University of Bradford Union

Infobox Students Union
name = University of Bradford Union


established = 1966
institution = University of Bradford
sabbs = Lloyd Russell-Moyle
("Union Secretary - Treasurer")
Olga Savina
("Academic Affairs Officer")
Alex Wilsdon
("Media & Entertainments Officer")
Katie Moore
("Student Activities Officer")
Nadia Chergui
("Women's Liberation Officer")
Sophia Coles-Riley
("Ethics, Environment & Welfare Officer") [ [http://www.ubuonline.co.uk/news/index.php?page=article&news_id=9679 Bradford Students Union - The Home for Bradford University Students ] ]
location = Communal Building, Richmond Road , Bradford, England BD7 1DP
members = c. 12,000
affiliated = National Union of Students, British Universities Sports Association, National Postgraduate Committee
free =
homepage = [http://www.ubuonline.co.uk www.ubuonline.co.uk]

Union Organisation

The University of Bradford Union (UBU) is run by an executive of six full-time sabbatical officers, [http://www.push.co.uk/Uni_Profile.aspx?id=478038EC-4004-468B-A916-9D228D49E2BC 18 November ] elected annually and the end of the academic season, and up to six part-time executive officers elected at the start of the academic season. The executive committee is unusual in not having a president: the post was abolished by Shumon Rahman in 2001 who was elected the Union's first Asian President in 2000. The new executive positions and the reforms he introduced were modified in 2007 to incorporate an agreement with the University made in 2004 that a full review of the officers would take place. This involved merging the Treasurer and Secretary (what was Internal Affairs) role and the creation of one of the only Ethics, Environment and Welfare Officers in the country.

The executive is monitored by a council of up to 40 elected students who meet around 6 times each academic year: 10 of these places are filled through open places in a cross campus ballot, the others are made up of Course Representatives, Athletics, Societies and other bodies representatives in the Union such as Forums (statutory meetings of union members).

The Union is located in the Communal Building on campus, and is politically active (nominally to the left) a new building is planned to be developed over the next few years with 4.5 million being granted to the Union building development by the University Council in 2008. [The Bradford Student, Issues 2 October 2007]

Role

The Role of the Union is to support and provide services for its students of the university (whether members or not) such as academic or financial advice, [ [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/story/0,5500,426425,00.html All work, not much pay | Higher (old) |EducationGuardian.co.uk ] ] or activities and entertainment or for their safety. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2166316.ece Profile: University of Bradford |Good University Guide - Times Online ] ]

tudent activities

The largest student involvement in their Union comes in the forms of the sports clubs through the Athletics Association (commonly known as the AA) [ [http://www.ubuonline.co.uk/content/index.php?page=11967 Athletics Association] ] and societies [ [http://www.ubuonline.co.uk/content/index.php?page=11968 societies] ] . There is a variety of both. Even though the University did not till recently run any performing arts courses, there are several societies for music and theatre. The variety of sports available is largely due to the centralised funding and membership structure of the AA, which helps support smaller clubs. The current student union colours are blue and red, but many of the sports teams still use their traditional black, with red and white accents.

The Student Union also has "RamAir", one of the UK's longest running student radio stations, broadcasting on 1350AM and online, a student newspaper called "The Bradford Student" and a film society/cinema showing professional 35mm cinema prints known as the "Bradford Student Cinema".

Campaigns

UBU claims to be a very political union [ [http://www.push.co.uk/Uni_Profile.aspx?id=478038EC-4004-468B-A916-9D228D49E2BC Push - the ruthlessly independent university guide - University of Bradford ] ] . It runs campaigns on varying issues.

