The University Union provides students a place to keep themselves occupied when they are not in class.

“We primarily offer services for students to utilize during their time outside of class,” said Dean Sorensen, programs director for the Union.These services can be seen firsthand during Phagleblast on September 8.

Phagleblast is the Union’s open house. There will be entertainment and prizes throughout the day.

Entertainment at the Union is not limited to Phagleblast. On Thursday evenings, the Union has events such as concerts and movie showings.

During the day, other activities are available. Eddie Johnson, a sophomore studying criminal justice, spends about two hours each day in the Union game room playing pool.

“I come here every (school) day during the semester, mostly to shoot pool,” Johnson said.

It costs four dollars an hour to play, which he said is reasonable. Also, if he quits early, the money is prorated. The game room also provides an array of popular arcade games, Sorensen said.

“Dance Dance Revolution is always popular,” he said. The game room, however, is just one place students spend time out of class.

One of the most popular things to do in the Union is eat.

There are a variety of eateries located on the first floor. There’s fast food such as Burger King, Chinese food, Gordito Burrito and a Round Table Pizza, among others.

There are also Java City coffee locations.

Most of the food places are located in the Hornets Nest, which has booths, tables and counter seating available.

“There’s lounge space on all three floors,” Sorensen said.Most of that space is on the second floor, where chairs and tables are provided along with electrical outlets to hook up laptops and other electronic devices.

“(The Union is) a place to hang out, do homework and eat,” said Cong Tran, a senior studying computer engineering.

Tran said he hangs out on the second floor or goes to the pool hall on the first floor between classes.

Maria Aguirre, a junior studying business administration, said she studies in the Union.

She prefers studying in the Union to studying in the library because the noise keeps her awake.

The Union also offers meeting rooms, which Sorensen said were suggested by students for the building’s expansion seven years ago.

The meeting rooms are available to clubs and student organizations. Some student organizations have permanent offices in the Union, including Associated Students Inc., the student government.

Other student organizations located in the Union are The State Hornet and KSSU, the student radio station.

The Union offers many other services, such as music listening stations, a massage parlor and an information desk specializing in campus information, but able to help answer all kinds of questions.

For more information about the Union, log onto www.csus.edu or go explore it on campus near Serna Plaza and the Library Quad.