UWE Students' Union
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
|
| Motto | Enhancing the Student Experience |
|---|---|
| Established | 1971 |
| Institution | University of the West of England |
| President | Dom Passfield (SRC President), Katy Phillips (SRC Vice President), Alice Bouquet (Activities President), Lily Priggs (Sports President) , |
| Location | F Block, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, UK |
| Members | ~ 30,000 |
| Affiliated to | NUS, BUCS |
| Homepage | http://www.uwesu.org/ |
The University of the West of England Student's Union, often abbreviated to UWESU, is the student's union of the University of the West of England. Formerly known as Bristol Polytechnic Student's Union (BPSU), and founded in 1971, it changed name in 1992, in line with the parent institution becoming a university.
The union has a turnover of some £2 million per annum[citation needed], aside from the university's block grant contribution, although it suffered a deficit in 2006.[1] It operates representational and support services, including the "JobShop" (a casual agency for student-friendly employers), a student advice centre and various bars and shops.
The union affiliates with the NUS; in 2006, an 89% majority voted to retain this affiliation, despite a history of criticisms the union shares with other UK universities. The university maintains a large number of enrolled students, contributing to the student union's status as one of the larger such institutions, and it enjoys a reputation for running one of the largest "fresher's fairs" annually.
Contents |
[edit] Role and constitution
The main purpose of the union is to represent student interests within the university. It is presently organised such that a trustee-level responsibility lies with four individual members of the union, elected by their peers. The most recent election was held in March 2008.
In 2005, a new constitution was adopted which deviated from the traditional structure of a union president leading vice-presidents and executive officers, and expanded from a single "Union Council" to three distinct councils, with specific remits for student representation, sports, and activities. Meetings are convened by their respective presidents at least five times a year, and are the highest-level decision making body before the Annual General Meeting, which all students may attend.
| YEAR | Student Rep Council President | Student Rep Council Vice-President | Activities President | Sports President |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008/09 | Dom Passfield | Katy Phillips | Alice Bouquet | Lily Priggs |
| 2007/08 | Dom Passfield | Becca Danes | Alice Bouquet | Lily Priggs |
| 2006/07 | Akram Habib | Nisha Khurana | Lee Griffin | Katherine Smart |
| 2005/06 | Vaishali Patel | Alastair Osborn | Ryan McGavock | Arina Salhotra |
[edit] Facilities
While largely based at the university's main Frenchay campus, there are site offices at the Bower Ashton, Glenside, St Matthias and Hartpury campuses. The union also operates facilities such as bars and shops at the Frenchay, Bower Ashton, Glenside and St Matthias sites, with the intention of providing students with better value for money, and as a platform for developing social programmes.
Additionally, facilities based at Frenchay include the aforementioned JobShop and advice centre, a launderette, and a "print shop", where students can print out and bind dissertations.
[edit] Sports
UWESU maintains over 80 sports clubs and socities, the most successful including the UWE Boat Club, which consistently earns medals at BUCS competitions, and competes in the Varsity Boat Race, an annual competition between Bristol University and UWE students.
Other societies of note include the women's netball club, which achieved a place in the BUCS Trophy final in 2006, and the women's football team, which took the BUSA Shield Final in 2006.
[edit] Extra-curricular opportunities
While the union has a primary role in representing student interests, it also seeks to provide extracurricular opportunities for its members, which are aimed at enriching student experiences and responsibilities. For example, there is a strong commitment to encouraging volunteer work among the student community.
The union has a long history of organising events and entertainment for its members, including the popular "Crunchie", a themed night held in the main "Red" bar on Frenchay campus.
[edit] Student media
A student magazine, Westworld, is published four times a year, with a monthly newspaper, the Western Eye. Both publications are produced by an in-house media team, who also maintain a web presence at http://www.uwesu.org, providing services including forums, photo albums, and various links to student advice and related resources.
A student radio station, Hub Radio, was started in September 2004 in conjunction with UWE. It currently broadcasts via the Internet and across Bristol on 1449AM.
[edit] References
- ^ Solomon Hare Audit LLP, UWE Students' Union Financial Statements July 2006
