Student activity center

A student activity center (SAC) is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center. The term "student union" refers most often in the United States to the building, while in other nations a "students' union" is the student government.

Broadly speaking, the facility is devoted to student recreation and socialization. It may contain lounges, wellness centers, dining facilities or vendors, and entertainment venues. The student activity center is often the center of student affairs and activities and may house the offices of the student government or other student groups. It may also act as a small conference center, with its meeting rooms rented out to student groups and local organizations holding conferences or competitions (for instance, the Michigan Union hosts the University of Michigan Model United Nations conference). The first student union in America was Houston Hall, at the University of Pennsylvania, which opened January 2, 1896 Building America's First University: An Historical and Architectural Guide to the University of Pennsylvania George E. Thomas, David Bruce Brownlee, p3 and remains in operation to this day.

Other examples of student activity centers include the J. Wayne Reitz Union at the University of Florida, the Bronco Student Center at Cal Poly Pomona, the McCormick Tribune Campus Center at the Illinois......
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