ASU is giving Sun Devil Stadium a makeover as they begin renovations to transform it into the ASU 365 Community Union.
The goal for the new Community Union is to be seen as a “cultural hub” and serve as a place where everybody, not just students, can gather for events, according to the project's website.
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, the vice president of Cultural Affairs at ASU and the executive director of ASU Gammage, said ASU’s status as No. 1 in innovation should have one specific area that epitomizes this reputation — that place will be the ASU 365 Community Union.
Read more: ASU ranked No. 1 in innovation for the fourth year in a row
“It will be a place where ASU students, faculty, staff and community members can come together 365 days a year,” she said. “It is a space where people can come and go, (and) where people can be a part of activities there from early in the morning to late at night.”
Everyday amenities that will be found in the Community Union include business offices and classrooms for students, along with restaurants and coffee shops for everyone. Students can look forward to events like goat yoga, concerts and weekend farmers markets — all centered around a football field.
“This stadium can’t just be used for only seven football games a year,” Jennings-Roggensack said.
Upcoming events at the stadium include film premieres, athletic challenges, international food markets and a Fall concert series. The fall concert series begins Oct. 2, 2018 with international entertainer Amara La Negra kicking off the series.
Amara La Negra is recognizable by her eccentric style, original music and role in "Love and Hip Hop: Miami."
“My music is very Caribbean with an Americanized twist to it,” Amara La Negra said. “My music is bubbly, happy — it is my way of expression, and I express it in many different ways.”
Amara La Negra is known in the Latin music community for her Afro-Latinidad culture and rebellious nature.
“The more they told me not to do something, the more I wanted to do it,” she said. “My name itself is a big statement,” she added, as Amara La Negra translates to "love the black woman."
Karina Bohn, the executive director for the Global Sport Institute, said the renovations will also include new facilities for ASU’s Public Service Academy, Pat Tillman’s Veteran Center and the Global Sport Institute, which have never had a central location to convene before.
Bohn said she's excited to have somewhere for students involved in these organizations to come together in one place.
“In the same way that ASU wants the stadium to be seen as more than just a place where football is played a few times a year, we want people to look at sports as more than just a game,” Bohn said. “Sports can be something that influences culture, shows leadership, and has a daily impact that goes far beyond the game itself.”
Reach the reporter at eborst@asu.edu and follow @ellieeborstt on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
Ellie Borst is the executive editor of The State Press, overseeing the publication and its four departments: online, magazine, multimedia and engagement. She plans to graduate in May 2022 with her master's in legal studies and got her bachelor's in journalism in 2021. Previous roles she has held since joining SP in 2018 include digital managing editor, magazine managing editor, community and culture desk editor, and arts and culture reporter.
