Brandon University Students' Union

The Brandon University Students' Union (BUSU) represents undergraduate, graduate, and distance students at Brandon University (BU) in Manitoba, Canada. BUSU is a not-for-profit organization that represents approximately 3,200 students. BUSU was incorporated in 1969, and joined the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) as Local 37 in 1984.

BUSU hosts a variety of events such as speakers, socials, and free food giveaways as well as organizing orientation events at the beginning of each September and January.

BUSU is contracted by the Knowles-Douglas Commission to maintain the day-to-day operations of the Knowles-Douglas Centre, which includes the campus bookstore, Headlines Hair Studio, Forbidden Flavors, and Look Music as tenants.

The BUSU office is located on the first floor of the Knowles-Douglas Centre at Brandon University.

Services

The BUSU office functions as the central lost and found for BU. Each year the students' union produces ~3,000 student planners, which are available to students for free. The handbook provides information about the university and the students' union along with a weekly calendar for students to track course assignments and all of their extra curricular activities. BUSU and BU each contribute $15,000 annually to the work study program annually. The funding is granted to professors and other members of the BU Community to hire students to assist in research projects, or in other engagement with the local community.

BUSU and BU each contribute $6,000 annually to the Student Travel & Conference Fund. This service is intended to assist students in covering their travel expenses and conference fees associated with participation in off-campus learning experiences. BUSU works closely with the BU Career Planning office and other employers to provide students with a current website for part-time and summer jobs. In 2015 the Assiniboine Community College Students’ Association (ACCSA) and BUSU began a partnership to implement a student discount program with participating businesses throughout out Brandon.

Between May 2015 and April 2016 over 300 hampers were distributed helping almost 900 people by the food bank. Every year BUSU hosts the Halloween Food Drive. Student clubs from BU compete to collect the most weight of non-perishable food by trick-or-treating around Brandon. In 2008, Brandon University students voted in favor of creating a Health and Dental Plan for students who do not have alternative coverage. BUSU administers the Health and Dental plan provided by C&C Insurance and Student VIP.

Collectives

BUSU funds, houses, and helps organize four^[3] Collectives on the BU campus. The Collectives have guaranteed funding from BUSU each year and deal primarily with topics of gender, expression, diversity, nationality, and inclusion.

• Womens' Collective^[4]
• LGBTTQ* Collective^[5]
• Brandon University Aboriginal Student Council^[6]
• International Students' Organisation^[7]

Fees

The following are fees collected by BUSU through the Brandon University.

• Brandon University Students’ Union Membership: This fee goes towards the student union’s annual operating budget to provide services and governance for students, in addition to organizing events, activities, and campaigns.
• Knowles Douglas Centre (KDC) Student Building Fund: This fee covers the day to day operating costs of the Knowles Douglas Centre, also known as the Student Union Building. Costs such as maintenance, repairs, hydro, steam, water, and cleaning. Surplus funds from this fee are allocated towards increasing student space on campus.
• Health and Dental: Only students registered in 12 credit hours or more from September to April or Graduate students are automatically enrolled in the plan. This fee provides students with comprehensive Health & Dental coverage all year.
• U-Pass (Brandon Transit): This fee provides all students on the Brandon campus with access to regular Brandon Transit Bus service all year.
• Canadian Federation of Students Membership: All members of BUSU are also members of the CFS. The CFS provides students with a range of services from the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) to government lobbying on a provincial and national level.
• Quill Levy: This levy allows for BU students to have access to a weekly Student newspaper, both in print and online.
• World University Service of Canada: The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) provides funding for refugee students to attend university in Canada. This fee helps sponsor two refugee students to attend BU.

Structure

The BUSU Council is elected on an annual basis from May 1 to April 30 every year. The General Election takes place around reading week in late February, and the By-election takes place around reading week in early November.

The BUSU Council currently has 17 positions:^[8]

Executive

• President
• Vice President Internal
• Vice President External

Directors

• Arts Director
• Science Director
• Health Studies Director
• Music Director
• Education Director
• Graduate Studies Director
• Part-Time/Mature Students Director
• Women's Director
• Indigenous Peoples' Director
• Sexuality and Gender Identity-Based Director
• International Students Director
• Residence Director
• Accessibility Director
• Racialized Director

See also

• List of Canadian students' associations
• Canadian Federation of Students

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brandon University Students' Union.

• Official website
• Brandon University

Canadian students' associations
Undergraduate	Acadia Alberta Athabasca Bishop's Brandon British Columbia Brock Calgary Carleton Concordia Dalhousie First Nations Guelph Lethbridge Manitoba McGill McMaster Memorial Ottawa Queen's Ryerson St. Francis Xavier St. Thomas Simon Fraser Toronto UPEI Victoria Waterloo Western Wilfrid Laurier Windsor York
Graduate	McGill Ottawa Ryerson
School memberships	ASEC ASSÉ CASA CAUS CFS CSA FECQ FEUQ NBSA OUSA SNS TaCEQ UEQ