University Unions 2014 Year In Review

A YEAR IN REVIEWUNIVERSITY UNIONS 2014

what isUNIVERSITY UNIONS

There are three distinctive buildings at the University of Michigan that are vital gathering places and centers of activity for the campus community. The Michigan Union, the Michigan League, and Pierpont Commons provide services, programs and amenities valued by students, faculty, staff and guests year round. In these campus centers are spaces for meetings and gala events, entertainment venues, and places where food, friendships, study and play intermingle. Here are opportunities for student involvement that enrich their learning, living and leadership experiences.

The Michigan Union – historically significant to our campus and one of the most iconic collegiate gathering spots in the country – continues to honor its heritage, while also providing state-of-the-art services and amenities to today’s students.

The Michigan League, one of the most elegant buildings on campus, continues to grow as a resource for students, faculty and guests. Through the efforts of the Friends of the Michigan League and their work with Conference and Event Services and the Board of Governors, the League is a more vibrant part of the campus community than ever before.

Building on its tradition of service to North Campus students, faculty and visitors, Pierpont Commons expanded its range of offerings, while maintaining important campus connections this past year.

Together these buildings, and the services and programs within, compose University Unions, an integral part of Student Life at the University of Michigan. University Unions plays a large role in the campus experience of our students, and helps make the University of Michigan a world-class destination.

Michigan League

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Pierpont Commons

Au Bon Pain

Mary Sue Coleman with her portrait in the Union

Honoring the past, the Michigan Union renamed the Art Lounge in honor of Willis Ward, a three-time All American and eight-time all Big Ten performer in track, as well as a key member of the Wolverine Football teams of the early 1930s.

The Union hosted a celebration and plaque dedication commemorating the 1962 campus visit by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The ceremony was student-led through the Michigan Union Board of Representatives (MUBR). A permanent display now stands as a reminder of the significance of the visit and Dr. King’s life.

Two new vendors opened their doors within the Union. Au Bon Pain and Starbucks both began operations in the Union in January with input from MUBR. The addition of these two national franchises helps round out the food and beverage offerings available to students while also creating additional employment opportunities.

The Union also was instrumental in the recognition activities for outgoing U-M president Mary Sue Coleman, as MUBR added her biography to the Presidents’ Wall. The continuation of this great Michigan tradition helps link today’s students with those of bygone eras.

MILESTONES

MILESTONES The Michigan League welcomed the completion of the Video Docent Tour, which takes viewers on an historical odyssey with vintage photographs and well-researched commentary. The virtual tour, now on the League’s webpage, was created through the cooperative efforts of the Friends of the Michigan League and students from the University Unions marketing department.

The MUBR chair and Unions staff represented the University at the Association of College Unions (ACUI) 100th Anniversary event in Orlando. The University of Michigan is a founding member of ACUI, and staff served on planning committees for the centennial celebration. Michigan was represented at the gala dinner, which included a congratulatory video from President Coleman. Additionally, staff helped to create an anniversary museum, and participated in a service project to recognize the landmark anniversary.

The staff of Conference and Event Services was able to better serve clients due to their implementation of online credit card transactions, greatly simplifying the process for users and also improving card security and transaction speed.

As always, much of the Center for Campus Involvement (CCI) efforts were aimed at giving students more individualized assistance. Toward this end, the Involvement Ambassadors and the Advisors Outreach programs were launched. The Ambassadors created a peer-based connection to student-hosted events across campus throughout the year to build networking opportunities among student leaders. The Outreach program helped advisors get needed support, and it marked the first such effort ever undertaken by CCI. Through the program, advisors were able to attend small-group discussions and take advantage of online resources. They also enjoyed an Advisors Appreciation event at year’s end.

The Michigan Union Ticket Office (MUTO) worked with the Center for Campus Involvement to “sell” tickets to student groups for Festifall/Northfest. This allowed faster check-in for the students participating, as well as provided a mechanism to keep track of table returns.

Students at Festifall

Chance the Rapper at Hill Auditorium

School Boy Q at

Hill Auditorium

The Michigan Union Ticket Office continues to play a growing role in campus events in large part because of its improved relations with many of the university’s groups and departments.

A case in point is the Men’s Glee Club. Originally, MUTO was to provide ticketing for one event. But after the successful handling of that show, the club had MUTO do additional engagements, and are now considering them for shows they had previously ticketed themselves.

