Introduction and Conclusion

Memorial Union. N.d. Photograph. Wordpress. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://ithinkimbigmeech.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/mu.jpg?w=520>.

The Memorial Union, also known to many students as the 'MU', is a principal location of convenience at Arizona State University (ASU). Located in the center of campus, the Memorial Union provides many services for both students and visitors of the campus. Many services can be found within the Memorial Union. These services include student services, work areas, food and restaurant services (Sun Devil Dining), academic help and support (which also include the Student Involvement Center), banking, financial aid, and an entertainment and recreation area which include billiards, arcades, a bowling alley, and much more. The four locations within the Memorial Union that I will be discussing about include: Pitchforks, the Pod, Sparky's Den, and the Ramada outside just north of the Memorial Union. Pitchforks is one of the main dining hall located within the Memorial Union where students can access with their valid student ID as long as they have purchased a meal plan. The Pod located just outside of Pitchforks is a small super market that has all of your basic needs when you are on the run or do not have enough time to go to the nearest CVS, Fry's, or Walmart. Sparky's Den located in the basement of the Memorial Union, just below both Pitchforks and the Pod, is the place to be at night and on the weekends. Here students gather to spend their down time with friends and is a great place to meet new ones! Last, but not least, is the Ramada area outside just north of the Memorial Union. Here students spend their lunches and breaks from class to meet up with friends or eat their lunch. Below is a video found on Youtube sums up the purpose and description of the Memorial Union in just a few short seconds.

Ultimately, the Memorial Union is a central congregation area on Arizona State University's Tempe campus. With many recreation, food options, and entertainment services available within this building, the Memorial Union is an incredible place to visit and experience. Whether you are at the Memorial Union on break,, visiting, or just to pass the time, you are sure to find something to do, while having the advantage to meet others while having a fun time!

The link below is the map that I created on Communitywalk.com that will pinpoint each of the locations that I have chosen to talk about.

http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1541327

 Memorial Union (Arizona State University). N.d. Photograph. Panoramio. 16 Dec. 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.panoramio.com/photo/152205>.

Memorial Union. N.d. Photograph. Tempe, AZ. ASU News Now. 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <https://asunews.asu.edu/images/20080825_mu>.

RAMADA OUTSIDE THE MEMORIAL UNION

Just north of the Memorial Union is the Ramada area outside. This area is an ideal place to go eat lunch outside, especially when the weather is nice here in the Valley of the Sun! Here there are many tables and chairs for group gatherings or for just a group of friends to meet up for lunch. This is very convenient because of all of the fast food restaurants, you can grab our food from inside and just head right outside the doors to enjoy your meal. Along with eating and spending quality time with friends and peers, the Ramada is also home to many public debates, propositions, and advertisements are held. While you eat your lunch, you may be informed about how "The end of the world is near, and we must prepare to save our souls today." While for some people this is not the ideal way to spend their afternoon by listening to arguments and harsh opinions of one another, some debates and speeches may be very informative and rather entertaining. From a personal perspective, I find that listening in on these speeches and hearing everyone's opinions and thoughts about the designated topics is both entertaining and very informative. For those of you who enjoy 'people watching' while killing time or just taking a break, this is the place to be.

Click this link to go back to the map

http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1541327

SPARKY'S DEN

Sparky's Den is located in the basement of the Memorial Union. Here students, faculty, and visitors can come down to meet up with friends, play some pool, play, or even play a few rounds of bowling. According to Arizona State University freshman Elizabeth Moran, "I love coming down here on Friday nights when I have nothing else to do. It's affordable and a great way to meet new friends!" Sparky's Den is open Monday through Saturday; Sunday's are open when reservations are made. One of Arizona State University's many hang out spots on campus, students can always be seen here every day at almost all hours of the day. Here you can kick back and relax from a long day of school while meeting new people and finding new friends. Aside from you and your friends busy and hectic school and work schedules, meeting down here once or twice a week is a great way to catch up or even reconnect with old friends whom you have not seen in a while. One of the great touches to Sparky's Den is their bowling alley at night time. Here from midnight until one in the morning, Sparky's Den's bowling alley transforms into a midnight Cosmic Bowling alley. For those of you who have not had a chance to experience Cosmic Bowling should definitely go down to Sparky's Den and try it out!

