University of Queensland Union

The University of Queensland Union (UQU) is a student organisation established to provide service, support and representation to the students of the University of Queensland.

Aims

The specific aims of the UQU as defined by its constitution are:

a) to further the right of all people to a quality education on an equal basis;
b) to advance the interests of students in the fields of social security, health, welfare, equity, equal opportunity and cultural activities;
c) to represent students within the University and the community;
d) to financially assist affiliated bodies;
e) to provide quality facilities and services to students;
f) to foster the principle of student unionism; and
g) to do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects and the exercise of the powers of the Union.

Student Services

The UQU operates most of the campus' student eateries, cafes, bookshops in addition to the university bar and cinema. These facilities and services are concentrated at the Union Complex at the St Lucia campus.

The UQU organises the university's orientation week ("O-Week") activities, regular barbecues and free bands, as well as a range of larger events, such as Oktoberfest. It funds the university's 135 clubs and societies, including faculty, ethnic, and a variety of social groups; sporting groups, however, fall under the domain of UQ Sport. The UQU also provides a free legal service to university students. In addition, it also organises the weekly Wednesday markets at the St Lucia campus.

One of the other roles of the UQU is to see that minority groups on campus are adequately supported. To this extent, it provides a Queer Space at St Lucia campus and Women's Spaces at both St Lucia and Ipswich campuses. The spaces at St Lucia are rooms in the UQ Union building, open all the time; they provide a safe place for discussion and political organization related to women's and queer issues, as well as socialising. They also provide students with access to information about relevant topics like feminism and safe sex. UQU also has queer, women's, environment, disabilities and Indigenous collectives to represent their respective interests, all of which are headed by at least one elected officer who sits on the UQU committee.

Student Representation

UQU coordinates student representation to the University through its Student Representation and Postgraduate Student Areas, supporting students to take positions on faculty and University committees, and the Academic Board. UQU recently successfully negotiated for the University to contribute 1 million dollars to the Union annually for student services. UQU also negotiated for the "formula marking" scheme (under which markers can deduct marks in multiple choice exams if a marker believes the student guessed answers) to be abolished .

Postgraduate Students

In 2010 the UQU along with the University of Technology Sydney Student Association (UTSSA) become the first student unions to be disaffiliated from the Council of Australia Postgraduate Associates Incorporated (CAPA). CAPA is the peak body representing the interests of Australia's 300,000+ postgraduate students. Founded in 1979, CAPA is a membership based non-profit organisation.^[1]

According to a press release ^[2] the decision from CAPA was based on a number of factors including failure to respond to repeated attempts to engage with CAPA, failure to pay affiliation fees since 2005, consistent failure to send representatives to the CAPA annual conference and failure to adequately represent postgraduate students and their concerns. The UQU in combination with UTSSA owed CAPA in excess of $145,000 in outstanding affiliation fees, which has now been written off as bad debt.

In 2011 UQ postgraduate students re-formed a postgraduate representative body within the UQU, called the UQ Association of Postgraduate Students (APS). This new body has been in regular contact with CAPA and sent a representative to the 2011 CAPA annual conference in Sydney.

UQU Clubs and Societies

The UQU oversees over 160 student run Clubs and Societies, with a combined membership across these clubs of approximately 30,000 students. Clubs fall under one of four broad categories based on where they derive their membership base. These categories include: Faculty/School; International Students; Colleges; and General Interest.

Clubs play a vital role on campus, with the majority of social events at UQ being run by these student groups. The ten largest clubs by membership base in 2011 were:

Executives of the UQU

Notable Alumni

The UQU has produced a number of notable alumni including Governors-General of Australia, CEOs, Chief Justices of Australia and State Premiers.

• Sir Thomas Groom, UQU President 1928, Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• Sir Harry Gibbs GCMG, AC, KBE, QC, UQU President 1936, Chief Justice of the High Court
• Ivor Cribb, UQU President 1944, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland
• Sir Walter Campbell AC QC, UQU President 1942, Governor, Supreme Court Judge, Chancellor of the University of Queensland
• Barry Murphy, UQU President 1963, CEO of Caltex
• Robert Wensley QC, Deputy Chancellor of the University of Queensland
• Anna Bligh, UQU Vice President 1981, Premier of Queensland

See also

• University of Queensland
• University of Queensland Business Association
• Semper Floreat (UQU Publications)
• University of Queensland Debating Society
• Union College
• University of Queensland Intercollege Council
• UQU Schonell Theatre
• National Association of Australian University Colleges

References

External links

• UQ Union