Back in the 1960s, UNLV students got together and for a $27 per semester fee decided to fund their own union -- giving birth to the Moyer Student Union (MSU), which opened in 1968. At that time, UNLV had just 5,000 students to fill the more than 77,000 square-foot building. Named after UNLV's second president Donald C. Moyer, the union gave students a place to study, organize student events, and house Student Life's administrative offices.

Over the years, the MSU has played host to celebrities including Carrot Top and Margaret Cho, world-renowned artists like Denny Dent and national dignitaries such as Ralph Nader. Some might remember the building as a center of political controversy. The year the union opened, students hung Gov. Paul Laxalt in effigy when he announced a budget that didn't accommodate the growth of what was then Nevada Southern University. In 1983, Las Vegas' first gay pride celebration kicked off at the MSU.

Now, the old building is too small to accommodate UNLV's current student population. In fact, if we squeezed all of UNLV's 28,000 students into the union, there would be less than three square feet for each person to move.

So, we're building a new Union one half at a time. The first phase will open this fall. The old MSU will be demolished to make room for the second half. Let's remember the good times we had in the old MSU.

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Students walking across the quad in front of the 1970s Union

Front view of the MSU

Conference room inside the MSU

The ballroom

Orientation at the MSU

Northwest view of the MSU