Check out the center of CU student life
As fun as hanging out in the dorms can be, the opportunities to meet new people, eat a variety a foods and get a little entertainment are maximized at the University Memorial Center.
The UMC opened its doors in 1953 and has been the center of CU’s student life ever since.
Located in the central part of campus at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Broadway Street, the UMC is an expansive building packed with everything from a bowling alley to the CU Book Store and a lot more in between. To help with your adjustment to CU, here’s a little rundown of all that the UMC has to offer.
Food: Whether you are on the move to class or just hanging out, the main floor of the UMC provides numerous alternatives to the always dependable, but sometimes less than appetizing, dorm food.
There are franchise restaurants for the mainstream crowd such as Subway, Domino’s Pizza and Wok & Roll. There are also specialty places in Celestial Seasonings and Jamba Juice.
A little more unique to CU is the Alferd Packer Grill, which possesses a wide variety of foods like hamburgers, burritos and pasta just to name a few.
And if you aren’t looking for a huge meal, the UMC also has Baby Doe’s, which offers a wide variety of snacks and baked goods. Whatever it is that you are in the mood for, the UMC is sure to provide it in the way of food and beverages.
Entertainment: The UMC wouldn’t be much in the way of a student center if it didn’t provide a little entertainment.
The Connection, located just past the bottom of the stairwell that leads up to the second floor, offers students a convenient on-campus place for fun with its 10 bowling lanes, arcade games and full-size billiard tables.
If bowling isn’t your gig, then Club 156 is a nice alternative. Plenty of live music events are held here every year, so look for bulletins around campus to see who is coming next. All of the entertainment at UMC is affordable for a student as well, with most activities costing no more than five to ten dollars.
Book Store: Unfortunately, college requires textbooks. So if for no other reason, the CU Book Store is relevant for that reason.
In all seriousness, the store does a nice job of making your book search as easy as possible with plenty of people to help you as you make your way through the basement of the UMC. In addition to finding your books, the school store offers various CU apparel and school supplies.
Student Groups: If you get to campus and it feels a little too big for you, a good way to get to know people is by joining a student group. Over 90 student groups call the UMC home, including the school’s student governing body, the University of Colorado Student Union.
Etc, Etc: There is a lot to discover and see at the UMC beyond what is mentioned above. In addition to all the food, entertainment and stores, the UMC provides students with a chance to just sit down and take a break or take a quick look at e-mail.
