Christopher Newport University is home to many gorgeous buildings known for their elaborate architecture and abundance of enormous white columns. All of our buildings are exceedingly new and offer a variety of services. One building near the heart of campus is the David Student Union.
The David Student Union – although you’ll never hear students call it anything but the DSU – sits across from the Trible Library, separated only by a small plaza. It is a huge, three-story building that holds the life of campus within its four walls. Let’s start on the first floor.
The first floor of the DSU is home to the breezeway. This is a wide, lengthy walkway with double doors on either side straight through the center of the building. Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., it is full of countless organizations tabling for events, charities and their clubs. On one side of the breezeway is the main entrance, and by this entrance is the Center for Community Engagement and best of all, the Captains Locker. Inside a variety of items are sold, from apparel to scantrons to candy to books. On the opposite side of the breezeway is one of the best things on campus – the food. One of our two dining halls, Regattas, is located here along with a Chik-fil-a, a pizza place, a bistro and grille. You can use your dining dollars at all of these locations, which makes it a very convenient place to stop by on your way to class.
The second floor of the DSU is something of an events floor. Our ballroom is located at the top of the staircase, and this is where large celebration events such as our recent Fear 2 Freedom care-package event are held. Our Captain’s Ball is also held here in February. To the sides of the ballroom are smaller rooms with chairs and screens/projectors. These rooms are often used for smaller events such as our town hall meetings and Honors events. On the opposite side of the second floor is the mailroom, along with the mailboxes. Next to the mail room is a really nice study space called the Crow’s Nest. This is a great resource if you need somewhere quiet to study or chill, and often the students that commute will lounge here during classes.
Finally, the third floor of the DSU holds a lot of very important resources. The half by the stairs is home to many small rooms that the clubs call home. Leaders of clubs hold their office hours/visiting hours here, and are able to reached by phone in these offices throughout the day. There is also a resource room with paper, paint, glue, scissors and any other sort of arts-and-crafts material you could ever imagine. This is open to clubs to make posters or anything else that may benefit their club. On the opposite side of the stairs is the Office of Student Affairs. I actually work here as a front desk assistant, and if you’re a part of the President’s Leadership Program you’ll get to know it very well. The dean of students works from here, along with the organizations CHECS. The fellows, recent CNU alumni spending a year working for the university, have their offices here as well, and they hold success meetings for the President’s Leadership Program kids. They help keep everyone on track, and make sure the transition from high school to college is happening as smoothly as possible.
The David Student Union is most definitely one of the most lively buildings on campus. If you’re ever in doubt as to where something is, chances are it’s in the DSU. Make sure to stop by when you visit Christopher Newport University!