The ticket office has made great strides with the University Musical Society, University Productions and a number of smaller clients. MUTO flawlessly handled two very big shows – Chance the Rapper and 2 Chainz, gaining great respect and recommendations from the sponsoring clubs. They also have had much greater success with the community at large, providing ticket services for several Ann Arbor-area productions.

MILESTONES

CCI “Big Ticket Productions” (BTP) also engaged in an important collaboration -- working with an outside promoter to bring Chance the Rapper to Hill Auditorium. The unit also successfully implemented a new promoter concert model with BTP, subsidizing student tickets to make it possible for more to participate in popular events. This allows BTP to have its name on much bigger productions, and helps them keep pace with other campus organizations.

Student Organization Account Services (SOAS) continued with implementation and improvement of the Signer Management System, a secure network that allows students to communicate to Maize Pages, manage their internal roles and gives SOAS access to the information to help coordination. The student staff continues to receive outstanding training in customer service, team work, clerical tasks, accounting and other key areas.

School Boy Q at

Hill Auditorium

Men’s G

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Food Services continued to evolve in its role on campus as it joined with Residential Dining Services to become a more comprehensive unit called Michigan Dining. For operations in the Unions, this means that food service will be making ever greater efforts to not just supply food, but also educate about food choices, food safety and food procurement. Outreach efforts within the University community and beyond campus to the greater Ann Arbor area make up an important portion of the new Michigan Dining’s activities.

Michigan Dining staff worked with students in the School of Public Health on nutritional information for its operations, helping them update their communications within the convenience stores, as well as designing healthier choices in their catering operation.

A major ongoing project of the Campus Information Center (CIC) was the interactive campus map, launched in September of 2013. Since the initial roll-out, CIC has expanded the usefulness and availability and now has a touch-screen kiosk at the Michigan Union (a first for Campus Information and University Unions). The project has not only kept visitors better informed, but has also reduced the need for printed maps, reducing both cost and waste. Partners in that project include Architecture, Engineering and Construction; Department of Public Safety and Security; Information Technology Services, and Parking and Transportation Services.

CIC is increasing its own visibility, particularly within the social media mix, building a strong voice to students across campus and to potential visitors. The unit now has more than 690 Facebook followers and in excess of 1,200 new Twitter followers.

Ribbon cutting for the MUG renovation

TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENTSThe Michigan Union Grill (MUG) area experienced major remodeling this year, providing additional lighting and greatly improved access to electricity for concourse patrons. Additionally, the renovation included five televisions and two digital displays, giving visitors easy access to a tremendous amount of information.

And while the remodeling effort brought modern conveniences and new vendors like Ahmo’s Mediterranean Grill, it also paid homage to the Union’s past with a community table featuring a top carved by students in 1911 and a counter seating area built with wood from the bowling lanes that were a part of the Union until the 1980s.

Maintenance personnel played a key role in the establishment of the Au Bon Pain restaurant in the Michigan Union. Maintenance oversaw the demolition of the existing space and the build-out of the new Au Bon Pain space, as well as performed all primary electrical work and installed the fire alarm system.

The Michigan League saw its renovation and upgrade projects move forward with the completion of improvements to the Henderson Room, which included painting, installation of an LCD projector and screen, new draperies, new carpet and updated LED lighting. Primary funding for this project was provided by the Michigan Alumnae Council.

FACILITIES &

Pierpont Commons welcomed the first of several Student Life facilities improvements championed by Building A Better Michigan, a student organization. The Commons Café was closed in February for a complete renovation into a dazzling North Campus restaurant that features multiple food stations. The new Fireside Café menu offerings focus on locally sourced and seasonal foods, soups and baked goods prepared each day, and made to order items. To add to the variety of food choices, local restaurants come in Monday through Friday with different types of international cuisine. The new dining room features several fireplaces, comfortable seating arrangements and an expansive view of the outside scenery.

The addition of spring and summer food selections during the Commons Café renovation was popular with students and visitors, allowing more choices throughout the winter term and better serving those studying and visiting during the summer semester.

Pierpont also received other physical upgrades, with new carpeting and furniture in the Commons Corner, and new furniture in the Piano Lounge and Leonardo’s, as well as a new ceiling mounted projector in the East Room. The administrative office was reconfigured to make room for Catering and several University Unions’ services.

The improvements not only benefit students, faculty and staff, but also make Pierpont Commons more attractive to potential clients.

