University of Salford Students' Union

The University of Salford Students' Union (USSU) is the representative body of students at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.

The Union is based within University House on the Peel Park Campus and represents the interests of the 19,250 full and part time members. It is affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS) and is one of a few in the North West that trialed the controversial "NUS Extra" card in 2005.

Trustees

The sabbatical members of the 2008/9 Trustee Board are

*Usman Ali - President
*Emily Godfrey - VP Activities
*Alan Bailey - VP Representation
*Vickie Scullard - VP Communications & Students' Union Media
*Matt Webber - VP Support & Diversity

The next group trustees are full time students and have no portfolio or mandate

*Victoria Townshend - Student Trustee
*Emily Peake - Student Trustee
*Asim Yousafi - Student Trustee
*Matthew Smith - Student Trustee

The final group of trustees are appointed externally by the trustee board to serve 4 year terms.

*Ruth Everard - Former President of the Students' Union
*Alan Gibson - Former Chair of University Council
*Samantha Foster - Head of Strategy & Performance in Salford City Leisure Ltd

Governance and representation

Following in the footsteps of King's College London Students' Union, the Union has transformed its governance prior to achieving registered charity status, as required by the Charity Act 2006. Presently it is an un-incorporated association and an exempt charity under the Education Act 1990.

The new structure, which took effect on 2 July 2007, creates a board of trustees to govern the union. This is made up of five sabbatical officers (President, VP Activities, VP Communications, VP Representation, VP Support and diversity), four student trustees, and four external non-student trustees. The board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Union and monitoring its long term performance and achievements. It is also responsible for the Union's financial performance, directing its staff, and ensuring that the Union's members are involved and consulted on the organisation's work. The trustee board recently moved to become a test case for registration as a registered charity [http://salfordstudents.com/files/full_agenda_121207.pdf] .The Sabbatical Trustees are responsible for delivering effective student representation on a day-to-day basis, and their representation work is supported and monitored by the new Union Assembly. The Assembly is made up of 20 students elected equally from each of the University's four faculties.

The union employs Student Liaison Representatives to co ordinate the educational feedback for the university, and has an advice centre that people can just drop in for almost every problem.

Commercial activities

The union operates several commercial service. The revenue generated is invested in the Union to enhance the lives of the student body. Some of these activities are:-

*Shops. Sited on each campus is a student shop, the largest being on the Peel Park campus (next to which is a bank and bookstore).
*Print shops. Sited within University House and the Allerton building. Offering an assortment of print services.
*Bars. The union runs two bars. Cafe/Bar Yours situated in University House, and the Pavilion (Pav) situated at Castle Irwell Student Village. The Pav operates the NUS club night brand Flirt!

Fire

On the evening of 25 January 2007, a fire tore through the Lowry Bar in University House, devastating the bar and its contents. Fortunately, the fire happened whilst the building was closed and there were no casualties. The Lowry Bar was completely destroyed, but the space was re-usable. The situation was compounded by the temporary closure of the Pavilion at the Castle Irwell Student Village, which lost its roof in the high winds of 18 January 2007. Thanks to swift repair work, the roof was restored within a fortnight and the bar reopened on 6 February 2007. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameslester/sets/72157594500343887/ Pictures of the fire] .

Yours

The Union decided not to rebuild the Lowry bar in situ, and instead moved the whole operation to the other side of the building. The new facility, called "Yours" consist of a café, traditional bar, and sports bar and occupies the southern part of University House. The University has repaired and redecorated the old Lowry bar space is currently been used as a conference venue.

alford "Student Direct"

"Student Direct" is Greater Manchester's official student newspaper and one of the widest circulating student publications in Europe serving the University of Salford, the University of Manchester and the University of Bolton. The University of Salford edition aims to represent the views and interests of students and communicate the work of the Union, as well as informing members about local, national and international issues that effect them as students. It differs from the Manchester edition with up to 12 opt-out pages, including the front and back cover. The editor of the Salford edition is the current elected VP Communications.

Clubs and societies

The union clubs participate in many competitions, mostly within the BUCS organised leagues. The clubs within the union are:

Badminton, Basketball, Cricket [ [http://salforduni.play-cricket.com Play-Cricket the ECB Cricket Network ] ] , Diving, Football (Men), Football (Women), Hiking, Hockey, Horseriding, Judo, Mountaineering, Netball, Ninjutsu, Rowing, Rugby League, Rugby Union (Men), Rugby Union (Women), Canoe and Kayak, Ski and Snowboard, Snooker, Trampolining.

In addition to the Clubs, there is a large society base within the union, comprising of activities, political groups, religious groups and other interest groups. They are:

Arabic, African Caribbean, Airsoft, Rifle, Almost Famous, Breakdancing, Campaign For Real Ale Society, Cheerleading, Christian Union, Circus and Juggling, Conservative Future, High Rollers, Islamic, Jewish, Labour Students, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans), Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Linux, Literary, Manchester United Appreciation, PhysSoc, RAG, Rock, Socialist Workers Students, United Against Communism, Wargames and Roleplay.

hock Radio

The union also has a student radio society called [http://www.shockradio.co.uk Shock Radio] . Formed in 2000 following the break up of Storm FM (a co-project between the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford). The first FM Restricted Service Licence (valid for 28 days) broadcast was in 2002 and the seventh broadcast will take place in November 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.salfordstudents.com University of Salford Students' Union official website]
* [http://www.salfordstudents.com/display/salford/Student+Direct "Student Direct"]
* [http://www.shockradio.co.uk "Shock Radio Website"]