The University of Nebraska's City Campus Student Union (otherwise known as the Nebraska Union) has been around for over 60 years. In this time, the Union has transformed from being just a small place to spend leisure time to a place where anyone can come and meet to study, talk about anything, dine, and even in some cases, sleep.

Not one student has ever not set foot in the Union that has set foot on another part of the University's campus. Today, it is virtually impossible for a student not to use the Student Union in one way or another. Whether it be a new nCard, food, New Student Enrollment, every student has used the Student Union. Back in the 1930s, this place was only meant for a place for students to visit during their breaks between class.

However, not only has the University grown, but so has the rest of society. The volume of students attending classes at the University of Nebraska has grown tenfold since the 1930s. The roles have changed, the jobs have changed. Students spend much more time on their schoolwork now than they ever did back when the Student Union was even first conceived.

The Student Union on the University's City Campus has become much more of a marketplace than a meeting place. Not only do people meet there, but there are several merchants that come into the Student Union to get their message and products heard. Many people use the Union Plaza as a means to get their message out, and use the congregating crowds of the fountains on the north side of the Union as an audience.

With that said, it is a venue for different distribution channels, such as music, philosophies, products, and those are to only name a few. Many times throughout the year, the Union will hold events that impact the entire student body, whether they be giveaways, concerts, free movies, or anything else.

Another example of a large influence the Student Union has: it houses the University Bookstore. The Student Union's original intent was to only be for the students, but it was soon commercialized and merged with the University Bookstore.

This made it easier for the students to maintain their books easier in their free time, along with the addition of the nCard Office, Career Services, and ASUN's Office. All of these student-centric services were integrated into the Union to help better facilitate the University's motives of letting the students truly have a place of their own on campus.

The Union has become so embedded into the schema of attending the University of Nebraska that no one ever thinks about its history. It is a fundamental part of the University, and that will continue to be the case, for years to come. The Union has and will continue to have a lasting effect on those who have attended and have graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.