The CUB serves as the primary student union building on campus here at WSU. The CUB itself hosts a dynamic range of offices, meeting places, ballrooms, stores and food vendors. However, none of the businesses inside the CUB, as well as the CUB building itself, are open 24 hours. Making this change happen could benefit students who stay on campus late at night.

“When I leave there is nothing else open, especially when I was living in the dorms I never had food at home,” said Sean Gilbert, WSU sophomore engineering major.

Gilbert said that when he is studying late at night in the Terrell Library, he sometimes stays until 1:00-2:00 am, and even has stayed until 3:00 am during dead week and finals week.

Currently, there are nine different food vendors that operate within the CUB. However, a majority of these vendors, ranging from Reunion Cafe to Carlita’s to Pizza Pipeline, close between the hours of 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

Some vendors, such as Panda Express and the Union Marketplace, remain open until later; 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm respectively; yet they still inevitably close before even midnight.

Having these food vendors remaining open 24 hours a day could cater to students who study late at Holland and Terrell Libraries. Many students spend long amounts of time studying late, and the amount of students in the library throughout the night increases at multiple points in the semester, particularly during midterms, dead week and finals week.

“When I’m done studying and everything I don’t really wanna go home and make food so just being able to eat there would be really beneficial,” said Evan Kabat, a junior advertising major.

Students could also benefit academically if the CUB operated 24 hours a day. The CUB features a large open area on the main floor for students to relax and study. If the main open area is too distracting, students can also study in the quiet study lounge, which is also located on the main floor. There is also the Reunion Cafe on the lower level, along with the tables lining the wall along the main concourse on the lower level.

“Sometimes you just wanna change spaces … You start losing focus and then you go on a walk, take a break and start somewhere new, and [that] can help you refocus,” said Gilbert.

All of these spaces in the CUB could be open late at night for students such as Gilbert to study in, and also provide a pleasant alternative to the Holland and Terrell Libraries, which often become overcrowded when exams start to overwhelm students.

Having the CUB remain open for 24 hours could also benefit students through providing more work opportunities throughout the CUB.

If businesses in the CUB remain open throughout the night, the possibility creates new work shifts at each running business. These new shifts could be covered by hiring new employees to work throughout the night, opening up new job positions throughout the entire building.

Students that live in residence halls and have a Residence Dining Account could receive extra benefits if the CUB stayed open for 24 hours.

“Having food or drinks around when you’re studying is really nice and again … we’re not having to spend money on [food] delivery when we’re already spending a lot of money to go here,” said Jayden Patterson, WSU freshman marketing major.

Patterson currently lives in a residence hall on campus and has access to a RDA. RDA is accepted as a payment form at several of the food vendors within the CUB, such as Carlita’s and Freshens. Allowing students to use their RDA funds at these vendors on a 24-hour basis will encourage students to visit these places more frequently, but also will allow students to use their RDA to purchase food late at night, instead of relying on cash or card to pay for food delivery or making the long trek to Flix.

While the CUB is currently a hub for activity and students on campus during the day, keeping it open throughout the night could provide these same resources for students who stay on campus throughout the night.