University of Warwick Students' Union
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| Established | 1965 |
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| Institution | University of Warwick |
| President | Joe Kirby |
| Other Sabbatical Officers | Peter Ptashko (Education Officer and Deputy President)
Tom Callow (Finance, Democracy and Strategy Officer) Ed Callow (Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer) James Gadsby Peet (Commercial Development and Communications Officer) Kate Bennet (Sports Officer) Tom Lindsay (Societies and Student Development Officer) |
| Location | Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, England |
| Members | c. 20,000 |
| Affiliated to | National Union of Students, Aldwych Group, WMANUS, National Postgraduate Committee, British Universities Sports Association |
| Homepage | www.sunion.warwick.ac.uk |
The University of Warwick Students' Union is the students' union for the University of Warwick, in Coventry, England.
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[edit] History
The Students' Union developed in tandem with the University and has existed since 1965. In its first few decades of life, it was heavily involved with the protests, rent strikes, and occupations which earned the University the nickname of 'Red Warwick.' In 1974 one Warwick student Kevin Gately was killed during the Red Lion Square disorders.
One of its on-campus successes was its campaign for its own building, which finally succeeded in 1975 after lengthy opposition from large parts of the University establishment. Some of its early activism was carried out in partnership with sympathetic elements of the academic staff of the university, with one incident being chronicled in the book Warwick University Ltd., edited by the eminent historian E. P. Thompson.
[edit] Former Presidents
| Year | President | Year | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-1966 | Mike (Czeslaw) Kosniowski | 1983-1984 | Richard Jones | |
| 1965-1966 | Peter Shellard | 1984-1985 | Mike Moran | |
| 1966-1967 | Alan Hill | 1985-1986 | Tommy Webb | |
| 1966-1967 | Tony Ward | 1986-1987 | Andrew Woodhouse | |
| 1966-1967 | Richard Clifton | 1987-1988 | Terry Durkin | |
| 1967-1968 | Graham Webster-Gardiner | 1988-1989 | Andy Shearer | |
| 1967-1968 | Tony O'Rourke | 1989-1990 | Julia Offord | |
| 1968-1969 | Alan Phillips | 1990-1991 | Ian Bradley | |
| 1969-1970 | Michael Poulton | 1991-1992 | Alan Nott | |
| 1969-1970 | Trevor Griffiths | 1992-1993 | Ian R. Corfield | |
| 1970-1971 | Will Fitzgerald | 1993-1994 | Kevin Turnbull | |
| 1971-1972 | Kevin O'Donovan | 1994-1995 | Andy Poulter | |
| 1972-1973 | Louis Paperis | 1995-1996 | Josh Wong | |
| 1973-1974 | Pete Ashby | 1996-1997 | Jon Norburn | |
| 1974-1975 | Alistair Edwards | 1997-1998 | Jon Pycroft | |
| 1974-1975 | Kasper de Graaf | 1998-1999 | Jo Scaife | |
| 1975-1976 | Jimmie Quinn | 1999-2000 | Martin Biggs | |
| 1975-1976 | Phil Dixon | 2000-2001 | Caitlin McKenzie | |
| 1976-1977 | M. Whyte | 2001-2002 | John Dubber | |
| 1977-1978 | Andrew Chalk | 2002-2003 | Greg Jones | |
| 1978-1979 | Phil Dixon | 2003-2004 | 'Big' Bob Jones | |
| 1979-1980 | Alan Watson | 2004-2005 | Simon Lucas | |
| 1980-1981 | Frankie Devine | 2005-2006 | Kat Stark | |
| 1981-1982 | Robin Edwardes | 2006-2007 | Brian Duggan | |
| 1982-1983 | Gavin Reddin | 2007-2008 | Joe Kirby |
[edit] Governance
The Union's basis of existence is its Constitution, which sets out the Union's mission statement, legal basis, and democratic structures. In addition to this, there are currently 8 Appendices to the Constitution, 5 sets of regulations, and 70 policies; all of which govern specific areas of Union activity.
The Union has three main methods of policy-making:
- Referendums - Conducted by The Elections Group
- General Meetings - open to all full members and have a quorum of 200.
- Union Council
These decision-making bodies form a hierarchy, with referendums at the top and Union Council at the bottom. Any decision made by one of these bodies may be over-ridden by the same body or a higher one, though in some cases lower bodies can avoid implementing decisions made by bodies above them; for example, according to financial regulation 6.2, the union's executive officers can refuse to implement any policy which "in its opinion is not financially viable". An example of this occurred in 2006; when the executive committee refused to implement a smoking ban passed by referendum, saying it was not financially viable. [1]
[edit] Referenda
Referenda are held twice yearly and are the only method by which the Union's Constitution or affiliation to the NUS may be changed. Motions may be sent to referendum if they are submitted with a petition of 80 signatures of Union members (with amendments possible with a petition of 20 signatures); in addition to this, up to four motions may be referred to referendum by Union General Meetings or Union Council in each referendum period. Referenda are subject to a quorum of 7.5% of full Union members, but shall also be considered to have reached quorum if 5% of full Union members vote for or against. Should the referendum fail to reach quorum, the result is not binding upon the Union, and any constitutional change proposed will not take effect. If a constitutional change is passed, it is then subject to approval by the University Senate and Council.
