University of Warwick Students' Union

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Warwick Students' Union
InstitutionUniversity of Warwick
LocationGibbet Hill Road, Coventry, England
Established1965
PresidentAnna Taylor[1]
Sabbatical officersHolly Roffe (Vice President for Education)[2]

Sophie Clark (Vice President for Democracy and Development)[3]
Vaishnavi Ravi (Vice President for Postgraduates)[4]
Enaya Nihal (Vice President for Welfare and Campaigns)[5]
Max Pike (Vice President for Societies)[6]

Emma Birch (Vice President for Sports)[7]
Membersc. 28,000
AffiliationsNational Union of Students, British Universities & Colleges Sport AdviceUK, CPAG, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, UK Council for International Student Affairs, Coventry and Warwick Chamber of Commerce
Websitewww.warwicksu.com

Warwick Students' Union, also known as Warwick SU, is the students' union for the University of Warwick, in Coventry, England.

History[edit]

The Students' Union developed in tandem with the University and has existed since 1965. In its first few decades, it was heavily involved with the protests, rent strikes, and occupations which earned the University the nickname of 'Red Warwick’. In 1974, one Warwick student Kevin Gately was killed during the Red Lion Square disorders. More recently, in 2009, many Students' Union officers were active in the occupation of a lecture theatre in the Social Studies (S0.21) building to express solidarity with Gaza.

One of its on-campus successes was its campaign for its own building, which finally succeeded in 1975 after lengthy opposition from large parts of the University establishment. Some of its early activism was carried out in partnership with sympathetic elements of the academic staff of the university, with one incident being chronicled in the book Warwick University Ltd., edited by the eminent historian E. P. Thompson.

The Union is also a shareholder in the NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL).

Recent history[edit]

Warwick Occupy[edit]

On Tuesday 19 November 2019, a collective of students known as Warwick Occupy led an occupation of three rooms in Warwick SUHQ for 30 days to protest allegations of institutional racism within Warwick SU. The collective were made up of several liberation groups and societies on campus including Warwick Anti-Racism Society, Warwick Anti-Sexism society, Warwick Pride and Warwick Labour.[8]

The initial protests that sparked the occupation began when retired Israeli Defense Force Colonel Eyal Dror was invited by the Warwick Jewish Israeli Society and Stand With Us UK to speak on campus. The event took place on 19 November. A statement with more than 250 signatures had called for the cancellation of the event.[citation needed] During the colonel's talk, protestors linked arms and the protest eventually culminated in the occupation of three rooms in the SU headquarters.[citation needed]

Free education[edit]

In the Autumn of 2011, Warwick Students' Union passed policy against tuition fees which stated its position in defence of free education.[9]

In October 2014, a campaign group emerged, called Warwick for Free Education. The group rose to prominence after a sit-in at the University's Senate House was broken up by the police, who had been called in to deal with an assault of a university staff member. The police were accused of using excessive force, and video footage appears to a show a police officer using CS spray on students.[10] This led to an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.[11] In July 2015, one protester was found guilty of common assault, while another was found guilty of causing fear and provoking violence.[12]

In response to his handling of the situation and other issues, Warwick Students' Union passed a Vote of No Confidence against Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor of the University.[13] A two-hour panel debate was held on the student protests, at which Thrift faced further criticism for calling students yobs.[14] University Registrar, Ken Sloan, said that Thrift's response was "very human" claiming that Thrift had been victim to a student campaign of targeted intimidation, and had been verbally abused and spat at near his home.[14] The Warwick for Free Education Campaign group denied any association with such attacks but claimed they "further highlight the widespread dissatisfaction and anger towards Nigel Thrift and his behaviour as VC".[15]

Fossil fuel divestment[edit]

On 8 July 2015, the university committed to divesting from fossil fuels, and placing its investments elsewhere when an opportunity becomes available. This came in the wake of a successful student campaign, and union referendum at which 65% of voters supported divestment. At the time of the decision, the university held no direct investments in any of the 200 largest fossil fuel companies, but did hold indirect investments, which it pledged to eliminate.[16]

Disaffiliation from, and subsequent reaffiliation to, the National Union of Students (NUS)[edit]

In February 2023, the student body voted to leave the National Union of Students in the Spring 2023 All Student Vote, a group of generally binding referenda put forward by students to be voted on by the student body. The primary arguments made for leaving were over allegations of antisemitism within the body and the £30,000/year membership costs.[17] The vote was 42.1% in favour, with 35.9% voting against and 22% abstaining.[18]

It subsequently voted to reaffiliate in the Autumn 2023 term's All Student Vote, with the primary arguments for reaffiliating being that the prior vote to disaffiliate "received only 42.1% of votes in favour, with a large proportion (more than 20%) of students abstaining", the fact the NUS was "the formal national body for representing students", that "its lobbying secured £243 million for university hardship funds during the cost of living crisis", that the disaffiliation campaign was heavily criticised for its treatement of Jewish students and the Jewish Society, with the President of the Society calling its treatment of JSoc and Jewish students “reductive and exploitative", and that it had not called for Students Unions to disaffiliate over the findings of the recent antisemitism report.[19] The vote to reaffiliate passed with higher turnout than previously, an increase of 16.7%, with 64.1% voting in favour, 16.1% voting against and 19.7% abstaining.[20]

Students' Union building[edit]

University of Warwick Students' Union (pre-rebuild)

The Union consists of Union South (largely food, drink and entertainment) and Union North (mostly administration, offices and meeting rooms).