CCI continued to enhance its online capabilities and offerings, allowing student organizations to see which conference spaces are available and giving them information on how to reserve those spaces in real time. Similarly, a workshop request form is now available online, and CCI has enhanced the Program Council’s Google Drive, using it as a primary spot for storage of information. Google Drive also serves as the hosting spot for five new Student Learning Outcomes and reflective assessment forms.

Part of MUTO’s success is due to investment in technology. The addition of several laptops has made sales faster and more efficient, especially with the ability to read credit cards at events. Similarly, the purchase of scanners will reduce the number of physical tickets printed, as smart-phones will be able to be read, and event-goers can print their own tickets at home.

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Dining area inside Fireside Café

CIC has expanded its digital screen reach throughout campus facilities with new screens and players, and better program content; a prime example is the “Welcome Screen” playing messages from Union tenants welcoming visitors.

SOAS technology upgrades are ongoing. While staff continues to explore the possibility of electronic receipt submissions, the unit already has begun scanning payment requests and support documents so that accounts payable can be processed electronically via e-mail.

SUSTAINABLEPROGRESS

Savings are being realized by the Maintenance-led re-lamping efforts at University Unions facilities. By changing to LED lamps in the three buildings, electrical usage costs have steadily dropped, 29% from FY2012 to FY2014.

Another major effort, this time in tandem with Architecture, Engineering and Construction, involved upgrades to all Michigan League air handlers and the installation of direct digital controls, which are operated and maintained by UU maintenance. The $500,000 project has improved comfort for students, staff and guests while reducing maintenance labor hours and lowering energy consumption. It is expected that a return on this investment will be gained within five years.

The lighting project within the Michigan League Henderson Room was part of a larger effort to replace old lighting with energy efficient LEDs throughout the League. The project is made possible through collaboration with Planet Blue and is part of the campus-wide initiative to upgrade to LED fixtures.

The renovation of the Union MUG incorporated state-of-the-art sustainability features, such as porcelain tile flooring, acoustic tile ceilings, solid-surface countertops, steel studs and gypsum-board ceilings containing recycled content, low VOC paints and ultra-efficient light panels.

Michigan Dining staff made presentations on sustainability at both the regional and national levels for the ACUI. Their educational efforts also involved sponsoring projects with the Environ 391 and 211 classes. With the 391 students, staff did “Go Blue Box” work and also helped with food purchasing guidelines. The 211 class invited Michigan Dining to its final presentations, and the MD participants offered feedback on the 211 students’ work. The professors see Michigan Dining as a resource, which has allowed the staff to interact closely with the students in a meaningful collaboration.

Three Farmers’ Markets were held this year, part of a collaborative effort with MHealthy, U-M Sustainable Food Program, and the Office of Campus Sustainability. More than just a “market,” the well-attended events fostered interaction between students and local farmers, while serving as educational forums that also featured demonstrations by Michigan Dining chefs.

A number of sustainable measures were put in place in the construction of the new Fireside Café. In the area of energy efficiency, automated and dimming lighting controls help to use light as needed. The majority of light fixtures are LED type, while some fixtures utilize T-5 or T-8 fluorescent lamps which should result in long-term maintenance savings. In food purchasing, many menu selections incorporate local and seasonal fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers or other local suppliers. Other sustainability features include the carpet and tile material, low VOC paint, and the use of reclaimed wood.

Students meeting at the MUG

2014 Farmers’ Market

Henderson Room

Renovated MUG

TPCBR vice chair at Fireside opening

STUDENTLEADERSHIP

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TPCBR vice chair at Fireside opening

2014 LeaderShape Conference

The MUBR, which is made up of students, faculty and staff, advises the Michigan Union director and provides vital input into the activities and policies of the Union.

The celebration events for Dr. King, President Coleman and the Association of College Unions International were part of a busy year for the MUBR. In addition to rewriting its charter, the group also provided insight and feedback to Au Bon Pain, Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Subway and Starbucks and their association with the Michigan Union.

Once again, the Pierpont Commons Board of Representatives provided a needed voice and perspective, and played an important role in activities in and around Pierpont Commons. A strong Student Vice-Chair helped lead a cohesive team that created direction for all of the successful programs this year.

Promoting the development of student leaders is always a primary focus of CCI and this year they helped coordinate the LeaderShape conference. Despite a short planning timeline, the CCI was able to pull together the Spring Break session and the Spring session – putting on an excellent program for more than 80 participants.

