Strand Union Building

The Association of College Unions in 1956 unanimously adopted and in 1989 unanimously reaffirmed the following statement of union purposes and functions:

The Union is the community center of the college, for all members of the college family—students, faculty, administration, alumni and guests. It is not just a building. It is an organization and a program. Together they represent a well-considered plane for the community life of the college.

As the "living room" or "hearthstone" of the college, the union provides services, conveniences, and amenities the members of the college family need in their daily life on the campus and for getting to know and understand one another through association outside the classroom.

The union is part of the education program of the college. As the center of college community life, it serves as a laboratory of citizenship, training students in social responsibility and for leadership in democracy. Through its various boards, committees, and staff, it provides a cultural, social, and recreational program aiming to make free time activity a cooperative factor in education. In all its processes it encourages self-directed activity, giving maximum opportunity for self-realization and for growth in individual social competency and group effectiveness. Its goal is the development of person as well as intellects. The union serves as a unifying force in the life of the college, cultivating enduring regard for and loyalty to the college.