Eastern Michigan University student life

Eastern Michigan University student life offers the variety that one might find at any such major university. With the completion of McKenny Union in 1931, EMU, then known as "Michigan State Normal College", became the first teachers' college with a student union on its campus. Since that time, the school has expanded substantially, as have the social, recreational, housing, and dining options available to students.

Greek life

Beyond student organizations EMU offers a variety of Greek organizations on campus. Just like most universities EMU has a National Pan-Hellenic Council, National Panhellenic Conference and Interfraternity Council

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Fraternities

• Kappa Phi Alpha (local)
• Alpha Kappa Lambda
• Alpha Phi Alpha
• Arm of Honor (local)
• Delta Sigma Phi
• Delta Tau Delta
• Iota Phi Theta
• Kappa Alpha Psi
• Omega Psi Phi
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Phi Sigma Kappa
• Phi Sigma Phi
• Sigma Nu
• Tau Kappa Epsilon

Sororities

• Alpha Gamma Delta
• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Alpha Sigma Tau
• Alpha Xi Delta
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Delta Zeta
• Phi Sigma Sigma
• Sigma Delta Tau
• Sigma Kappa
• Sigma Nu Phi (local)
• Sigma Sigma Sigma
• Zeta Phi Beta

Dining

Eastern Michigan University Dining Services is a combined office with Housing. EMU has numerous dining and satellite operations. The larger dining facilities on campus include the Commons (DC1), the Eateries, Crossroads Marketplace, and the Student Center. Satellite operations are called Eagle Cafes. Eagle Cafes are located in Mckenny Hall, Marshall, Sill, Alexander, and the College of Business (COB).

As well EMU has several Convenience Stores across campus which include CrossRoads Marketplace (Hoyt, beside the Department of Public Safety), Lobby Shop (Student Center food court), Eagle Cafe (Halle Library) and QuickFixx (lower level Eastern Eateries Food Court).

Recreation

Olds/Robb Recreation and Intra-Mural Sports center

Notable campus hangouts include Big Bob's Lake House near the center of campus, the McKenny Lounge in McKenny Union, the Olds/Robb Recreation and Intra-Mural Sports center (commonly called "Rec IM"), King Hall Multicultural Lounge, and the Student Center Sky Lounge. Off-campus hangouts include Depot Town, Frog Island, Riverside Park, and The Ugly Mug coffee shop.

McKenny Union

McKenny Union

First proposed by President Charles McKenny in 1924, McKenny Union was the first student union on the campus of a teachers' college when it opened in 1931. The building was expanded in 1963, and again in 1993, and at various times has included bookstores, a bowling alley, a bank, and a food court, as well as a ballroom and other social and meeting spaces.

Student Center

Since its opening in 2006 the EMU Student Center replaced McKenny Union as the center of campus life. In April 2007, the Student Center was voted the “Best Place to Hang Between Classes” by Eastern Echo readers. The Student Center was the home of the first LAN gaming center (Savage Geckos); purchased by the university in Spring 2008 and renamed E-Zone. It is also the location of the EMU Bookstore, a variety of food vendors, a 24/7 computer lab, two art galleries, meeting/conference/banquet rooms, a dining room stage, and an auditorium for movies, live performances and guest lectures. In addition, the Student Center is home to the offices of Campus Life, VISION, Service EMU, and Admission.

Campus housing

Template:Commons category Template:Anchor Like many large universities, Eastern Michigan University has a variety of on-campus housing options available for students. In the fall of 2010, EMU began allowing some full-time students from Washtenaw Community College, which is less than half a mile away, to live in The Village, charging them the same rate paid by EMU students. According to the university, between 3,000 and 5,000 students live on campus.

Residence halls

EMU has twelve on-campus residence halls.

• Best Hall - coed by suite, Best Hall is part of the Best-Wise complex
• Buell Hall - coed by suite, Buell Hall is part of the Buell-Downing complex
• Downing Hall - coed by suite, Downing Hall is part of the Buell-Downing complex. Residents in Downing are required to maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and be members of the Honors College.
• Hill Tower - restricted to sophomores and above
• Hoyt Tower - Since May 2010, Hoyt Tower has been used as temporary office space, housing faculty whose offices were located in Pray-Harold. Pray-Harold is undergoing renovation, which is expected to last until August 2011.
• Phelps Hall - part of the First-Year Center (FYC)
• Pittman Tower - restricted to sophomores and above
• Putnam Hall - part of FYC
• Sellers Hall - part of FYC
• The Village - consists of four-person units and a community building. Residency is restricted to sophomores and above, and participation in Village programs and activities is required.
• Walton Hall - part of FYC
• Wise Hall - coed by floor with shared bathrooms, Wise Hall is part of the Best-Wise complex

Apartments

Eastern Michigan campus housing includes three apartment complexes: Brown/Munson Complex, Cornell Courts, and Westview.

In early 2011, Eastern Michigan became the first university in Michigan and the eighth nationwide to offer a targeted program to house single parents with their children on campus. Called "Keys to Degrees", the program will house the single-parent families near each other in one of Eastern Michigan's on-campus apartment complexes, and will offer extra academic and personal support to enrollees.

Off-campus housing

According to the university, between 8,000 and 10,000 students live off-campus within one mile, two to three times the number living on campus. Off-campus housing options in the area include individually leased student housing communities, private rental homes, and traditional multifamily apartment communities.

Peninsular Place Apartments, just north of campus, offers fully furnished apartments leased by the bedroom, and claims to have been voted the "Best Apartments" by EMU students each year since 2008. Beal Group and Barnes and Barnes operate many rental properties, mostly renovated older homes, south of campus and in downtown Ypsilanti.

Campus safety

The rape and murder of an EMU student in her dorm room in December 2006, and EMU's subsequent Clery Act violation, have led to significant changes in EMU public safety notifications.