If you could redesign the Old University Union to fit your fantasy vision of the perfect collegiate student union, what would it be like?

The Old Union will indeed be undergoing some major renovations in the near-to-distant future (the current speculation is within the next two years). And yes, you, fellow Bearcats, will have an opportunity to voice your opinion about the upcoming project this Thursday, when multiple administrators, including Vice President for Administration James VanVoorst, will hold an open town hall forum with the students in the Old Union.

The main attraction of the town hall meeting, this semester’s first, will be the new plans for the renovation project (the original ones were scrapped three weeks ago due to student disapproval, and the new ones have been kept quiet so far).

So, we here at Pipe Dream came up with a pretty majestic vision of what we’d like our new Old Union (hehe, get it?) to be. So, when the University lets the proverbial cat out of the bag this Thursday, keep these meows in mind and give a hiss or two to let the administration know if their plan isn’t quite the feline you had in mind.

The Old Union must ‘ absolutely MUST ‘ be turned into a place where students can congregate; in other words, it should be a setting that encourages social interaction.

The biggest problem with the New University Union, which was designed and constructed within the past decade, is that unless you’re partaking in some Sbarro in the Food Court, you’re probably sitting alone in one of the student group offices hidden away in the basement or third floor, whimpering over your geographic alienation, wondering what’s going on in the outside world.

Now, we know you’re probably thinking, ‘But come on, how can you really come up with a design that’s going to make students want to hang out in the Old Union?’

Luckily, we’ve come up with the perfect answer: it may just be time to open up another University pub.

In addition to the already miraculous socialization-inducing powers alcohol boasts, a pub could offer a laid-back environment for students to eat, talk, hang out and even consume non-alcoholic beverages. Need proof? Stop by the Ale House on the Vestal Parkway any day of the week and see the pastiche of locals, students and professors engaging in often surprisingly intellectual conversations over a pint and a burger.

Though we realize the University won’t cave too easily to the idea of the rebirth of the campus pub, this should be the type of thing administrators keep in mind when redesigning the Old Union ‘ common spaces and inviting, friendly environments. Student offices shouldn’t be hidden away and geographically isolated from the flow of campus traffic; the layout should allow everything to be readily accessible to the average student strolling by.

Rumor has it that the University plans to move a number of administrative offices, such as the Registrar and Student Accounts, into the Old Union to help make it the center of campus life. This idea is definitely a step in the right direction, but it’s still important to remember that students just need a place to chill out, too, without the University’s retail contracts (M&T Bank, Sodexho, Barnes & Noble) dominating the area.

So there you have it ‘ Pipe Dream’s take on the new Old Union. But the only way to find out whether our Utopian union vision comes true is to show up at the town hall meeting this Thursday and listen to what administrators have to say. Then, let the people doing the planning know what you think of their ideas.

Want to make your opinion known? Signs, bull horns and petitions are optional ‘ attendance is not.