B y the time U studentsreturn in January, constructionon the Unionwill be complete.Like Dr. Frankenstein stealingcorpses and connectingpieces of flesh together toform a big green monster,the first floor of the Union,between Chartwells and theCopy Center, has recentlybeen torn apart for weeks ina redesign effort intended tobetter serve the U community.Undoubtedly, there will bemuch to cheer about whenthe work is done.In an effort to enhance theUnion’s role as the heart ofcampus, the new and improvedarea will be moreuseful-and, supposedly,more fun. The idea is to makethe Union into an entity thatis thought of by every studentas his or her very owngiant break room/communitycenter.As it sits now, this isn’thappening-the college experiencefor many at the U isrestricted to attending classesand going to work with anoccasional jaunt to the library.Math students often stay inthe math building, Englishmajors in LNCO and politicaljunkies in OSH.But the U is a community,and the Union is a place forall students to call home.No matter what where yourclasses are, the renovatedUnion can be your very ownbase of operations.Once completed, there willbe dozens more computers onwhich to type projects, lookfor articles, e-mail friends orsimply check eBay bid prices.There will be more areato lounge and think of newpick-up lines to try on thatperson who sits next to you inEnglish class.There will be more spacefor setting up tables to educatethe U on social, religious,economic and political issues.Since there will be more ofeverything, there’ll be moreroom for you-that meansyou will have no excuse not tospend some quality time withthe U family next semester.If you come to the Unionto play, there will be morebowling and billiards. There’snothing like throwing a 15-pound ball around to relievethe stress of an impendingfinal.But the Union won’t just bebigger, it’s going to be better,too. Lights, music, scoring,karaoke-you name it.Sometime in the future anew art gallery will open toreplace the space currentlyoccupied by UCard.In February, the Unionpharmacy will be ready. Ifyou thought getting drugs atschool was just a high schoolthing, think again.In all seriousness, the U islike a small city with a busypopulation attending to manyneeds. The Union renovationis designed to meet thoseneeds.