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the student center colorado state university
photographs by al kilminster dick griffith
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This thought is the underlying philosophy of the Student Center as a new phase begins in the social, recreational, cultural, and educational life of the campus.
In addition to the various services offered by the Student Center through the revenue pr oduc-ing areas, a concentrated program of activities is planned and carried out under the direction of the Student Center Board. It is this program combined with the hundreds of programs sponsored by other organizations using the facilities that make the Student Center a valid educational experience and legitimate expenditure.
In addition to the organized programs, the members of the campus family use the Center as the "living room of the campus". In the building, the campus family can entertain their guests, gather for recreation, or just relax, as any family might do in their own living room. The Student Center is a self-liquidating project of the University and as such it does not utilize state monies derived from taxes. Student fees combined with the income of the boo k-store, food service, and game room, are used to retire the loan and to operate and maintain the facility.
The building operates on a twenty-four hour per day basis. Maintenance and custodial work is done between the hours of midnight and opening time each day. The work year is fifty-two weeks long as the facilities are used the year round by the campus family and guests for educational meetings of various types. In a typical day, it is not unusual to find one m eet-ing area used by three or four separate groups for diverse types of programming. Efficiency and service by the trained staff is maintained without the loss of informal and per-sonal atmosphere. With a sound determination to enhance and compliment the academic program of the institution, every effort is made to keep pace with the University's growth and maturity.
With full realization of the objectives and obligations of Colorado State University and with dedication to the principles of education, we welcome you to the Student Center.
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facilities. .
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To accommodate the needs of campus organizations, meet-ing rooms are provided on a scheduled basis. Blackboards, tack boards, and other equipment can be provided and rooms are designed to adapt to a wide variety of set-ups.
The music listening room provides a quiet place for relaxation or study. A selector system operating in juke box fashion allows the student an opportunity to choose music from l 00 classical selections. A unique feature of the room is floor level seating. Paintings in the room are the prize winning work of students. The music system operates with a pickering cart-ridge, an Altec amplifier and two Electrovoice 15 inch speakers.
The quiet lounge is nicknamed the "living with art lounge". Art exhibits are changed regularly affording the student an opportunity to appreciate the cultural values through asso-ciation. Floor level seating is a feature of the eye catching interior decor.
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The Longs Peak Dining Room and Lounge is scheduled by campus groups for occasions of a formal nature. In the taste-fully decorated surroundings, student groups can entertain important guests and "affairs of state" can be presented in an appropriate atmosphere. Paintings in the room are by David Dieteman, prints are by the Galleria Antiquaria of Rome, and copper ~name! sculpture is by William lmel.
The ballroom accommodates 1000 couples for dancing. It can be subdivided into three sections by double mounted accoustic panel doors. From the west balcony a splendid view of the front range of the mountains is possible. Con -veniences include air conditioning, modular stage units, an Ariel Davis lighting system with dimmers, an RCA sound system, a channel system for decorations and ceiling mount -ings, and facilities for banquet service.
The Student Center is designed on a "core basis". A service core is located on the extreme north of the building allowing all delivery traffic to flow freely and unobserved to the var-ious areas. Persons attending meetings can follow a traffic pattern to the meeting room core without crossing traffic with persons going to events of a different nature. Skillful design has provided both utility and beauty as evidenced in the grand staircase.
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bookstore
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The CSU Bookstore operates as a department of the Student
Center. Profits are used to retire the bonds and to operate
and maintain the building. A full line of textbooks and
sup-plies is maintained for the convenience of the campus family.
The store was designed by Henry Berry Associates in
coopera-tion with the architect. A self-service system is used with
careful attention to convenient arrangement and accessibility
of all items. A trained staff is on hand to assist in securing
items or to offer advice.
A featured portion of the store is devoted to a large paper
back library. Here the student may find inexpensive editions
of classic and contemporary literature and many useful books
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. . activities center.
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Campus organizations and clubs number over 125. The Activities Center is designed to provide these groups with facilities for efficient operation, a program of services to en-hance the educational objectives, and trained professional assistance when necessary.
The physical layout of the room provides working area for all types of organizational projects from duplication and sec-retarial work to ticket sales and meeting facilities. The master calendar for the campus events is maintained in the area and coordinating offices for campus activities are located here.
The main desk serves in a double capacity as Activities Center headquarters and information headquarters for the building. Here events can be scheduled. tickets purchased for major events, and information on all activities obtained. All organ-izational services can be contracted at this location.
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. the student
The Student Center Board is made up of student members
with additional representation from student government,
alumni, faculty, student personnel, and business office.
The role of the Student Center Board is two-fold. In addition
to serving in an advisory capacity to the director in matters
of policy, the board organizes, prepares and presents a
pro-gram of activities during the academic year.