Palestine and Khaled al-MudallalIn 2007 a Bradford Student Khaled al-Mudallal became trapped in Palestine. The union ran a campaign to support Khaled [ [http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2007/10/01/university-of-bradford-student-trapped-in-gaza/ Updated: Israeli Court refuses to help Gazan resume studies in Britain] ] and to aid his return. It was supported by UCU, the Lectures Union and the NUS the National Students' Union. He was elected the Honorary Vice President [ [http://www.letkhaledstudy.co.uk/ Let Khaled Study Campaign - Home ] ] of the LSE Students' Union and released on the 4th December [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article3220970.ece Israeli prisoner release derided by Palestinians - Middle East, World - Independent.co.uk ] ]

Blood DonationUBU has supported the right for gay men to give blood with its LGBT society campaigning throughout the year of 2006 and 2007 to lift the ban. [ [http://www.officeronline.co.uk/lgbt/articles/272924.aspxNUS LGBT Blood donner campaign] ] . The union supported the society [ [http://www.bradfordlgbt.org.uk Bradford LGBT] ] in encouraging people who can to give blood and to call for the ban to be lifted in favour of a ban on promiscuity and people who partake in unsafe sex giving blood.

Imran KhanThe union took a stance with the Bradford University in supporting Imran Khan [ [http://www.brad.ac.uk/chancellor/freeimran/ Imran Khan - great news!] ] , the University chancellor and Pakistani MP when he was arrested in 2007 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7100762.stm Khan protest at Pakistan mission] ] . They co-organised events for the release of Imran and a demonstration was due to take place, organised by the Union on the 24th November 2007

Fair TradeUBU coordinates the Bradford University Fair Trade Status [ [http://www.bradford.gov.uk/business_and_industry/business_practice_and_regulation/fair_trade/fairtrade_bradford_university.htm Fairtrade University of Bradford] ] , in 2006 the Union gained Fair Trade status for the University and continues to campaign on this issue.

Lap Dancing clubIn 2002 the union campaigned against the opening of a lap dancing club near to the university. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/news/2002/10/04/lap_dancing.shtml BBC - Bradford and West Yorkshire - News - Bradford students campaign against lap dancing club ] ]

Entertainments and Venues

The Union at present runs four bars, with the Biko Bar (named after Steve Biko) permanently closed in 2005 and the Theatre in the Mill Bar shut for redevelopment with no completion date in 2006, all the other bars are now located in the Communal Building.

The main bar is called the "Courtyard" which is open every day of the week. It has a Sunday night quiz and also hosts the Junior Common Room, although this term is now not widely used. The other bars are all club venues of which there are three, from the smallest "Escape" which is open most nights for a variety of music to the two larger venues called "Colours" and "Basement". All these three club venues combine to form the Friday Night Disco (FND) which was renamed Flirt! in 2007 to come inline with the NUSSL Branding.

The Clubs are host to irregular live music and bands and to the UK Infest. Infest is an annual music festival held in over the August bank holiday weekend, featuring a range of alternative electronic music acts. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2007/09/03/infest_2007_feature.shtml BBC report on Infest 2007] ] It originated with in early 1998 through the efforts of three students and the students' union Entertainments Manager as a one day event and has since grown to the current three day weekend.

RamAir

Infobox Radio station


name = RamAir
airdate = 1980
frequency = 1350 kHz (Bradford, West Yorkshire) area = Local (AM)
format = Pop and Rock
owner = University of Bradford Union

RamAir is a radio station run by Students Union at the University of Bradford, England. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2006/09/07/sarah_allison_bradford_feature.shtml BBC description of Bradford University] ] It broadcasts locally on 1350AM and also online through its [http://www.ramair.co.uk/ web site] . The name comes from the old students union log of a Ram's head. It is one of three media groups at the union (the others being the film society "Bradford Student Cinema" and the student magazine "Bradford Student News" (formally Kinetic, Scrapie and Javelin)) who, historically are not considered part of the "sports clubs" or the "clubs and societies". In many respects they are run as a normal society with membership, however as they provide a service accessible to all students and staff (not just the societies members), they are treated differently and come under the jurisdiction of the Communications Officer.

