Hull University Union
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Hull University Union (HUU) is the students' union for The University of Hull. It is run as a completely separate entity to the university itself. It is run by students for students. There is a Union Executive Committee which consists of 8 sabbatical officers and which the General Manager advises. Union Council is the governing body of Hull University Union, meeting every 3 weeks to formulate policy.
HUU has a presence on both the Hull and Scarbrough campuses, with one sabbatical officer being elected to run the part in Scarbrough.
At Scarbrough, there are elections for a preferred candidate. After that stage that person and whoever else that wishes to run go forward into the main, cross-campus elections.
[edit] Entertainments
HUU has a strong reputation for providing a variety of events for all groups of people. One of the biggest is the End of Year Ball and there is also a special event for all students who graduate. Apart from that there's live music from bands both big and more unknown, jazz nights quizzes, film nights and much more.
The union has three bars including the John McCarthy bar named after the journalist and Beirut Hostage of the same name.
Another is the recently constructed 'Sanctuary', which includes an outdoor area and BBQ facilities. Senior staff members within the university have been spotted making use of the facilities, such as the four plasma-screen TVs - ideal for watching the sport!
HUU is one of the few student unions in the country to have a nightclub. It's called 'Asylum' and was voted the best student venue in 2004.
Famous acts and people who have appeared at the union:
- Supergrass
- Fun Lovin' Criminals
- Rachel Stevens
- Chesney Hawkes
- Razorlight
- Trevor Nelson
- Frank Bruno
- The Automatic
[edit] The Athletic Union (A.U.)
The Athletic Union is a large part of HUU, which has roughly 50 sports clubs to which students can add by creating their own. It has its own executive committee and several of the teams compete in the BUSA leagues. HUU is one of the few unions in the country to provide the sport - it is common for universities to offer it instead. There are recently created 3G football pitches, two large sports halls, six squash courts and a state of the art Sports Science facility. There is also a gym which has received heavy investment over the years and can cater for all your needs.
[edit] HUSSO/SCA
It stands for Hull University Social Services Organisation/Student Community Action and is currently a registered charity in its own right (with HUU being an exempt charity). It allows students to participate in a variety of activities which benefit the wider community (kids, older people, people with disabilities).
[edit] Academic Representation
In the past, this position has been known as VP Education and Representation and VP Education & Welfare (the welfare part eventually separated to become VP Welfare Support Services and later on, VP Welfare & Equality).
The current set of responsibilities are student reps (well over 300), the Training Team, the Postgraduate Society and the Mature Students Committee.
This sabbatical officer also attends a large number of university committees so that the student voice can be heard. One of those committees is University Senate (one of the biggest committees in the union).
Recent developments in this area include activities related to PDP, IT, the National Student Survey, improving representation on the Scarborough campus, mature students and eLearning.
[edit] Media & Communications
The sabbatical officer in in charge of this area is responsible for:
Jam 1575 - The union-run student radio station broadcasts on both an AM frequency and over the internet (introduced in 2006/2007, the net streaming is campus and halls only, but there are plans to expand this). It's a standing committee in the union and has a variety of shows that are both mainstream and specialist.
Hullfire - In the past, Hullfire has been a newspaper, but 2006/2007 saw it become a grayscale magazine with a slicker look. The redesign has already been well-received by many students. Although the sub-editors and debuty editor are students, VP Media & Communications is the Editor-In-Chief.
Another area of responsibility is the Environmental Committee. 2006/2007 has seen significant activity in recycling.
This area has also been involved in the use of fairtrade products within the union.
In the past VP Media & Communications has been known as VP Marketing & Communications and VP Services.
[edit] Welfare & Equality
The sabbatical officer in charge of this area is responsible for the Advice Centre, Nursery, Nightline, HUSAC (Hull University Students Against Crime), LINKS (St. Johns Ambulance Service), LGBT Committee, Equal Opps Committee, the Womens Officer, Mens Officer, Health Officer and Students with Disabilities officer.
VP Welfare & Equality also attends meetings of 'The Scheme' exec. The Scheme is a student accomodation setup in Hull.
This set of responsibilities used to be part of the role 'VP Education & Welfare' - a position seen in many student unions. However, due to the size of the remit, it split into two sabbatical positions several years ago (the other being VP Education & Representation, which eventually became VP Academic Representation).
Recent developments in this area include the successful Alternative Red Ribbon Ball, being part of the promotion of 'Smart Water' and recruiting people for welfare-linked voluntary positions which had been vacant for some time.
[edit] Regulations
Like any student union, there are regulations governing the way it runs. The biggest recent issue regarding these was the change of the union's constitution so it complies with the Charities Act - a bill which expected to have royal ascent either this year or the next. The new constitution will come into effect during the 2007/2008 academic year. Alongside the constitution, there are also Bye-Laws, Standing Orders and Policies & Procedures. The Bye-Laws and Standing Orders are also going through a period of change.
For the likes of Standing Orders and other regulations, they must first pass through the Union Executive Committee (a regular meeting of all sabbatical officers) and then be discussed and/or ratified by Union Council. In the case of the constitution, it has to also go through University Senate and finally University Council.
[edit] After being a sabbatical officer
Past 'sabbs' have had a varied number of careers - some involving the University of Hull (those include student recruitment, the International Office, public relations, PDP Project Officer, Quality Officer). Other jobs include volunteering coordination, student activities coordination, lawyer, entrepeneur, politician - among others.
[edit] Sabbatical Officers (2006/2007)
- President - Ciáran Norris
- Union Secretary & Treasurer - Peter West-Oram
- VP Academic Representation - David Morris
- VP HUSSO/SCA - Tracey Jenner
- VP Media & Communications - Erica Stephenson
- VP Scarbrough Campus - Mark Goodman
- VP Sport & Leisure - Alex Yarnley
- VP Welfare & Equality - Bryony Paice
[edit] Sabbatical Officers (2005/2006)
- President - Shona Lloyd
- VP Finance & Democracy - Tom Wormleighton
- VP Academic Representation - James Hunt
- VP HUSSO/SCA - Debbie May
- VP Media & Communications - Hayley McDermott
- VP Scarbrough Campus - Chris Mervyn
- VP Sport & Leisure - Emma Moreton
- VP Welfare & Equality - Liz Bennett
[edit] Sabbatical Officers (2004/2005)
- President - Derfel Owen
- VP Finance and Commercial Services - Anne Beaumont
- VP Academic Representation - Beverley Fairburn
- VP HUSSO/SCA - Patrick Scott
- VP Marketing and Communications - Grace O'Malley
- VP Scarborough Campus - Billy McAllister
- VP Sport and Leisure - Jason Boast
- VP Welfare and Equality - Gemma Allenby
[edit] Sabbatical Officers (2003/2004)
- President - Tori Wilkinson
- Union Secretary/Treasurer - Kieron Broadhead
- VP Academic Representation - Sue Payne
- VP HUSSO/SCA - Anna Sadler
- VP Scarborough Campus - Paul Fairclough
- VP Services - Sian Harrison
- VP Sport and Leisure - Dave Bywater
- VP Welfare Support - Martyn Clark