[edit] General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is open to all full members of the Union both to speak and vote. It approves the Union's accounts and appoints an auditor. It also takes reports from the Union's Executive Committee, Union Council, services groups, and Elections Group, of which is approves the membership. The Union must have at least one General Meeting in each year. It is sometimes necessary for there to be an Emergency General Meeting (EGM), which can be called by any member who collects a petition of 150 signatures in order to discuss a specific issue of the member's choice; in other respects, however, an EGM behaves in the same way as a UGM. If a General Meeting fails to reach the quorum of 200, it may still discuss the motions submitted, but the decisions will not be binding and the motions will be submitted to the next meeting of Union Council without any amendments which may have been made at the General Meeting.
[edit] Union Council
Union Council is a group of about 120 Councillors and Officers elected from the student population and has the power to amend Appendices to the Constitution. Council normally meets eight times per year in weeks 3, 6, and 9 of terms 1 and 2 and in weeks 3 and 9 of term 3. The meeting is run by the Chair of Council and the Deputy Chair of Council who do not normally vote (although the Chair will vote to break a tie). The quorum for Council is 50% of its current members. Council also conducts co-options for vacancies for various Union positions throughout the year (although not Sabbatical Officers).
[edit] Executive Committee
The financial well-being of the Union is primarily the responsibility of the Executive Committee, which is a standing committee with 16 members. It consists of the seven Sabbatical Officers, the chairs of the Union's seven standing committees, and two non-portfolio Executive Officers. Executive members are the trustees of the Union Charity and are responsible for holding the Sabbatical Officers, as the Board of Directors of the Union companies, to account. In addition to this, the Executive has sole responsibility for finances and the sole power to pass Union regulations governing subjects such as finance, elections, sports clubs, and societies, as well as disciplinary regulations. The Executive Committee can also take the powers of Council in three exceptional situations: in an emergency when Council cannot meet, when the last two meetings of Council were inquorate for all of their length, or when Council or a General Meeting mandates the Executive to carry out a specific action.
On a day to day basis the Union is run by seven Sabbatical Officers elected by cross campus ballot:
- President
- Finance, Democracy and Strategy Officer (FDSO)
- Education Officer and Deputy President
- Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer (WEOO)
- Commercial Development and Communication Officer (CDCO)
- Sports Officer
- Societies and Student Development Officer (SSDO)
[edit] Current Sabbatical Union Officers
- President: Joe Kirby
- Finance, Democracy and Strategy Officer: Tom Callow
- Education Officer and Deputy President: Peter Ptashko
- Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer: Ed Callow
- Commercial Development and Communications Officer: James Gadsby Peet
- Sports Officer: Kate Bennet
- Societies and Student Development Officer: Tom Lindsay
[edit] Current Part-time Union Officers
- Campaigns Committee Chair: Chris Rossdale
- Academic Representation Committee Chair: Mohammed Surve
- Communications Committee Chair: Amy Chevis
- Democracy Committee Chair: Katt Farrant
- Student Sports Committee Chair: Phil Ward
- Societies Federation Committee Chair: Panayiotis Ellinas
- Welfare Committee Chair: Simon Evans
- Chair of Union Council: Andy Glyde
- Deputy Chair of Council: Sherine Belal
- Undergraduate Arts Faculty Representative: Matthew Shaw
- Undergraduate Science Faculty Representative: Shakeel Padamsey
- Undergraduate Social Studies Representative: Mirko Lukic
- Medical Faculty Representative: David Metcalfe
- Second Council Represenative: Dawn Foster
- Second Senate Represenative: Arosha Rodrigo
- Third Member of Senate: Peter Ptashko
[edit] Affiliations
The Union is a constituent member of:
- Aldwych Group
- Association for Managers in Students' Unions (AMSU)
- British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS)
- National Postgraduate Committee (NPC)
- National Union of Students (NUS)
- West Midlands Area National Union of Students (WMANUS)
- Skill: National Bureau for Students With Disabilities
The Union is also a shareholder in the NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL).
[edit] Students' Union building
The Union - apparently the largest in Europe - consists of Union South (largely food, drink and entertainment) and Union North (mostly administration and offices).
The Students' Union got its first building, Union South, in 1975, after a long struggle with the University under Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth, who said to Will Fitzgerald (President of the Union in 1970-1): "the Students' Union will never have its own building."
Union North, which primarily houses offices and meeting rooms was added in the 1990s and is linked to Union South by the 'link corridor.'
The building contains a large social space with 8 bars:
- Grumpy John's
- The Cooler
- Cholo
- Bottles And Shots
- Bottles And Shots 2
- The Graduate
- The Graduate Club (formerly Zippy's)
- Xanana's
There are also four coffee-shop-cum-food outlets: Rococo and South Central plus the aforementioned Xanana's and Cholo.
The building is also home to the Union's media outlets, including RaW on the top floor of Union South and WTV and The Boar in Union North.