NOTABLE MOMENTS

NOTABLE MOMENTS

Introduction of Dr. Mark Schlissel

“The Inn at the Michigan League

continues to build on its reputation as

an outstanding hotel”

Additionally, Conference and Event Services revamped its personnel model to adequately staff the residence halls for the summer more efficiently.

CCI conducted a number of high-visibility programs this year, and also had great success with more behind-the-scenes efforts. In all, they conducted 200 programs, reaching more than 25,000 students.

Conference and Event Services hosted both the sendoff for President Mary Sue Coleman and the press conference introducing her successor, Dr. Mark Schlissel. Participating in such high profile events – and conducting them with seamless efficiency – helps win future business and reinforces Conference and Event Services’ well-earned reputation for excellence.

A group impressed by the Pierpont Commons atmosphere was the National Dental Research Conference – which chose a North Campus location for the first time. Because it was a national conference, it created great publicity and marketing possibilities for the entire North Campus area.

Culturally, the League remains a vital resource, with the adjacent Mendelssohn Theater serving as a premier entertainment venue, as well as the growing art collection providing students and guests with relevant, world-class expression. This past year, a generous donation by the Ginsberg family included a piece from Argentinian artist Sergio Moyana, and another by Tracy Ginsberg.

The Inn at the Michigan League continues to build on its reputation as an outstanding area hotel. Recent upgradesand a growing notoriety in the national press helped the Inn achieve 100% occupancy for all football games and the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Operations also were improved with the addition of state-of-the-art Hotel ManagementSoftware that meets both payment card industry standards and operational needs.

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Sergio Moyana piece donated by Ginsberg Family

“The Inn at the Michigan League

continues to build on its reputation as

an outstanding hotel”

The CCI sponsored lectures by Winona Duke and Melissa Harris-Perry as part of its Social Justice Speaker Series, and both talks were well-attended and well-received. Duke spoke at the Michigan League, addressing a crowd of 200 with her message of Building a Green Economy: Indigenous Strategies for a Sustainable Future; Harris-Perry spoke on Inheriting the Movements: New Tools for Race Talk and Leadership on Campus as part of Black History Month and drew a crowd of 300 to Rackham auditorium.

The sponsored talks not only showcased CCI, but also connected them to other campus departments as reliable collaborators on programs addressing important issues.The Center was also active in the Maize Craze event that helped build excitement for the U of M vs. Notre Dame night football game. Fun-filled activities, such as bean-bag tosses, music, a dance marathon and a buffet – with prizes including tickets to the game – made the event a huge success.

Helping students safely celebrate St. Patrick’s Day was a campus-wide initiative, and CCI participated with a Saturday night event called Shamrock It! Several hundred students participated – giving them an alcohol-free alternative to one of the most widely celebrated holidays.

Students at Maize Craze

Special events that benefited from SOAS involvement included the Galen’s Medical Society’s Mott Fundraiser and the Tau Beta Pi North Campus Book Swap. Additionally, the CCI, Procurement, College of LSA, SL Conference Services and the Transportation Department all relied on SOAS services to efficiently handle account transactions.

Michigan Dining also was active in festivals and other public-interaction events. Chef Peter Julian has built a good rapport with local Fox News and was featured during broadcasts for Super Bowl Sunday and Easter Sunday. Michigan Dining also had demonstrations during Earthfest and Harvest Fest, as well as individual demonstrations to several departments. The high visibility of these demonstrations promotes the department and the university as a whole.

Another food enterprise - the Care Package program - continues to grow in popularity. During the busiest month, February, 300 packages were sold, marking a new high point for this service operated by staff and students from U-go’s Convenience Store and Student Organization Resource Center (SORC).

In the area of student safety, the Campus Information Center has fostered a close relationship with University Public Affairs and now has a partnership for incident response messaging, as well as a formalized role in the communication plan.

The University Unions Student Marketing Advisory Committee and student graphic designers created a new image campaign that was launched in the fall. With the theme of “Through These Doors” and using vivid door imagery, the campaign focuses on the variety of resources, events and involvement opportunities that exist through the many doors of the Unions facilities. The Marketing Advisory Committee also focused on expanding social media activity for the Unions, resulting in an increase of over 860 Twitter followers this past year.

Students participating in the Care Package programStudents in the Union

University Unions is proud to work with a group of high quality business partners to increase the variety of convenient food and retail offerings available to the campus population. As lease space becomes available for partners, students are brought into the process of evaluating new vendors. Following is the list of retail operations who served the campus this year.

uunions.umich.edu | twitter.com/umichunions