Maybe there was a flood, or it burned down, or a giant amoeba has claimed it as its new home. Who cares what the reason is. All you know now is that you have no where to eat, no where to hang out, and no idea how you will cope until it re-opens.
Where will you eat?
This is a major problem for most students, and probably your first question. A Student Union has at least one cafeteria, several additional restaurants, and maybe a mini market. Most of the student body will at one point or another gravitate to this building for sustenance throughout the work week. But now as you’re walking out of class and ready to grab a bite, you suddenly find yourself not knowing where you’re going to get your meal. Here are some suggestions:
Universities Don't Let People Starve
Your school will feed you. It's kind of expected. With any luck, the administration is on top of things and will have set up some sort of temporary feeding trough near by, especially if you attend a school where one of those pricey student meal plans is required. Hopefully it’s more than just one of those meal cart things set out on the lawn, but don't expect anything too fancy, either, since this set up was probably done on the fly. If your campus is large enough there should be more than one dinning hall on campus, and will probably be found around the dorms.
Look To Your Peers
If the dining halls freak you out, look around campus. If you look closely, you can usually observe various clubs and groups set up around your campus trying to tempt people to sign their charters and spend a few minutes talking with offers of free pizza. Many clubs have special lunches and bake sales (especially around the religious holidays). Try looking in the quad, in front of the library, or activities lawn for that tale tell sign of a tent with a card table underneath.
Leave Campus
If you’re feeling especially adventurous, go off campus! Yes, there is a real world out there, and often there are people selling food in it. What a concept. Around your normal university campus you’re certain to find several fast food restaurants within walking distance, and at least one of them you’re bound to like. The big three that I've noticed around many campuses are McDonalds, Panda Express, and Subway.
Pack A Lunch
Sure, it's been a while since you've packed yourself a lunch, but what could be a better way to ensure you're fed? Dust off that old DuckTales lunch box of yours from elementary school and pack yourself the most delicious lunch you could possibly imagine! If you're a picky eater, a vegetarian, or health conscious, this is probably the option for you, if you haven't been doing this already.
Where will you go to pass the time between classes?
So now you can’t pass that 3 hours you have between your highly interesting lecture classes sleeping in the basement of the Student Union. Great. You have several options now:
Go home.
If you have a substantial amount of time in between lectures, why spend that time on campus? Go home! It's got to be better than campus, right? You can take a nap in your own bed! Feed your cat! Kill some space invaders! Water your plants! The possibilities are endless.
If you live too far away from campus or don’t have enough time to go home, you can do a
couple other things:
Go to the Library.
You’re in university now. You'd better know where the library is, and I really hope you've been inside at least once. If you’re looking for a decent place to nap, your campus library usually tends to have several comfy couches and hidden nooks to hang out in. It's also full of computers, usually, so you can get your web browsing on if you're one of the 6 people on your campus to not bring a laptop to class. It’s also got tons of reading material, if you're into that sort of thing.
Explore your campus.
You’ve probably already done this (and if you haven't, shame on you!), but several explorations are probably needed to really get to know your campus. You can go on a daily excursion to those rare parts of the campus you’ve never even seen. You might find a secret or two. Admire the architecture and take some pictures. You may run into friends you never see on campus. Your campus might have several small museums around which you can visit. It's not boring if you go of your own free will, I promise.
Study.
Or catch up on reading, or write that paper you've been putting off. You’re in university and are supposedly spending a good chunk of your time doing that anyway, so what’s a couple of more hours with the books? Your GPA will thank you.
Some other questions or concerns you may have:
Where will my club/organization meet?
You’ll have to ask your club president that one. Hopefully you will be able to find an empty class room or something to meet. If you’re the club president and are scrambling for a meeting place, try not to cancel your meetings unless absolutely necessary. People join these things because they like them (usually). Canceling the meetings is a sure way to lose members. See if you can get a hold of Student Services or Student Affair (hopefully they have a building separate from the Student Union); they’ll try to find a place for you. If it’s not against your school policy, hold your meetings off campus in the comfort of your own home.
Where's the tutoring center/writing center moved to?
If you check your schools website and look up the tutoring center, you should be able to find the new meeting place. If you’re lucky, your school will have several locations available, and it will all just be a matter of finding one.
I was in the Student Union when the flood/zombies/disaster struck and I need to talk to someone.
Unless your school is really out to screw you over, they’ll most likely offer free counseling, regardless of the severity of the situation. Remember that people love you and people care. I love you, too.