Unlv Constructed Its First Student

UNLV constructed its first student union in the early 1960s, when students decided to fund an own student union and gave birth to the Moyer Student Union. The building has been fully constructed since 1968, and filed more than 77,000 square feet. It was named after UNLV's second president. Since the building was constructed through a student vote, the money for construction costs came exclusively from student fees of 27 dollars per semester. With almost 50 years of history, the student union was used as the staging ground for both entertainment and academic needs of the student body. Not only did it host popular venues and shows for the students of UNLV, it also served as a meeting area for students and housed the Student Life's Administrative offices. However, the UNLV student population expanded to a level that MSU could no longer be adequate for the student population, therefore the old MSU was demolished in anticipation of a new student union center.

The new student union will have significant upgrades upon the old MSU. Primarily it will have an expanded computer lab for student use as well as a greater excess of social and study lounges throughout the facility. Instead of the food court in the MSU, more food services will be offered at the new student union with offerings such as Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc. The bottom floor of the student union will be devoting significantly more space to meeting and conference rooms, providing more area for student clubs and organizations to meet on campus. The expansion of the overall facility will mean that students have more outdoor seating as well as an updated auditorium for special events and larger classes. The offices within the student union will also expand to include the offices of student organizations and administrative offices.

Overall the facility was a necessary addition to UNLV. At the time of MSU's construction, UNLV only had 5000 students, the student population is many times greater now and the original student union just did not have enough capacity to fit the student population's needs. The facility is technologically advanced with the latest wi-fi capabilities and aesthetically it is both unique and very attractive. The main advantage of the new student union is the greater space for lounges and offices, and the addition of a 300 seat theater will be excellent for many different student groups on campus. However, the downside is that it does not dramatically improve upon the overall MSU, but appears on the surface level to be an expansion. Its cost, which was 39 million dollars will take a long time to pay off and will put additional pressure on student dues. However, overall it was a necessary construction and its advantages outweigh any disadvantages posed.

The focus on the energy efficiency of the new student center resulted in several finds. First, the student center was designed by Tate Snyder Kimsey. This company places heavy emphasis on energy conservation and efficient use of lighting throughout the facility. Their website explains that overall construction always focuses on keeping energy costs at a minimum. In application to the UNLV student union, it means that all lighting within the facility is equipped for low-cost fluorescent lighting instead of traditional light bulbs, and that ventilation as well as general heating/cooling technology is all at its lowest maintenance levels.