Loughborough Students' Union

Infobox Students Union
name = Loughborough Students' Union


motto = Better Student Life
established = 1975
institution = Loughborough University,
Loughborough College,
RNIB College Loughborough
president = Dave Goss
other_sabbs = Jamie Morgado, Christina Yan Zhang, Nick Holland, Chris Peel, Sarah Ettlinger, Matthew Prior
sabbs = Danny McNeice, Georgie Payne, Jon Bernstein, Chris Morris, Will Thomas, Jon Naylor, Steph Davenport, Dave Rogers
location = Ashby Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK
members = 20,000
affiliated = NUS, BUCS
free_label =
free =
homepage = [http://www.lufbra.net/ www.lufbra.net]

Loughborough Students' Union (otherwise known as LSU) is the students' union serving members from Loughborough University, Loughborough College and the RNIB College Loughborough.

The Union is unique among British universities, in that its premises are owned by the students themselves. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.highereducation71 Loughborough University | Education | Education Guardian [Accessed 26 July 2008] ] The union building sits in the North-Eastern corner of the campus, and consists of two floors.

LSU employs 300 students, out of a staff of 400, and has an annual budget of around £2 million, around half of which results from the Union's commercial services. The Union is managed on a day to day basis by the Executive, with scrutiny from Union Council, chaired by Oli Folkerd.

History

Loughborough Students' Union was founded in 1975 following the resolution of a dispute arising from the disparate nature of education in Loughborough. Its founder president was David Dixon who held the position in 1975-76.http://lufbra.net/clubs_RenderPage.asp?clubid=4844&pageid=18087 Loughborough Students' Union, President's pages, A bit of history!!, accessed 20 June 2006]

The Union of Loughborough Colleges

Established as an umbrella body to represent the students of Loughborough College of Technology, Loughborough College of Education, Loughborough Training College and Loughborough College of Art and Design, The Union of Loughborough Colleges operated from Rutland Lodge. Over the first half of the 20th century the ULC acquired land which has continued to place its successor unions in a unique position.

Loughborough University of Technology Students Union

With the splitting of Loughborough College in 1965, and the College of Technology's subsequent application for University status, LUTSU was created to represent the students of the University. At the time the legislation which enabled the creation of the University was understood to require an autonomous Union. LUTSU was created with the approval of Loughborough University of Technology's Royal Charter by the Privy Council in 1966.

LUTSU operated from the Edward Herbert Building (EHB) at the centre of the campus, and hosted concerts with artists such as the Rolling Stones. During the first 3 years of the new institutional arrangements there were various disputes over who owned the land acquired by ULC, which the continuing ULC wanted to sell to fund their own new building. Negotiations lead by the University resolved the dispute in August 1975, when LUTSU and ULC merged to form Loughborough Students' Union.

Loughborough Students' Union

Following the merger the construction of a new students' union building began, although this project was placed in jeopardy by the liquidation of the building firm employed, almost leaving the building unfinished, however the building was completed and opened by Terry Jones and Michael Palin on 20 February 1979

Governance

tudent Department Committees

Loughborough Students' Union has established student run committees in the majority of Loughborough University's academic departments. The role of these committees is to aid academic-student liaison, enhance academic feedback, increase course involvement and to enhance the Loughborough experience within the departments.

ections and Student Involvement

The students' union is a centre of activity during the daytime. Along with Loughborough University's numerous sports clubs the union hosts and organises many other activities, clubs and societies catering for a wide range of interests. At the beginning of each academic year the "Fresher's Bazaar" is held to allow students, especially new arrivals, to talk to existing members of these societies and to provide an early opportunity to sign up.

Loughborough Students' Athletic Union

Loughborough Students Athletic Union is steeped in history and has a tradition of sporting excellence. Loughborough has dominated the University sport for 30 years and having won the Men's British Universities and Colleges Sport championships for the last 26 years, and the women's competition for the last 28 years. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496178.ece Loughborough University - Times Online [Accessed 26 July 2008] ]

This success is celebrated through a number of channels, not least the weekly Wednesday "Hey Ewe" event and Lufbra WOW (Walk On Water) which is a monthly sports publication documents Loughborough's sporting success. The Athletic Union has four full time staff members and one sabbatical officer, the Athletic Union President.

Clubs and Societies

LSU runs numerous clubs and societies catering for many different tastes from hot air ballooning to SCOGUI (the scouts and guides club). In 2007, Sabrina Johnson, the first Sabbatical Officer with overall responsibility for this section was elected.

Loughborough Students' Rag

The Rag office is responsible for organising, encouraging and supporting charity fund-raising amongst the union's members, and is the largest and most successful of such societies in the UK, raising just over £908,000 for local and national charities in the academic year 2007/08. The Chairperson of the organisation is elected via a campus-wide ballot as part of LSU's Spring Term exec elections. He or she is tasked with co-ordinating the busy Rag calendar, which includes Rag Raids, Annual Events and Challenge Events; activities every weekend. The Chair for 2008/09 is village idiot Steph Davenport.

