College students of a certain age will remember the student union -- a crummy coffee shop and a bookstore, maybe, not that luxury was necessary to kill time. For a brief shining moment at some colleges -- LSU's was particularly memorable -- taverns were briefly a part of the lineup.

The world has advanced. Now you must have a Student Life and Technology Center. Hendrix College broke ground on one today. It will cost $22.8 million. It will include a dining hall, cafe, post office and game room, yes. But there also will be a tech center with computer work stations, the gear for video and digital media presentations, classrooms to make recordings and a bunch of other stuff I don't fully understand. Check it out.