Fifty king cakes, stacks of Mardi Gras beads and purple and gold balloons lined the front lobby of the Union Wednesday during the Union’s annual king cake giveaway.
From 10:30 a.m. until the king cake ran out, students could get a free piece of king cake while receiving information about the “Imagine … A new and better Union” campaign. Students could talk with Union and student representatives about the Union referendum that will appear on the April 2 Student Government ballot.
According to Shirley Plakidas, Union director, the Union offers free king cake every year before Mardi Gras, and it worked well this year with getting information out on the proposed fee increase.
Ken Beuche, Union associate director, said the free king cake “attracted many students to look at the referendum material.”
Katie Smith, LSU almuna and co-adviser of the Union Referendum Committee — a committee made up of students — was at the Union giving information to students about the referendum and answering questions students have about the proposed project. She said the majority of students who went for free king cake stopped by the table and were interested in the project.
“We received a positive response,” Smith said. “Students need to be informed with the correct information before voting.”
Smith said after visiting other universities with new unions and seeing the benefits they offered to students, she is in favor of the referendum.
“We need to do what we can to update our Union,” she said.
Plakidas said the Student Senate voted Feb. 5 to add the referendum to the April 2 ballot for the students to vote. The table in the Union, as well as information sessions, inform students about the topic.
The lobby display featured three posters with sketches of concepts for some recommendations for the Union, Plakidas said.
She said most students are excited about the first poster, which shows the exterior of a new addition to the Union near Tiger Lair that would take the place of the outdoor patio facing South Campus Drive.
Plakidas said the recommendations for the new Union include adding more lounge space and adding a fourth floor. She said they plan to dedicate the third and fourth floor space to student organizations.
“We have more than 300 student organizations on campus, and only Student Government and the Union Program Council are actually based in the Union,” Plakidas said.
The second easel showed the recommendation for an updated activity center. The center would feature billiards and bowling lanes just like the current center, but also would offer a cafe for students. The area would be zoned off so it could stay open later, Plakidas said.
The third easel showed an interior view of the student organization area.
Students who ate free king cake took advantage of the Union display and said collaborating the annual king cake giveaway with the Union table was a good way to spark interest and get students’ attention about the topic.
“College students love free food,” said Janet Leu, a kinesiology sophomore.
Leu said she likes the idea of a new Union because students spend so much time in the Union, and there are problems with space that could be solved with renovations.
Adam Clarke, a psychology sophomore, said he liked the hand-drawn posters and pictures displayed to give students a better idea of what the Union is proposing.