The Students' Union got its first building, Union South, in 1975, after a long struggle with the University under Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth, who said to Will Fitzgerald (President of the Union in 1970-1): "the Students' Union will never have its own building."[21] Union North was added in the 1990s and, until recently, was linked to Union South by the 'link corridor.'

Union South rebuild[edit]

The Union South building underwent a £11 million refurbishment in spring 2008, which was completed in January 2010. The new facilities included a club and gig venue, The Copper Rooms, a pub, The Dirty Duck, a sandwich bar, The Bread Oven, a drinks bar, The Terrace Bar, a tea room, Curiositea, branches of Santander and Barclays banks, a pharmacy, a travel agent, spaces for societies and a pool room.[22]

Union companies[edit]

The Union has four subsidiary companies:

  • Student Union Services Warwick Limited (Registered company number: 02197761[23])[24]
  • Membership Solutions Limited (Registered company number: 05525449[23])
  • Warwick Students Union Services Limited, (Registered company number: 01187495[23]) (mostly dormant and retained due to contracts held in its name)[23]
  • Students' Union Warwick Events Limited (Registered company number: 06371766[23])

In the style of the University of Warwick itself, the Union has an entrepreneurial strategy. Unlike many other British universities, which have privatised halls of accommodation and catering facilities, Warwick provides all of these in-house through its many subsidiaries. With Warwick SU, the entrepreneurial strategy is manifest through Membership Solutions Limited, an IT company that currently provides website and other solutions[buzzword] for membership organisations across the UK.

Union Awards[25][edit]

Societies Awards[edit]

Category 2020/21[26] 2021/22
Best Society Collaboration STEM Ball History Society
Biggest Impact The Boar Warwick Eye
Society campaign of the Year Warwick Enable 93% Club
Online Society Event of the Year Murder Mystery – Classics Society & Bad Film Society Tabletop & Live Action Roleplay Society
Most Creative Society Tabletop Games & Roleplaying Society Warwick Enable
Most Improved Society History of Art Society Wine Society
Best New Society It Happens Here It Happened Here
Recognition for Outstanding Contributions to Societies Ares Osborn, Emily Brogden, Adele Henin, Mahnor Shoaib, Tim Hargreaves,

Shyam Mamtora, Finnbar Keating,[27] Luke James, Beatriz Pinheiro Torres, Aiynah Hazni, Ishika Kataria

Too many to name, frankly
Society Exec Member of the Year Tim Hargreaves Sidney Pycroft
Society of the year Warwick Quiz Warwick Kayak

Student Voice and Impact Awards[edit]

The Student Voice and Impact Awards recognise and celebrate students who advocate and create change for the student experience, including Course Reps, Execs, Activists & Campaigners.

Categories 2020/21[28]
Academic Society of the Year Warwick Academic Medicine Society
Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability Kimia Talebi & Eseosa Akojie
Part-Time Officer of the Year Evelin Sanderson-Nichols
SU Committee Member of the Year Katya Johnson
SU Committee of the Year Liberation & Diversity Committee
Faculty/Department Rep of the Year Jasmine Brittan
Jacquie Page Award for Outstanding Contribution to Democracy Lucy Morris
Kevin Gately Award for Student Activism Amara Okoye
Course Rep of the Year Megan Kelly
Making a Difference in the Community Sana Mittar
Outstanding Leadership Maria Kariuki
Student Wellbeing Champion Ellie Raine
SSLC of the Year PPE UG
Campaigning for Change Toluwa Lipede & Abigail G-Medhin}

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "President". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Education Officer". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Democracy & Development". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Postgraduate Officer". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Welfare & Campaigns Officer". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Societies Officer". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Sports Officer". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  8. ^ Hainey, Fionnula (27 June 2019). "Allegations of 'racism at heart of Warwick SU' being investigated". CoventryLive.
  9. ^ "004 Warwick SU Against Tuition Fees" (PDF). sunion.warwick.ac.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  10. ^ Young-Powell, Abby; Parkinson, Hannah Jane (3 December 2014). "Warwick University students accuse police of attacking tuition fee protest". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. ^ "University of Warwick protest: Watchdog launches investigation". BBC News. 27 January 2015.
  12. ^ "West Midlands Police". West Midlands Police.
  13. ^ Davies, Elliot (16 February 2015). "Student news round-up: Warwick students have no confidence in vice-chancellor". The Independent. London. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Warwick v–c Nigel Thrift recorded calling student protesters 'yobs'". Times Higher Education (THE). 17 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Response to Accusations of Attacks on Nigel Thrift". 17 March 2015.
  16. ^ Havergal, Chris (9 July 2015). "University of Warwick commits to fossil fuel divestment". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  17. ^ Felix, Pope. "Warwick Student's Union votes to leave National Union of Students over 'bigotry'". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  18. ^ "All Student Vote Results | All Student Vote (Spring 2023)". warwicksu.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Warwick SU to re-affiliate to the National Union of Students (NUS) to restore our national voice". warwicksu.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  20. ^ "All Student Vote Results | All Student Vote (Autumn 2023)". warwicksu.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Warwick SU: Back to the future". Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  22. ^ The Boar. "Welcome to your new Union — News — The Boar". Theboar.org. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  23. ^ a b c d e "WebCHeck". Wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  24. ^ OpenCorporates
  25. ^ "Union Awards". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Societies Awards". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Awards – Warwick Tabletop Games and Role-Playing Society". www.warwicktabletop.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Student Voice and Impact Awards". www.warwicksu.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Summer 2012 Honorary Graduates (full list)". University of Warwick. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  30. ^ Treneman, Ann (22 October 2005). "And after a long wait... Davis shows his soft side". The Times. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
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