History

It was founded in 1980 [http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/pr/pressreleases/2002/ramair.htm Ramair celebrates 21st birthday:Press Release Bradford University ] ] and operates from two studios in the university's student union building. The station is run entirely by student volunteers, who as well as presenting shows also handle the technical aspects. Up until the mid 1990s, RamAir broadcast to students via a series of induction loops ran throughout the student halls, however this never proved reliable. In conjunction with SBN, RamAir had an LPAM (Low Power AM) Radica transmitter, affectionately known as "Doris", installed in the car park of the former Shearbridge Halls, which broadcast on 1350AM at a max power of 1 watt.A RamAir show "The Buzz" was syndicated on the Student broadcast network from 1998 to 1999. [ [http://davesandford.com/davesandford/v2/portfolio/portfolio.html davesandford.com / portfolio ] ] RamAir is also available via the Internet on an .mp3 stream, allowing students to listen to the station through the university Internet service, as well as in places in the union building such as the union shop and the laundrette.

Programing

Most shows are presented in the evening or at weekends, when students are free, so during the daytime music is played from a computer. Previously the station syndicated the Student Broadcast Network (SBN) when no shows were being broadcast - this was changed in 2004 when SBN went bust.

Its flagship show is 'Wednesday Night Sessions' which broadcasts local music and acoustic sessions by local Bradford bands. It also has a range of shows covering many music genres as well as a show discussing the latest news.

RamAir annually broadcasts the 'Questions to Candidates' (Hustings) for the student union elections of sabbatical officers and NUS conference delegates. It also has a big presence at many union events such as freshers' week, the May carnival and the end of year event.

Out of university term time the station broadcasts non stop music, also used to fill in other free air time from the station's computer playout system - a bank of computers running software written by one of the station's engineers. The station was re-launched just before 2006 'Welcome Week' (new intake of student) with various new shows & returns of others from the previous year.

News is played hourly via the IRN news service.

Achievements

It was the first student radio station to broadcast legally on FM. [ [http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/pr/December2001/ramair.htm New on University website] ] [ [http://awe.com/mark/history/ramair.html Ex-Station manager's account] ]

As of September 2007, it was the first student radio station to be specifically made available through the respective Wii and PlayStation 3 browsers.Fact|date=October 2008

When analogue cable television was commonplace, the station was broadcast on 98FM across the region to listeners with a cable feed (No subscription required). RamAir occasionally broadcasts across the city of Bradford on an FM RSL (Restricted Service Licence), usually on 102FM from a transmitter located on top of the university's JB Priestley library. The station often hires out its FM broadcast kit to other student stations for their own RSLs.

On April 26 2006, Phill Jupitus broadcast his BBC 6 Music breakfast show from the station, and interviewed Billy Bragg who had played a concert at the university the previous evening.Fact|date=October 2008

Its most famous former DJ is Lucio Buffone, who has since won a Sony Award and now presents a show on Capital Radio.

As of 26 May 2008, RamAir has released a charity single for download, entitled 'Scream Out!'. Half of the proceeds will go to the running of the station and the other half will go to the RNID's 'Don't Lose the Music' campaign. The single was recorded in the studios in early May 2008, by 6 Bradford University students. [ [http://www.ramaid.co.uk/ RamAid - Scream Out!] ]

In July 2008 RamAir submitted awards applications to the Student Radio Association and also set in motion a review of RamAir strategy with the aim to make the station one of the key providers of live music in the local area.Fact|date=October 2008

The Bradford Student

The Bradford Student is the latest incarnation of the student newspaper at Bradford. The autonomous paper was originally called Javelin. It changed its name in the early 1980s to Shep. By the 1990s the paper had become a magazine and then later changed its name to Scrapie, a reference to the ram's head on the Union logo. The name was again changed in a dramatic and still controversial "de-ramming" of the Union in 2004 which saw the Union logo change to four 'dots' and the ram's Head removed from official publications. The Ram remains in the name of the student Radio station Ramair and also in many of the sports teams which still use the traditional Ram's head logo.

In 2007 the periodical was brought wholly into the Union; having previously had an independent editorial team, and printed as a newspaper again for the first time in 20 years. The paper is now jointly edited by the sabbatical team, staff members and students.