To find more information and who to call for reservations of lanes, you can go to http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/mu/sparkys_den.htm

or you can check out their Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparkys-Den/53893772913?ref=ts

Click this link to go back to the map
http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1541327

THE POD

With a sign outside of their store advertising a wait time of 90 seconds of less, the P.O.D (but I am going to refer to it as the POD) is a small convenience store within the Memorial Union which provides the services of a grocery store to students, but with merchandise that is narrowed down to what they think what college students may need on the run. From personal experience, I find that the POD is a great addition to the campus. This particular POD is not the only POD on campus. PODs can also be found at Hassayampa (on the south side of campus) and at Palo Verde (on the north side of campus). Therefore, convenience is available to any student on campus within walking or biking distance. One of the handy aspects of the POD is that they accept M&Gs (Maroon and Gold dollars). Maroon and Gold dollars are a component that comes along with a meal plan or can be purchases through Arizona State University without a meal plan. Maroon and Gold dollars are used like a debit card and can be used at participating stores and fast food restaurants on and around campus. For example, the meal plan that I purchased at the beginning of the year allowed me to have $350 of M&G. One day after my afternoon classes, the line to Pitchforks (a dining hall within the Memorial Union) was ridiculously long. I had a long day at school and just wanted to eat and go to my dorm to go do my homework and rest. Instead of waiting in line and waiting to get food inside Pitchforks, I used my Maroon and Gold dollars at Qdoba (a Mexican grill fast food restaurant inside the Memorial Union) which allowed me to get my food and go without paying out of my pocket or with other money that I may have had on me. Alan Milo, a freshman at Arizona State University, says, "I like the idea of Maroon and Gold dollars because it's like extra play money that I can use on campus for things that I may need on the run." In relation to the POD, my room mate and I like how near the POD is to our dorm. When we have been in classes and at work all morning and afternoon, as well as consumed by hours of homework, the POD is a great place to go to get a late night dinner or pick-me-up; especially considering that the dining halls close around 8pm.

Click this link to go back to the map

http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1541327

PITCHFORKS

PitchForks. N.d. Photograph. Tempe, AZ. Flickr. 25 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/asupcg/4691439777/>.

Located on the first floor of the Memorial Union, Pitchforks is one of the main dining halls located on Arizona State University's Tempe campus. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Pitchforks always has fresh food at all times of the day; well, as long as they're open at least. Pitchforks serves a range of different foods from around the world such as: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and as well as American favorites like hamburgers and hot dogs. The wide range of foods makes it easy for international students to feel at home. It also provides students to try new and interesting foods that they may not have been able to try otherwise. The hours of Pitchforks accommodates any students class schedule. Open from Monday to Saturday, Pitchforks is easy and accessible to anyone who will get their money's worth at this buffet style dining hall. This dinning hall is accessible to anyone and everyone. Most of the customers of this restaurant are the students who live on campus or other students who have purchased a meal plan. Depending on the meal plan that you purchase depends on the amount of meals available to you each week. For example, myself, I purchased the eight meals per week while also comes with $350 of Maroon and Gold dollars (also called M&G's are explained in the post about the Pod). This allows me to have one meal each day and two meals on one day each week.

Basic Sun Card. N.d. Photograph. Card Services. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <https://www.asu.edu/purchasing/suncard/cardservices/suncard-tilt.jpg>.

NEW Pitchfork Card. N.d. Photograph. Card Services. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <https://www.asu.edu/purchasing/suncard/cardservices/suncard-tilt.jpg>.

 The only thing that I find and other students find frustrating is that these meals do not roll over from one week to another. According to Adrienne Wellard, a Freshman at Arizona State University, who also has the same meal plan as myself, says "I have class all morning and afternoon and then I have work at night. For me, I find it annoying that my meals do not roll over each week because I have minimal time to use my meal plans, and often I do not use my meal plan every day. I feel that I am not getting my money's worth of meals since I had to pay for my meal plan out of my own pocket." Wellard's statement shows why many students who do not use their meal plans as often as they could find it unfair that their meal plans are being wasted every week; especially to those students who are using their hard earned salary to pay for these meals. Other students like Elizabeth Moran, also a Freshman at Arizona State University, find that they are getting their meals worth of food each week. Moran, who has a fourteen meal per week allowance, finds it convenient that she can have up to two meals a week, "I like having this specific meal plan because I get to have either breakfast and lunch, breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner depending when I have time to eat. Plus I do not have to spend extra money to have snacks or other foods in my dorm." Along with Wellard's statement about meal plans she finds that the food quality is not the best it could potentially be. "I feel if they had a more variety of foods each week, I could like it more. I hate eating the same thing every week." says Wellard. Depending on the student and their meal plan, there are varying opinions on the meals plans and the food itself at Pitchforks.

Below is a link to the menu to Pitchforks.

http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMW/ArizonaState/Tempe/TempePitchforksRestaurantMenu.htm

Here, you can find the weekly menu at Pitchforks and as well at other dining halls located on all four Arizona State University campuses.

Click this link to go back to the map
http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1541327