Many proiects are produced in the educational and cultural
areas. Committees of the board select records for the classical
music listening room and paintings for display in the art
lounge. A series of art exhibits is planned each year. A
dis-cussion series on current controversia I topics is presented
under the title "I Disagree".
In the social phase of campus life, the board annually sponsors
a Student Center birthday party and a lively nightclub style
dance called "Club Holiday".
Entertainment programs on a special basis have included such notables as Don Shirley, Dr. Antonia Brico, and Dylan Todd.
Exchange talent programs with neighboring Universities and
Colleges are an annual event. Regular programs include the
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Among the services rendered by the board are supervision
of the show case and display areas, the "We Salute" series,
and the ride map service which coordinates the efforts of persons offering or needing transportation at the closing of each school term.
Instructional programs in bridge and dance have proved
pop-ular. Bridge teams have received recognition nationally in the Association of College Unions tournament.
Other special events include Activities Night which introduces
the freshmen to all the clubs and organizations on campus and attempts to bring about an understanding of the
rela-tionship of activities to the total educational concept. An open house is held each fall and campus guests are welcomed by a subsidiary group, the Student Center hostesses.
The program of the board is constantly evaluated for social, recreational, cultural, and educational values. Opportunities
are sought for practical experience in many ares of endeavor.
Through the International Association of College Unions, the board works with members from institutions in seven states.
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student government.
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Student government, under the leadership of the Associated
Students cabinet and legislature, is located adjacent to the Activities Center. A work area for the group of offices is
located centrally near the Associated Students and Associated
Women Students offices.
A legislature room serving over 20 groups for meetings and
work is scheduled heavily during the week. The entire area is accessible by private entrance to the building allowing use
at all hours.
Adjacent to the work and meeting areas are the offices h
ous-ing the Panhellenic Council, Inter-fraternity Council and the
Independent Students Association. The central location allows easy access for the entire student body and a maximum of
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game room . ..
The game room functions as a part of the recreational
pro-gram of the Student Center offering facilities for table tennis,
billiards, pool, snooker, and bowling. The table tennis area
is enclosed by an expanded metal screen to make ball chasing
an easy matter.
Ten billiard tables are available for use. In past years
or-ganized tournaments have been held and famous billiards
experts have visited for demonstrations.
The twelve bowling lanes are equipped with AMF automatic pinspotters and under-lane ball returns. League play,
intra-murals, and bowling instruction are alternated with open play to afford a diversified program.
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food
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The cafeteria offers meals daily in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. For the convenience of various campus groups, several small dining areas are available for luncheon meet-ings or for special banquets. All kitchens were designed by Fred Schmid Associates.
To serve the needs of organized groups, catering is offered in
the ballroom, private dining areas and the Longs Peak Dining
Room. The ballroom is equipped with a complete servery to handle the largest of groups. Accommodations for any cam
-pus event from coffee breaks to dinner dances are available.
The coffee shop features sandwiches and short orders on its menu. The room is the favorite spot on campus for the coffee
break in a busy day. The latest in equipment has been
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cial areas . . .
An ice skating rink located in the west terrace of the building
will be ready for operation in the fall of 1962. The surface
will be artificially frozen and will be maintained for open
recreational skating. During the summer months the terrace
will serve as a patio for concerts and social functions.
The theatre is designed to handle events of an auditorium
nature formerly housed in the ballroom. Concerts, lectures,
recitals, debates, student talent productions, and motion
pic-tures will be the primary types of usage. The exceptional
design features by the architect and the utility features in
-corporated by the Center saff combine to make the facility
a model of its type.
The area adjacent to the Engineering Building is occupied by
student publications. In these offices, the daily newspaper is
prepared and the year book staff carries out their duties. A
for the record
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Formal planning for the Student Center began in 1955 with
the appointment of a committee to make a study of needs
and desires of the campus community. A series of surveys and studies were conducted by the committee and various
sub-committees to determine the major objectives of the pro-posed building. With the results of these inquiries, a plan of action was prepared and submitted to the University and the Housing and Home Finance Agency.
James Hunter Associates, architects for the project, using the recommendations of the committee and working in close
liason with the staff members of the Student Center, prepared the blueprints.
Construction contracts were awarded to Hensel Phelps
Con-struction Company, Crabb Plumbing and Heating Company
and the Howard Electric Company. Ground was broken for
the project in April, 1960.
With the recommendations of the James Hunter staff, furnish-ings and equipment were selected. On January 3, 1962, the doors were opened on the partially completed building. The dedication ceremony comes in the final days of work on the
theatre and ice rink areas.
Even before the building was completed, it was serving as a model to many Universities and Colleges in the United States
who were planning new facilities. The methods of operation
are considered to be among the finest and CSU Student Center
staff members are in demand as speakers and resource
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colorado state university fort collins, colorado