The Iowa Memorial Union has been a staple of the University of Iowa’s campus since 1923, as the building serves as a physical memorial to all those who have attended the UI and fallen in battle for the sake of our country.
The structure’s original goal was to provide a space for students to study, eat, and gather safely while at college. Despite its rustic charm, in the IMU’s current state, the campus-owned building seems more like a relic of a different era than a consistently welcoming place for people to gather and grow together.
Therefore, I propose that if the university cares about its students, there needs to be a push to build a new union on Iowa’s campus to better help the Hawkeye community function, both academically and professionally.
As previously mentioned, the more-than-a-century-old building has been in its current location since 1923 and offers meeting rooms, a food court, and multiple lounge and work spaces for students. It also houses several crucial UI departments including Student Legal Services, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of the Vice President for Student Life.
The building itself does its job, but every time I step inside, I feel like I’ve been sent back in time as I pass its withering internal walls, long dark hallways, and scary back rooms that lead to nowhere.
A union should be an inviting place where students want to be, not a run-down office space where people are only inside to grab a quick bite and have a meeting for their on-campus club. A new IMU would be a welcome addition to an Iowa campus that needs closer food options and both communal and private study areas.
In 2022, the UI Board of Regents helped to release a 10-year master plan that included renovations to the IMU, and since the design’s approval, we have already seen some improvements to its interior. Recently, there has been the addition of a Starbucks coffee shop in the basement along with an updated seating area. The UI also added a new ice cream shop next to the updated clothing closet and state-of-the-art gaming arcade.
More is supposedly coming to the space with the total cost of the complete renovations projected to be around $81 million, with an increase in student fees and outside donations theoretically covering the total amount.
Although the updates to the aging brick behemoth are a welcomed surprise, many students like myself feel it would be better to build a new union instead of making something old and run-down look slightly better with millions of dollars in updates no one asked for.
The UI claims building an entirely new IMU would cost upward of $245 million. While some might gasp at this number, others find the price tag fairly reasonable, seeing as thousands of Hawkeyes use the space every day.
Fourth-year business student Brett Levenhagen echoes this sentiment, claiming the IMU “ just feels so old and decrepit, and the space doesn’t make me want to stay any longer than I have to. A new IMU would benefit everyone, and it seems like a good investment, seeing as the current one lasted over 100 years.”
Conversely, others feel that instead of a new IMU, the upgrades will hopefully fix many of the building’s issues, like its deteriorating interior. The $81 million budget includes $55 million for deferred maintenance.
Former IMU employee and current Iowa graduate student Ethan Dabareiner is supportive of these updates but hopes the superficial additions don’t overshadow the much-needed internal work.
“As someone who worked in the IMU, most of these upgrades shouldn’t be spent on the fancy new stuff,” Dabareiner said. “It should be spent on upgrading and maintaining the facility as a whole. When I was working there, a sewer pipe burst and spilled. Also, the heater and air conditioning leaked. A lot of the people I worked with said “this building is falling apart.”
Dabareiner said many of his former co-workers are people who do a lot to ensure our university runs smoothly, and they “shouldn’t have to worry about little stuff like this” on the regular.
Regardless of these proposed updates, I remain skeptical about the IMU’s new face-lift.
I feel that if you’re willing to foot the bill for these upgrades, why not go all in on a project that will benefit generations of Hawkeyes?
A new IMU would provide a new and exciting space for all of Iowa’s future generations.