Students, staff and community members will once again be involved in running the Memorial Union as MU officials resurrect an advisory board that existed in the building's early days.
Student Development and MU officials are taking applications until Nov. 2 for an advisory board that would create and review MU policies.
Board members will lead committees that deal with facilities and logistics, dining, programming and activities, financial planning, public relations and board membership.
Such a board existed from 1958 to 1970, but it was combined with the larger Auxiliary Services Board.
"We're really kind of moving full circle, going back to the traditions of when this union opened 50 years ago," MU spokeswoman Becky Hornack said.
Some time between when the original MU board folded into the larger group and the present day, paid MU staff began making policies for the building.
"The administrative staff of the MU has been crafting those policies internally," Hornack said. "But now there's no opportunity for feedback from the community."
Karen Levy, an MU coordinator who is overseeing the rebirth of the board, said students and staff "were kind of looking at ways to get more involved with the MU, and how the MU runs."
The new Memorial Union Advisory Board, which will be selected by Dec. 1 and begin meeting next semester, will
consist of seven students, one MU student employee, two faculty members, two non-faculty staff members, a community member, an adviser and MU director Brett Perozzi.
The original board consisted of representatives from men's and women's societies, the Greek community, campus religious groups, students selected at-large and faculty and staff.
The board will recommend policies to Perozzi, who will make the final policy decisions.
"He's relying highly on this board to research, investigate, evaluate, review and formulate policy," Levy said.
The new board would initially focus on setting its constitution and bylaws and deciding procedural issues, such as how often to meet, she added.
"Spring will kind of be used as a setup semester," Levy said.
She said many colleges and universities have a board governing their student unions, and the new board would offer ASU students and staff a unique opportunity to influence how the MU is run.
"It's not a part of student government, and it's not really a student organization," she said. "It's a whole governing board separate from anything."
Students can find application forms for the board at http://www.asu.edu/ mu/advisory_board.htm.
Reach the reporter at brian.indrelunas@asu.edu.
