Northwest's Student Union was built to provide students with a center for socializing, dining and recreation. The Union, named after President J.W. Jones, provided a wide array of services such as meeting spaces, food and dining, a book store and recreation opportunities, including a bowling alley. Everything inside the Union was designed to be as student friendly as possible with the goal of bringing together on and off-campus students. The Student Union would continue to reflect that mission over the next decades as the building changed to accommodate changing student and campus needs.