A grateful campus dedicated the Erb Memorial Student Union November 3, 1950, culminating a 27-year commitment that began when the Class of 1923 initiated a pledge drive for a student union. Now known as the Erb Memorial Union -- or the SU, the U, the Union, the Erb, or the EMU -- the building is named after Donald M. Erb, president of the University of Oregon from 1938-1943 whose vision of a postwar campus included a student union. Originally constructed for $2.1 million, the union became the center of student life, and as the UO's enrollment doubled between 1950 and the early 1970s, the EMU also grew. Additions were added in 1961 and 1974. In 1998, responding to the changing needs of an ever-changing student body, the EMU was renovated again, this time to the tune of $4.9 million. The project included a $4.15 million renovation of the union's dining area into a more open, inviting space. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the renovation is the new outdoor amphitheater, located at the northwest corner of the building, which has become a popular student hangout.