Its stairs are dimpled with dents from years of student traffic. One of its pipes recently burst, flooding an administrator’s office. Its hallways are dark and reminiscent of the late 1920s.

After 75 long years of use, the Memorial Union is beginning to show its age. A few silver hairs have crept into its proud exterior, and its recent birthday on Sept. 23 was bittersweet.

The birthday marked three-quarters of a century for one of Iowa State’s most used and well-known locations on campus, and it also marked the start of a new era.

On July 16, the Iowa Board of Regents granted Iowa State permission to proceed with a $16 million renovation to the Memorial Union and the University Book Store.

Renovation plans include bringing the building up to code. This means mechanical upgrades, roof repairs and the modernization of the first floor, especially in terms of circulation and accessibility.

The project will include the construction of a three-story pedestrian walkway directly connecting the parking garage to the ground level, first and second floors. The overall construction will include two new elevators within the addition and renovation to the existing elevators in the parking garage.

An addition to the University Book Store will expand the ground level retail space and remodel the existing University Book Store space.

This massive renovation and construction project is scheduled to begin late in the 2004 spring semester.

Although the Memorial Union was student-owned since its conception in 1919, the union is currently in the process of transferring to university ownership.

For better or worse, this is a time of great change for the Memorial Union. With the massive renovation and change of ownership scheduled to take place, the student hub we know now will most likely be a quite different place when our own children and grandchildren visit it years from now.

The important thing is to maintain the connections that have made the Memorial Union what it is — the center of student life, entertainment and activity.

Music and dancing have been present in the Memorial Union since it opened on Sept. 23, 1928. Last Saturday, the MU hosted a night of music and dance attended by more than 300 members of the community.

In honor of its anniversary, the Memorial Union will be hosting a series of free, lighthearted “competitive” events, sponsored by the Student Union Board.

Paper airplane flying from the Great Hall balcony, slinky races down the steps, toy car races in the Main Lobby, a scavenger hunt, a “Name that Tune” contest, goofy bowling and a soda sipping contest will all be part of the celebration.

Although the MU may be undergoing a drastic series of changes, the activities and attitudes that have made the MU what it is over the years won’t be changing any time soon.