Tickets to Union events are sold in 'Advance' in Union South and there is an Abbey cash machine within the building. On the ground floor of the Union South building, but not operated by the Union, there are three banks (Barclays, HSBC and NatWest), a hairdressers, a pharmacy, a Post Office, and used to have an Oxfam store selling videos, books and music.
[edit] Union South Rebuild
The University's budgets passed during the 2005-06 academic year include a provision of around £6 million over the next two years to be spent in order to completely rebuild Union South. Such a rebuild should allow a big improvement in the Union's ability to utilise the venue for the benefit of its members. It is hoped that the rebuild will both allow for increased capacity and improved flexibility - something that should in turn allow an improved service outside of undergraduate term times. The rebuild will commence Easter 2008 and continue for 20 months.
[edit] Societies
The Union runs more Clubs and Societies than any other in the vicinity; currently there are 240 societies and 74 sports clubs including a student newspaper (The Boar) , radio station (RaW), television station (WTV), and Student Record Label (WERL).
[edit] Union Companies
The Union has four subsidiary companies:
- Student Union Services Warwick Limited
- Membership Solutions Limited
- Warwick Students Union Services Limited, (mostly dormant and retained due to contracts held in its name)
- Student Union Warwick Events Limited
[edit] Criticisms of the Union
A number of criticisms have been made of the Union in recent years:
- The Union has recently suspended the Editor and Deputy Editor of the Warwick Boar, using a disciplinary procedure which some consider to be flawed.
- During the presidency of Kat Stark, the Union often adopted a feminist stance at her urging; for example, by opposing the opening of a strip club in nearby Coventry. Details of Kat Stark's feminist views did not appear in all versions of her election manifesto and some felt this to have been misleading.
- A Union referendum voted to ban smoking in all Union buildings, but this was not implemented by the Executive Committee. Some feel the financial grounds used to justify this were based on unrealisticly pessimistic assumptions; however, full figures have not been made available to the student body. But with the introduction of a nation-wide smoking ban indoors in public places, the Union building is non-smoking now anyway.
- Financial constraints did not stop the Union from implementing a Fairtrade policy on coffee, tea and chocolate (although implementation for tea and chocolate sales was delayed until contracts with suppliers expired). Since 2006 the Union has amongst its policies a call for the UK students' unions buying consortium (NUS Services Limited) to boycott Coca Cola.
- Despite being a democratic institution, a low proportion of students actually take part in the democratic process, with turnout recently peaking at around 20% (a turnout similar to, or better than, that in many other comparable students' unions). As such, the Union has been considered by some to be out-of-touch, especially after its lengthy consideration of issues such as the War in Iraq and the Israel-Palestine conflict, over which it has no noticeable influence.
- Because so few students actually take part in union democracy, rather small, political or religious groups may have been able to influence the Union's policies disproportionately.
- Sabbatical officers, who notionally oversee the running of the union, are elected from the student body; few have experience managing a large commercial operation.
- The day-to-day operation of the union is managed by permanent, unelected employees, and the democratic structures of the union (such as Union Council) are banned from discussing any individual employee. Sabbatical officers, the only people capable of dismissing any of these employees (and even then, only the general manager), are trained by the very employees they oversee; this has been criticised as making dismissal near-impossible. However it should be noted that these permanent staff are dismissable by the union's general manager who is someone with far more experience in running both commercial and not-for-profit businesses (see above point).
- Some, including many Union officers, consider communication between the Union and its members to be poor. Some Union officers point to the Union portal as an example of its communication, but, although a fairly high proportion of students use it regularly, users are probably all drawn from similar demographic groups. Sabbatical officers have recently tried holding drop-in sessions to listen to students' concerns, but these were very poorly attended.
- A number of members struggle to see the benefit of NUS membership, which costs the Union thousands of pounds per year in affiliation fees; a recent study by the Union's Democracy Committee concluded that we have underestimated the campaigning benefits of the NUS and, due to the Union's pension scheme being linked to the NUS, it would be financially difficult to leave the NUS.
- Union Council recently voted to support the AUT's strike in favour of better pay for academic and academic related university staff. Critics saw this as being harmful to students, and believed the support was only given because the AUT had previously supported the Union's fight against top-up fees. There was a poor turnout to rallies and to student meetings which could have changed this policy; this may indicate either apathy towards the issue or support for the Union's actions.
- Almost a third of the University's students are postgraduates, many of whom reside on-campus. The Student Union has been criticised for not catering for the needs of older students, being focused almost entirely on the social habits of 18-21-year olds. With only one venue close to the University campus which is not run by either the Union or the University, many older students find their options limited. The "Graduate" pub has sometimes been closed early, without prior notice, in order to bring guests into the main bar, usually occupied by undergraduates. Furthermore, many international and postgraduate students complain that during holiday breaks and July-August, most services close entirely. The Union hopes that a refurbishment of it buildings, paid for by the University, will allow it to provide more services targeted at these students.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
The Tory MP David Davis stood for the position of President during his attendance at Warwick, but failed to win. He also founded RaW, the student radio station.
People who spend a lot of time in Union North have been (somewhat) affectionately referred to as "hacks". However, with the inception of the academic year 2007-08, most of these individuals have left the building.
[edit] External links
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