| Motto | Enhancing the Student Experience |
|---|---|
| Institution | University of the West of England |
| Location | F Block, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, UK |
| Established | 1971 |
| Members | ~ 30,000 |
| Affiliations | NUS, BUCS |
| Website | http://www.uwesu.org/ |
The University of the West of England Student's Union, often abbreviated to UWESU, is the student's union of the University of the West of England. Formerly known as Bristol Polytechnic Student's Union (BPSU), and founded in 1971, it changed name in 1992, in line with the parent institution becoming a university. This academic year (2011-2012) UWESU will be celebrating 40 years as UWE Students' Union, with a host of events and a new logo for the academic year.
The union has a turnover of some £2 million per annum, aside from the university's block grant contribution, although it suffered a deficit in 2006.[1] It operates representational and support services, including the "JobShop" (a casual agency for student-friendly employers), a student advice centre and various bars and shops.
The union affiliates with the NUS; in 2006, an 89% majority voted to retain this affiliation, despite a history of criticisms the union shares with other UK universities. The university maintains a large number of enrolled students, contributing to the student union's status as one of the larger such institutions, and it enjoys a reputation for running one of the largest "fresher's fairs" annually.
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The main purpose of the union is to represent student interests within the university. It is presently organised such that a trustee-level responsibility lies with five individual members of the union, elected by their peers. The most recent election was held in March 2011.
In 2011, a new constitution was adopted, creating a new fifth Sabbatical role, an adoption of Officer roles and a change of committee structures. These committees include: The Student Representative Committee, the Sports and Community and Welfare Committee and the Societies and Communications Committee. Committee meetings are convened by their respective presidents at least three times a year, and are the highest-level decision making body before the Annual General Meeting, which all students may attend. [2]
The presidents are: Colin Offler (President), Olly Reid (VP Education), Louise Goux-Wirth (VP Community and Welfare), Safiyyah Henderseon (VP Societies and Communication) and Ariana A Sefre (VP Sports). There are also a number of part time officers, details of which can be found on the UWE SU website.[3]
While largely based at the university's main Frenchay campus, there are site offices at the Bower Ashton, Glenside, St Matthias and Hartpury campuses. The union also operates facilities such as bars and shops at the Frenchay, Bower Ashton, Glenside and St Matthias sites, with the intention of providing students with better value for money, and as a platform for developing social programmes.
Additionally, facilities based at Frenchay include the aforementioned JobShop and advice centre, a launderette, and a "print shop", where students can print out and bind dissertations.
Student Reps are your link to feeding back on your Student Experience to the University. Every course at every level should have at least one Student Rep. If you have an issue specifically about your course or the University in general you can take it to your Student Rep and they will be able to help. They are also the ones the University asks when they want student opinion so it’s important to tell them what you think. UWESU has over 1,000 Student Reps, representing the views of around 30,000 students across four faculties which we train and support.
UWESU maintains over 80 sports clubs and societies, the most successful including the UWE Boat Club, which consistently earns medals at BUCS competitions, and competes in the Varsity Boat Race, an annual competition between Bristol University and UWE students.
Other societies of note include the women's netball club, which achieved a place in the BUCS Trophy final in 2006, the women's football team, which took the BUSA Shield Final in 2006, and the Drama Society which won the Society of the Year award in 2009.
While the union has a primary role in representing student interests, it also seeks to provide extracurricular opportunities for its members, which are aimed at enriching student experiences and responsibilities. For example, there is a strong commitment to encouraging volunteer work among the student community.
The union has a long history of organising events and entertainment for its members, including the popular "Crunchie", a themed night held in the main "Red" bar on Frenchay campus until its closure in early 2009, having been since replaced with similar events depending on what week of the month it is.
UWESU produce a monthly newspaper entitled WesternEye, created by an in-house team of students with a full-time paid editor.
A student radio station, Hub Radio, was started in September 2004 in conjunction with UWE. It currently broadcasts via the Internet and across Bristol on 1449AM.