Media

The students' union has its own purpose-built multi-media centre, opened in 1999, it is home to union's media activities which are coordinated by an annually elected sabbatical officer. Previously to this £1.4m development media was spread in various locations, including LCR which was for almost 30 years based in a small set of studios in the Student Village adjacent to the Purple Onion cafe. The Media section provides a number of services for the students on the campus and gives volunteers the chance to experience media work. Since the role's creation in 2007 the Multimedia Editor's responsibilities are aiding the station managers of LSUTV and LCR and being Editor in Chief of Label. The four production outlets are:

Aura Recording Studios
Label Magazine the magazine of Loughborough Students' Union. Evolving from a previous newspaper format inventively titled "The Newspaper", Label Magazine was launched in 1997, and is notable for both its editorial independence from the union itself as well as its weekly production cycle.
Loughborough Campus Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day during term time on 1350AM and on its website, in addition once a year the station will broadcast on FM for up to 4 weeks. One of the oldest student radio stations in the UK, LCR started as pirate radio broadcasts from a suitcase in Hazelrigg Hall of residence, during Rag Week 1970. Known as "Radio Mule - a small station with a kick" it had become so popular after 3 years that the students voted to turn it into a legitimate station, over a student magazine. "URL (University Radio Loughborough)" was born, and went live on-air in 1973, the name was changed to LCR in 1983. Initially broadcast through induction loops on the roofs of each hall of residence, it was one of the first UK student stations to move to the new free radiating low-powered AM licence in October 1999, with webcasting starting later the same academic year.
LSUTV was established in 2001 as an expansion of the Media Centre, broadcasting online and via SUBtv plasma screens. It works at a professional level and as an independent production company, and produces news, sport and documentaries alongside what The Independent describes as "one of the best student programmes, Totty TV. [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/analysis-university-tv-stations-467819.html Analysis: University TV Stations - Media, News - The Independent [Accessed 22 July 2008] ]

Facilities and Events

There are a range of retail outlets in and around the Student Union building, including a smoothie shop, Blackwell's bookshop, Barclays, NatWest and a full service Abbey bank. As well as an opticians, pharmacist, hair salon, taxi base, dentists and general student shop. During the daytime 'JC's Bar' and the 'Ritazza' cafe are open for food and drink and 'The Piazza' (which contains Ritazza) acts a central meeting place with places to sit and plays host to frequent markets aimed at students.

The first floor incorporates the Administrative parts of the Student's Union, including the Executive Office, and the Clubs and Societies Office, known as SocSpot. Also on located here is 'Loughborough Students' Advice', the offices of the 'Athletic Union' and the regional office of the National Union of Students

Entertainment

The ground floor of the Union building consists of three bars, namely 'Cognito', a completely self-contained nightclub featuring a lightup dance floor, a fully specified DJ booth, large bar, and a darker 'urban' feel refitted in 1999. 'JC's', a bar/pub dedicated to the sporting achievements of Loughborough open throughout the day, with seating and pool tables. 'Bar1' and 'Room 1' a fully equipped high capacity auditorium with raised stage, expansive dance floor and balcony, with professional lighting, sound, and visual equipment and three independent bars. 'Room 1' hosts the majority of the unions larger events and was renovated and extended in the summer of 2005 by the 'Ministry of Sound'.

During summer 2006 the first floor facilities underwent a renovation creating a club named 'Fusion', which is fitted out to a light and cheerful theme, sporting lightup walls, moving lights and mirrors, a large dance floor, as well a small stage, and seating area. Which with the an adjoining bar 'FusionZero' (Briefly 'Lava', previously 'Bocca') operates as a main room on certain nights, and a secondary room on others.

The union building is a popular destination for students seeking night time entertainment - providing numerous bars, dance floors, seating areas and regular live entertainment. Each night of the week has its own title and style with Friday's 'FND'(Friday Night Disco) and Wednesday's 'Hey Ewe' (the official athletics union night, "Hey Ewe" being a pun on A.U.) being the larger and most popular nights. Along with 'Stupid Tuesday' on Tuesday, and the unions Indie/Rock/Metal night on Thursday.

Free Fest

"Free Fest" is an annual free-to-attend outdoor music concert organised by the Union's Musicians Society (known as Musoc), which takes place all day on the May Day bank holiday weekend. Originally conceived in 1996 by the then editor of the student magazine Label, Emily Dubberly, as a simple May Day music festival with professional acts, it was enhanced in 1997 when Musoc began to use it as a showcase for student bands.

Competition for inclusion in Free Fest is always high, as such it has become necessary to hold Auditions and a Fringe Festival has been added to encompass more acts, this takes place during the penultimate weekend before the main Free Fest. In 2006 around 10 bands performed at Free Fest, including the only non-student act Carlton Cole (who has become something of an institution at FreeFest) and guitarist Dave Rogers. In 2006 Post Fest, an alternative music club night held in "Room 1" following the bands, which was originally conceived and run by LSU Rocksoc, was taken over as an official part of the event and featured a wide variety of music from one of LSU's resident DJ's.

Past Freefest Headliners:
2001: Gentlemen's Relish
2002: Magenta
2003: Disinformation
2004: Love Ends Disaster!
2005: Threadbear
2006: Dual Decay

March 2007 shooting

On the 11th of March 2007 a shooting incident occurred at around 2.45am following a performance by Pretty Ricky at the university. A 21-year-old student at the university, who was employed as security staff at the event, received gunshot wounds to his abdomen and was taken to hospital where his condition was not believed to be life threatening. Six others were also injured during what was described as a scuffle that broke out after CS gas was sprayed following the event. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6438939.stm BBC NEWS | England | Leicestershire | Man shot in stomach at university [Accessed 26 July 2008] ]

At the conclusion of the case at Leicester Crown Court in April 2008 Jermain Carty was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and sentenced to 14 years in Prison. The court also heard that Carty was a leading member of the Johnson Crew. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3792601.ece Prison for gangster who shot student doorman in argument at concert [Accessed 26 July 2008] ]

ee also

*Student Scout and Guide Organisation

References

External links

* [http://www.lufbra.net/ Loughborough Students Union]
* [http://www.lsrag.co.uk/ Loughborough Students Rag]
* [http://www.lufbra.net/sport Loughborough Students Athletic Union]
* [http://www.lufbra.net/wow Lufbra WOW]
* [http://www.lufbra.net/studentmedia Loughborough Students' Media]