As 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Talley Student Union opening its doors for the first time, students and faculty provided their thoughts on what might make Talley even better.

Named after former Vice Chancellor of Student Life Banks Talley Jr., Talley Student Union is home to on-campus restaurants, student centers, the Wolfpack Outfitters store and more. 

Talley wasn’t always such an integral part of NC State. Brian Mathis, the associate director of student leadership and engagement, said between its opening in 1972 to the completion of its most recent renovation in 2015, Talley developed into the student hub it is today. Lacking the bright and open layout, food options and numerous seating areas seen today, students tended to prefer other locations for hanging out such as D.H. Hill Library.

Mathis said there was even a movement called “Rally Against Talley” to protest student fees going toward the future construction when he was a student at NC State in 2009. 

“A lot of students were protesting the idea of ‘Why should we pay for something that we’re not going to be able to use?’” Mathis said. “And that was the conflict, right? Because you had some student leaders who understood the vision of what Talley could be and how it could better serve the students, and the only path forward because of the funding structures was to take on the fee.”

Mathis said at the time of the protests he thought the building of the new student union would actually benefit students. 

“I understood and believed, and still believe, that a more robust student union would serve the on-campus population in ways that the [previous] student union had not,” Mathis said.

In fact, current students still pay a fee that goes toward repaying the debt for Talley’s expansion, according to Mathis and the Student Services Center’s fee explanation. 

Mitch Bowersox, the program coordinator of the GLBT Center, said she enjoys working in the center’s main space so they can interact with more students who visit. She encouraged new and prospective students to check out the GLBT Center and the other centers in Talley.

“I think that predominantly what we use the [GLBT Center] for is for students to come and have a safe space inside of Talley,” Bowersox said. “We have the Women’s Center connected to us and [Multicultural Student Affairs] is right below us, so we’re very close in connection and I think a lot of students kind of float in between all the centers.”

Sebastian Almanza, a third-year studying chemical engineering, said new students can also check out Talley Market for food items if they’re in a rush. 

Though the newest iteration of Talley already offers a lot for students, Almanza said there are still some ways it could be improved upon. 

“There’s a place by One Earth that has a fireplace and all those sofa chairs and I remember studying biochemistry there, it was a really, really nice spot,” said Almanza. “If there were more spots like that, with that lighting and stuff like that, I’d probably go [to Talley] more often.” 

Emily Mercer, a graduate student in higher education administration, said she would prefer something similar to a space at Appalachian State University, where she went for her undergraduate degree.

“[Appalachian State] had a really nice, calming area, there were fake waterfalls that poured in, and someone would often be playing the piano in that room,” Mercer said. “I mean, D.H. Hill isn’t that far, but for someone who’s on this side of campus and needs somewhere to study, maybe a more quiet space.” 

Bowersox also said free private rooms for student use would be nice to have in Talley.

“A lot of students in Talley are looking for rooms to either do Telehealth appointments with therapy, or counseling, or doctors or whatever miscellaneous event it will be,” Bowersox said. “I think just as the libraries have those little study rooms you can rent out for free; I think that it would be beneficial to have a couple of them here.”