It’s the heart of campus and thousands of students walk through it every day. Students and visitors alike eat, shop, workout and study in this building all the time. The SURC is the central piece of the campus and with it being three stories tall it’s not easy to miss. Each day an average of 12,000 to 15,000 people walk through the doors.

The SURC is celebrating its 10th anniversary this quarter from when it first opened up back in 2006. Cherie Wilson is the director of the SURC which was one of the first fusion buildings of its kind. The fusion part meaning that it combined both a student union and recreation center into one building.

The wildcat statue welcomes visitors going into the east entrance of the SURC. Decals on the doors and in the building mark that it’s been 10 years since the SURC opened.

History

Back in 2006, Central was looking at remodeling the old SUB and dining services was looking to remodel its dining facility called Holmes dining. The students at the time wanted a recreation center because the university didn’t have one, Wilson said. The building cost a total of $56 million, is three stories high and is a total of 228,000 square feet.

“Students were very much supportive of this facility. The student government went to the students to request the fee once they established what types of fees were needed to build the building,” Wilson said.

Students at the time were sent out a wish list and could choose different options. The feedback from that wish list is how the SURC building was designed and what all was put into it, Wilson said.

The building opened up in two parts according to Wilson. First the recreation center opened in January of 2006 but everything beyond the SURC pit was blocked off since construction was still going on. The student union part of the building opened in April of 2006.

Present day students  

Rene Mahnke, a senior business administration major, is the vice president of student life and facilities. He oversees several different boards including the SURC advisory board.

“What I think is really cool about this building is if you go to Shaw-Smyser you have all the business students in one place, if you go to the Science Building you have all the science students in one place, but here (in the SURC) it’s all different students from all different backgrounds and study areas coming together and hanging out together,” Mahnke said.

The fees that students pay each quarter for the SURC go to pay off the bonds on the building and go to towards the operation of it, Wilson said. The student union fee is $69 per quarter for each individual while the recreation fee is $102 per quarter.

“There isn’t any state money going into the facility, it’s just students’ fees that support the operation and paying back the loans,” Mahnke said.

The SURC advisory board is made up entirely of students so that the voice of the students is very present. Wilson said that besides the building manager after 5 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends the SURC is solely student run.

Celebration

There will be a celebration for the 10th anniversary of the SURC and it will be going on May 23 -26 as part of student appreciation week, Mahnke said. It’s a four-day-long celebration with free food and free prizes.

“I love how the SURC is truly the heart of campus. I spend 300 days a year in this building and it’s really cool to see all the improvements,” Mahnke said.

Improving the SURC

The second floor of the SURC received new furniture at the start of the school year which now better utilizes the space, Wilson said. Wilson went to the SURC advisory board last year asking to replace the furniture, since it was almost 10 years old and was showing wear and tear.

“Most of the furniture that is up there is ‘plug and play’ what I call it (meaning) you can plug in your iPad, everything has power. We wanted to bring that technology into the facility, we wanted to make it a space where students could study in workgroups,” Wilson said

The second floor is now packed all the time, Wilson said. There is more space for groups to study and the tall chairs can give more privacy.

“I think that’s the best part about changes like this where students’ input is asked for and you see the progress. It’s awesome to see the SURC now being fully utilized, I think a lot of students now come here instead of the library,” Mahnke said.

Another improvement to the SURC that was added last year was the wildcat statue. Rob Lane, the vice president of student life and facilities last year, was the one who initiated the project and raised all of the funds for it.  

“People stand there all day long and take pictures. It’s really cool to see. During graduation you see them (students) in their caps and gowns taking picture with it,” Wilson said.

The SURC is truly the heart of the campus and brings all types of students together whether they are seniors or incoming freshman.