The Erb Memorial Union hosted a ceremony on May 6 to show the newest additions to the building and to celebrate the workers and students who have been involved in the process. Although final touches to the building are still being finished, the majority of the space will now be available to use.

Student groups will begin to move into new EMU offices throughout the month of May.

Cälee Williams, a senior sociology major, says she is excited to see how students can use the new open areas of the EMU.

“It’s very refreshing. I like how the interior  goes with our other buildings,” Williams says. She is also a member of the Center for Student Involvement, formerly the Student Activities and Resource Center, which organizes events such as Ducks After Dark and the carnivals held in the EMU amphitheater.

One of the features that will be available soon include an auditorium with cushioned stadium-style seats that can be stored and pulled out like bleachers. This room could be available for a multitude of events, says Miles Sisk, a member of the EMU board. This auditorium will also resolve planning conflicts with the EMU ballroom, which was formerly the only space in the building for student groups to hold large events.

The goal for the new spaces in the building like the auditorium is to increase student groups’ ability to host events and activities.

“The vast majority of student groups don’t currently have their own offices so this is going to become a central hub for student activity,” says Sisk.

The most recent projection by the EMU stated that construction is set to be complete by summer 2016.