Linfield has for too long lacked an effective, communal student union — a place where students can gather to socialize, study and relax.
It’s past time to start working on creating such a place. We believe that this center, for all student activity, would ultimately increase student awareness of issues and events and build a stronger sense of community on campus, something that Linfield could certainly use.
Ideally, the center would be a place with ample accommodations for students who want to study (individually or in groups), arrange meetings, host events or relax. It would need to be open late, have food and drinks available and be appropriately furnished for different activities.
Some may argue that Linfield already has many of these aspects. Sure, you can watch a movie in Ice Auditorium, relax on the couches in Fred Meyer Lounge, study in Nicholson Library or grab a snack at the Catty Shack. But wouldn’t it be better if you could do all of those activities at one location for longer hours?
These areas all serve their foremost purposes, but not one serves a wide variety of purposes. Fred Meyer Lounge is a great place to relax, but few would find it an effective area for studying with its lack of computers and tables. Catty Shack is open late and a convenient place to grab a quick bite to eat, but its cramped nature is uninviting to lingering students.
We think a student union would be the perfect place to bring together all the best aspects of the areas we’ve described, thus eliminating their negative externalities. Students would be able to effectively do all of the described activities in a single, convenient location.
Others might say that students, too apathetic to bother taking part in their student government elections, would hardly be likely to use such a facility.
In response, we think that students should care, even if they say they don’t. The worst way to fight apathy is with more apathy, which would include not building a student center. Students may not always have the drive to get up and participate in their community, but this does not mean they should not be encouraged to do so. We feel that a student center would encourage student involvement in many different aspects of campus.
We also feel that while students may not initially flock to this new center, it would still gain popularity in time. Maybe only a couple clubs would meet there at first, but those first few would eventually tell others of the functionality and convenience of the center, encouraging more and more to utilize it.
The center could also be a good place for students to work, creating more of those work-study positions that everyone seems to be after.
Yes, the project would be expensive and take a long time to complete, but that is all the more reason to start working on it now. Unfortunately, many current students will likely graduate before the completion of such an undertaking. However, this project goes beyond the simple interests of a few students; it would be for the benefit of the entire Linfield community and for all future generations of students. We also feel that many graduating students would feel honored to have been the ones to finally get the ball rolling on this project.
Cost-wise, interest in a student union has been so widespread among students, alumni and trustees that the donations would probably pour in for such a venture.
It would even help the school make money in the long run, as it would be an excellent feature to show prospective students. In this sense, it would also help our branding problem in that it would provide a solid symbol of the student body on campus.
Also, while Linfield does not have a vast expanse of unused campus space per se, we feel there are locations around that could be used to build a student center, such as the open area next to Nicholson Library.
Many other schools have student unions. The center at George Fox University houses the student government, a store, a dining hall, mailboxes and facilities for its yearbook, newspaper and radio station. Now is the time for Linfield to have its own student center on campus.
It won’t be immediate or affect all current students, but we think it’s best to work for the greater good in this instance, and we hope that when the ASLC Cabinet is replaced this year, they will take up the cause and work hard for something students have long been desiring.

-The Review Editorial Board