University of Sydney Union
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The University of Sydney Union (USU), commonly referred to as The Union, is the student-run services and amenities provider at the University of Sydney. The Union's key activities include the University's Orientation Week, entertainment services, and clubs and societies.
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[edit] History
The University of Sydney Union (USU) was established in 1874 for debating, at a time when the University had fewer than a hundred students; graduates and staff were thus dominant. In 1884, the University's Senate provided a common room for the Union, and in 1906, it decided to provide a building for the Union's use. This building is now known as the Holme Building, named after the first president following the organisation's reconstitution in 1911, Assistant Professor E.R. Holme; the building, although not completed until 1916, was occupied in 1912, with extensions made in 1924, 1935, 1954 and 1957.
A separate Sydney University Women's Union (SUWU) was formed in 1914. The Senate also agreed to fund a building for the Women's Union; Manning House was opened in 1917. It was at this time that the University made membership of the Unions compulsory.
Until the 1970s, the Unions were a significant meeting place for both staff and students; however, with the establishment of a staff club and the growth in size of the University population, the influence of staff decreased. The decision to amalgamate the two Unions came after the decision in 1971 to jointly fund the Wentworth Building, named after William Wentworth, one of the leading figures in the then colony instrumental in the creation of the University. Stage 1 of the building, with its upper entrance at one end of the pedestrian footbridge across City Road, was opened in 1972; Stage 2, comprising the portion of the building at the corner of Butlin Avenue and City Road, was not completed until 1989.
Manning House was extensively refurbished and extended in 2001. Currently, Union administration is located in the Holme Building, while the majority of member services are delivered in Manning House.
[edit] The Union today
The Union now owns and operates three buildings, Manning House, and the Wentworth and Holme Buildings. These buildings house the large proportion of the university's catering outlets, and provide space for game rooms, bars and function centres. One of the more prominent activities organised by the Union is the Orientation Week (or "O-week"), centering on stalls set up by clubs and societies on the lawns in front of the Main Quadrangle. The clubs and societies programme is a key part of the Union's activities, with over two hundred clubs to cater for the University's diverse student population. The Union also has an extensive art collection, and until recently, it maintained the Sir Hermann Black Gallery. To serve the students at the University's other campuses, the Union has branches at other faculties and colleges away from the main site, and has programmes specifically catered for these affiliated sites.
Today, the Union is operated as a business, with a board of directors elected by the students at the University. Consisting of 14 members, the Board is composed of:
- 11 directors elected for overlapping two year terms by members of the union, with 5 elected in even-numbered years and 6 elected in odd-numbered years;
- 2 directors appointed by the University of Sydney Senate; and
- The immediate past president, who is non-voting.
Voluntary student unionism (VSU) provides a challenge to the Union, as it must attempt to either derive the funds it currently receives from membership from other sources, provide greater incentives for students to join it, or cut down on the services it provides.
[edit] Student publications
The magazine Hermes was first published in 1886, and the Union Recorder was first published in 1921. At least in recent years, the Recorder has been a monthly publication; however, due to rationalisation in the face of VSU, it was announced in the November 2005 issue that it would become an annual publication as of 2006, with The Bull taking its place as the primary repository of student content.
[edit] Presidents
Past Presidents of the Union have included:
[edit] References
- USU 2004 Annual Report Summary
- Williams, Bruce. Liberal education and useful knowledge: a brief history of the University of Sydney, 1850-2000, Chancellor's Committee, University of Sydney, 2002. ISBN 1-86487-439-2
