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By Tyler Sprague & Kaylin Daniels

AT THE CENTER OF CAMPUS, located on Greene Street between Sumter and Bull streets, stands the Russell House University Union (RHUU), often lovingly referred to by students simply as “Russell.” Russell House serves as the beating heart of the Carolina campus, constantly filled with students looking for food, friends, events and more.

One of the main reasons to visit Russell House is to grab a bite to eat. With a variety of dining options from exclusive restaurants with international dishes and all-you-care-to-eat kitchens to popular chains such as Chick-fil-A, Panera and Panda Express, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Russell House has renovated and added several brand-new dining options over the past year. One of the additions was the new and improved Food Lab featuring a rotating restaurant system. Every few weeks, FoodLab is home to a new restaurant. Featured restaurants have included Mr. Beast Burger, Pardon My Cheesesteaks, and Buddy V’s Cake Slice. Through their Local Restaurant Row program, FoodLab has even featured local Columbia restaurants such as Paella South, Size Matters BBQ Bus and Cafe Strudel. All dining options offer both meal swipe and debit/credit card payment options.

Students can find various services and resources throughout the union besides food. Russell House’s basement includes a variety of resources, including Student Postal Services in the basement for package pick-up and U.S. passport applications, the CarolinaCard office, printing services and an event space, Russell Underground.

Russell Underground is fully equipped with high-quality audio and live-streaming capabilities, making it the perfect multipurpose venue for socials and events. Student organizations, university departments and other groups can reserve Russell Underground, so something is always happening.

“(Students) can program anything they want in this space. One night we can do a karaoke party, one night we can do a dance party, one night we can do a formal spoken word event,” Associate Director of Russell House Ryan Gross said.

The ground floor of Russell House is home to the Barnes & Noble USC bookstore, lounge areas and several dining options. The second floor offers more dining options, Russell House ballrooms and meeting spaces, study areas, Russell House Theater, a campus branch

The Leadership and Service Center helps students gain experience with leadership development, civic engagement, community service and getting involved in student organizations. Walking in and speaking with a student leader about these options is easy!

“My favorite part about the center is my coworkers. And we really focus on leadership positions, and we offer consultations,” Leadership and Service Center student ambassador Katie Owens said.

More information about the Leadership and Service Center can be found on page 16.

The third floor includes a large lounge area, additional meeting rooms, study spaces, the Carolina Styles Hair Salon, the Office of New Student Orientation, Garnet Media Group and Gamecock Entertainment. Outdoor spaces surrounding Russell House, such as the patio, Davis Field and Greene Street, are also available for reservation and to be used by the Carolina community.

Whether you’re looking for lunch or a space to hang out, Russell House is a great place to start.