- Underground (bowling, billiards, video arcade, Nintendo Wii)
- Maintenance Shop: live music
- Student Union Board: weekly films, comedy, hypnotists, special events, much more
- Art exhibits and art-for-rent
- Workspace (art and crafts classes for fun, studios for work in wood, photo, pottery; button maker, screen printing, die cut machine)
- Big screen TVs; pianos to play
- Lectures
Student Organizations
- Student organization offices and meeting space; recognition process.
Dining & Shopping
- Food Court & MU Market & Café
- University Book Store
Study Spots
- Browsing Library & Computer Lab; Chapel; Multicultural Center
- Lounges: Main, West, Pride, Commons & more
Services
- Hotel, meeting rooms, catering
- Parking ramp
- Copy Center
- Soults Family Visitor Center
- ATMs, Ticket Office, Lockers
- U.S. Post Office – full service
- Student Legal Service
Distinctive Feature
- Gold Star Hall, an active memorial to Iowa State service personnel lost in the nation's conflicts
Student Activities Center
Director of Student Activities, Asst. Director - Memorial Union
George Micalone
Coordinator for Leadership and Service
Kevin Merrill
Coordinator for Art Programs
Letitia Kenemer
Coordinator for Entertainment Programs
Jim Brockpahler
Coordinator for Student Organizations
John Taylor
Underground Recreation Center Manager
Doug Swanson
The Student Activities Center (SAC) in the Memorial Union is committed to helping students learn inside and outside the classroom by offering countless ways to get involved at Iowa State through leadership, service, arts, entertainment and recreation activities.
The Student Activities Center includes: the Workspace (arts studio), the Maintenance Shop (entertainment venue), the Underground (recreation center/ bowling alley), leadership and service programs, art galleries in the MU, Multicultural Center, and management of the recognition of over 800 campus and student organizations. For a complete list of recognized organizations visit www.stuorg.iastate.edu.
The staff provides assistance to student and campus organization leaders, members and advisers on an individual or group basis. This office produces Newsline, an online newsletter distributed twice a month to officers and advisers of recognized student and campus organizations. Available on the SAC website are resources for student and campus organizations including the event authorization process, publicity and promotion ideas, constitution writing guidelines, and officer transition information. The Student Activities Center is home to the Leadership and Service Center which provides hands on support for students interested in leadership and service opportunities and student organization officers looking to better their clubs. In addition the SAC offers a 2-credit course called Leadership ISU, where students learn leadership skills through a series of activities and seminars, as well as many other leadership conferences and retreats.
Annual SAC events include: ClubFest I & II (organization involvement fair), WelcomeFest (Ames and ISU opportunity fair), Iowa State Leadership Experience (one-day leadership conference), Social Justice Summit, and Winterfest (celebration of all things winter). Student Activities Center staff advise key student organizations including: Student Union Board, ISU AfterDark, Dance Marathon, Freshmen Council, Student Volunteer Services, CyServe Council, and VEISHEA.
More information is available at the Student Activities Center, located in the East Student Office Space in the Memorial Union (across from Panda Express); online at www.sac.iastate.edu; or by calling (515) 294-8081.
Lectures
Throughout the academic year, the Committee on Lectures brings to the campus a number of speakers eminent in national and international affairs, the sciences, and the arts. In addition to giving formal lectures, a number of these speakers meet with students informally for discussions. Through these lectures and discussions the students are given a well-rounded presentation on subjects and areas affecting their culture, educational and economic philosophy, and scientific development. Past speakers include scholars E.O. Wilson and Stephen J. Gould; activists Gloria Steinem and Anita Hill; poet Maya Angelou; and astronaut Sally Ride.
The Institute on World Affairs is an annual series of speakers and on a topic of international interest held in the fall. Spring semester, the Institute on National Affairs is held with a topic of national concern as its focus. Focus, an annual fine arts festival with emphasis on student creativity in the arts, is held in the spring. The Committee on Lectures also sponsors or co-sponsors dramatic, dance, and musical events.
Students are encouraged to contact the lectures program office and become involved in the planning of these events.
Honor Societies
Honor societies at Iowa State University provide opportunities for students who excel in the classroom and want to network with others in their major. Members of these honor societies are eligible for transcript recognition through the Office of the Registrar. More information, including the complete list of honor societies, can be found on the student organization website at https://www-stuorg.sws.iastate.edu/
