- Student unionism in the United Kingdom
In universities in
Great Britain students' union s are constituted under Section 2 of theEducation Act 1994 . The ultimate purpose of students' unions is to democratically represent the interests of their members. Students who resign their membership may still use Union social facilities provided (often the main or only such facilities available) since they are for the benefit of the "students" of the institution, not just Union members.Although "students' union" is by far the most common name adopted by these organisations in the UK, seven (including Exeter, Aston, Liverpool and Birmingham) are named Guilds of students while the term student association is also used at some institutions, particularly in Scotland, where the ancient universities used to have a pair of segregated student unions for men and women and/or had separate "unions" for social activities and "students' representative councils" for representational matters (an arrangement that still exists at the
University of Glasgow ). When these were amalgamated the term student association was introduced.The vast majority of UK students' unions are affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS). In addition to lobbying, campaigning, debating and carrying out other representative activities, most students' unions facilitate "student activities" (societies, volunteering opportunities, and sport) peer led support (through advice centres, helplines, job shops and more), and social venues to bring their members together. Most unions receive some funding through an annual allocation, also called the block grant, from their educational institution. Many unions supplement this income from commercial sales from their venues, shops, and marketing revenue.
The oldest students' union in Britain is St Andrews, founded in 1864. The oldest in England is believed by many to be
King's College London Union Society , founded in 1889. Britain's oldest students' union building, which is also the world's oldest students' union building, is the purpose-built Teviot Row House at theUniversity of Edinburgh , built in 1889. The oldest in England is believed to be theImperial College Union building in Beit Quad built between 1910-11 and designed bySir Aston Webb . The two largest students' union buildings in the United Kingdom are at theUniversity of Bristol and theUniversity of Sheffield .Influence
Although the Conservative government under
John Major attempted to severely reduce the influence of students' unions in Britain, the NUS and individual students' unions managed to successfully lobby against the moves to restrict their political activities. The then Education Secretary, John Patten aimed to end the 'closed shop ' and ensure students would have to join their union (opt-in) rather than automatically becoming a member. As many unions receive funding based upon membership levels this threatened their ability to achieve their core business.In 2004, lobbying by the NUS against a bill to introduce variable student fees in English and Welsh universities contributed towards the Labour government's majority being slashed to just five in the Commons vote on the bill. However, the passing of this bill as the
Higher Education Act 2004 has led to some observers suggesting that students' unions in the UK have been "broken"Fact|date=February 2007.Law relating to students' unions
The role of students' unions is enshrined in the
Education Act 1994 which requires educational institutions to have a Code of Practice and publicise the ability to opt-out from membership without forfeiting access to the majority of union services. The Act also requires that Unions have a written constitution and that elections to major union offices are held by a secret ballot of the membership. The Act states that if a petition signed by a minimum number of students (the threshold cannot exceed 5%) is lodged then a referendum must be held on whether or not to end one of the union's affiliations. Students' unions are exempt charities. Students' Union funds from their allocated block grant are subject toultra vires law and can not be spent on any campaign on issues other than those that affect the students they represent in their capacity as students.cotland
The oldest students' union in Scotland is in St Andrews founded in 1864 and the world's oldest students' union building is the purpose-built
Teviot Row House at theUniversity of Edinburgh , built in 1889. Under theUniversities (Scotland) Act 1889 , Students' Representative Councils were set up at theancient universities of Scotland . All students are eligible to elect members to the SRC unless they opt out under theEducation Act 1994 , and the President of the SRC is often a member of theUniversity Court , the governing body of a Scottish Ancient. Where separate students' unions still exist (for example at theUniversity of Glasgow ), they operate as private members' clubs. At other universities, the SRC and the former union or unions have been combined into a single students' association.Northern Ireland
In
Northern Ireland , students' unions operate in a similar way to those in Britain, except that they cannot exclusively be members of NUS. At the height of theTroubles in 1972, a bilateral agreement between the National Union of Students UK and theUnion of Students in Ireland , decided that all student unions within Northern Ireland would hold membership of both organisations, through a new group calledNUS-USI . The move was an attempt to promote student unity despite the sectarian divide and the arrangement is still in place.Officers
In a British students' union a sabbatical officer is a full-time paid officer elected by the students from their membership. The sabbatical officers are generally
trustee s of the students' union. Many students' unions also have unpaid officers who continue as students during their term of office. Some of these non-sabbatical officers may sit on the Executive Committee of the Union, or on the Union Council.British Students' Unions commonly include variants on the following offices:
*President orGeneral Secretary
*Vice-President (Services) or Services Officer
*Vice-President (Welfare) or Welfare Officer
*Vice-President (Education), Education Officer, Academic Affairs Officer or Educational Campaigns Officer
*Treasurer (or Finance Officer)
*Press and Publicity or Communications Officer (Sometimes called a media officer)
*Entertainments, commonly known as Ents Officer
*Athletic Union President (or Sports Officer)
*LGBT or sometimesLGB Officer
*Environment and Ethics Officer
*Equal Opportunities orLiberation Officer
*Women's Officer
*Racial Equality or Black Students' Officer
*Societies, Clubs & Societies or Clubs, Societies and Associations (CSA) Officer
*Campaigns or Policy and Campaigns Officer
*Student Community Action Co-ordinator (SCA Co-ordinator)
*RAG Chair (or RAG Officer)
*Accommodation Officer
*Satellite Sites Officer
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