Bradford Student Cinema

The Bradford Student Cinema is a film society operating as part of the University of Bradford Union, the University of Bradford's Students' Union. It is one of three media groups at the union (the others being the radio station 'Ramair' and 'The Bradford Student' newspaper (Formally Kinetic) who, historically are not considered part of the "sports clubs" or the "clubs and societies". In many respects they are run as a normal society with membership, however as they provide a service accessible to all students and staff (not just the societies members), they are treated differently and come under the jurisdiction of the Media & Communications Officer.

History

The Bradford Student Cinema (BSC) is one of the oldest societies within the student union and can trace it heritage back to early days of the university. Formerly the Film Society, the BSC originally screen 16 mm film from lecture theatres on N floor of the Richmond Building (Refurbished in 2000 removing the projection boxes in favour of additional seating). It later moved into the University's Great Hall, where it gained a portable 35 mm projection system allowing it to showa full range of films available to commercial cinemas. The Great Hall is still used today, on what is believed to be the largest student cinema screen in the country. [http://www.bradford.ac.uk/external/student/suwelc.php Bradford Student Union] ] .

Hardware

The 9 metre wide solid steel-framed screen, complete with motorised adjustable masking flies down from the roof onto the stage and fills the proscenium arch of the Great Hall, making good use of the curtains to give a traditional cinema feel to the venue, in an auditorium designed as a multipurpose staged hall with good acoustics. As the projection box is situated three floors up from ground level, the projector has a steep rake, and the screen is angled back when dropped to remove any keystoning. For this reason audience for film showings are generally only invited to sit in the balcony circle rather than the stalls, seating up to 337. In the late nineties the projector was replaced with a 1950s Westrex 2001 projector, a model still in common use around the country. In 2001 the student union funded a £8,500 upgrade of the projection facilities, and the cinema was fitted with a Dolby CP55 processor, new amps and speakers including a subwoofer to bring Dolby surround to the cinema for the first time [http://www.bradford.ac.uk/admin/pr/September/cinema.htm News & Views Magazine Article] ] (Stereo is not commonly used in cinemas, as a central audio channel is required to centralise dialogue for any audience sitting off-centre). A red laser sound reader was also installed to future proof the projector for the arrival of cyan sound tracks, and improve the quality of intermediate high magenta sound tracks. The lamphouse and rectifier was also upgraded to handle 3 kW lamps. Due to the cost, new surround speakers were not fitted, and have instead been formed using older speakers placed along the rear of the balcony.

Modern times

In recent times the BSC has run the British Federation of Film Societies Student Group Conference and various exclusive preview screenings of the latest movies in conjunction with the Daily Telegraph's Movie Mania Promotion (circa 2001). Like many professional cinemas it screens cinema trailers and adverts from Pearl & Dean. Due to a drop in student numbers and the opening of a 16-screen multiplex in the centre of Bradford, the student cinema has suffered in the last four years. Ironically the size of the BSC has been part of its downfall - whilst smaller societies use video or DVD, the BSC's screen and throw distance (27 m) means it cannot handle anything smaller than professional 35 mm cinema films. The union has since stepped in and the BSC now shows a reduced number of showing throughout the academic year free of charge to staff and students.

In 2002 the BSC nominated Brian Blessed to receive an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Letters) from the university for his contribution to film, television and acting, which he received during the Electronic Imaging & Media Communication Department's graduation ceremony in July 2003.

Cinema-goers used to be able to buy drinks and snacks, including alcohol for cinema showings as the Biko Bar, in the Richmond building, but this was closed in 2005. The cinema's showings have been in hiatus since 2005 due to the building of the new £5.3 million atrium and front entrance designed to provide a vibrant multi-functional space and form the heart of the University (Opened in October 2006 to celebrate the university's 40th birthday). A return to regular screening has been delayed by a long-awaited refurbishment of the Great Hall from January 2008, which is due to be completed in May. Due to the difficulties in licencing, fitting building work around exams, graduation ceremonies and registration, it is likely that the BSC will finally reopen in September 2008. [http://www.inf.brad.ac.uk/~mloverto/bsc.html History of the BSC] ]

External links

* [http://www.ubuonline.co.uk/ UBU Online] - Union Website
* [http://www.ramair.co.uk/ Ramair web site]

References