University of Warwick Students' Union
Encyclopedia
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
for the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The Students' Union developed in tandem with the University and has existed since 1965. In its first few decades, it was heavily involved with the protestProtest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s, rent strike
Rent strike
A rent strike is a method of protest commonly employed against large landlords. In a rent strike, a group of tenants come together and agree to refuse to pay their rent en masse until a specific list of demands is met by the landlord...
s, and occupations which earned the University the nickname of 'Red Warwick.' In 1974 one Warwick student Kevin Gately
Kevin Gately
Kevin Gately was a second year student of mathematics at the University of Warwick who died as a result of injuries received in the Red Lion Square disorders in London on 15 June 1974...
was killed during the Red Lion Square disorders
Red Lion Square disorders
The Red Lion Square disorders were an event in 1974.On 15 June that year, the National Front marched through London's West End; their march was to finish with a meeting in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square. The London Area Council for Liberation conducted a counter demonstration which consisted of a...
. More recently, in 2009, many Students' Union officers were active in the occupation of a lecture theatre in the Social Studies (S0.21) building to express solidarity with Gaza.
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
E. P. Thompson
Edward Palmer Thompson was a British historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is probably best known today for his historical work on the British radical movements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular The Making of the English Working Class...
.
On a day to day basis, the Union is run by seven Sabbatical Officers elected by cross-campus ballot.
Former Presidents
| Year | President | Year | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–1966 | Mike (Czeslaw) Kosniowski | 1984–1985 | Mike Moran | |
| 1965–1966 | Peter Shellard | 1985–1986 | Tommy Webb | |
| 1966–1967 | Alan Hill | 1986–1987 | Andrew Woodhouse | |
| 1966–1967 | Tony Ward | 1987–1988 | Terry Durkin | |
| 1966–1967 | Richard Clifton | 1988–1989 | Andy Shearer | |
| 1967–1968 | Graham Webster-Gardiner | 1989–1990 | Julia Offord | |
| 1967–1968 | Tony O'Rourke | 1990–1991 | Ian Bradley | |
| 1968–1969 | Alan Phillips | 1991–1992 | Alan Nott | |
| 1969–1970 | Michael Poulton | 1992–1993 | Ian R. Corfield | |
| 1969–1970 | Trevor Griffiths | 1993–1994 | Kevin Turnbull | |
| 1970–1971 | Will Fitzgerald | 1994–1995 | Andy Poulter | |
| 1971–1972 | Kevin O'Donovan | 1995–1996 | Josh Wong | |
| 1972–1973 | Louis Paperis | 1996–1997 | Jon Norburn | |
| 1973–1974 | Pete Ashby | 1997–1998 | Jon Pycroft | |
| 1974–1975 | Alistair Edwards | 1998–1999 | Jo Scaife | |
| 1974–1975 | Kasper de Graaf | 1999–2000 | Martin Biggs | |
| 1975–1976 | Jimmie Quinn | 2000–2001 | Caitlin McKenzie | |
| 1975–1976 | Phil Dixon | 2001–2002 | John Dubber | |
| 1976–1977 | M. Whyte | 2002–2003 | Greg Jones | |
| 1977–1978 | Andrew Chalk | 2003–2004 | 'Big' Bob Jones | |
| 1978–1979 | Phil Dixon | 2004–2005 | Simon Lucas | |
| 1979–1980 | Alan Watson | 2005–2006 | Kat Stark | |
| 1980–1981 | Frankie Devine | 2006–2007 | Brian Duggan | |
| 1981–1982 | Robin Edwardes | 2007–2008 | Joe Kirby | |
| 1982–1983 | Gavin Reddin | 2008–2009 | Stuart 'Tommo' Thomson | |
| 1983–1984 | Richard Jones | 2009–2010 | Andrew Bradley | |
| 2010–2011 | Daniel Stevens | |||
| 2011–2012 | Leo Boe |
Governance
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, 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:
- ReferendumReferendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s - Conducted by The Elections Group - General Meetings - open to all full members and have a quorumQuorumA quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
of 200. - Union CouncilUnion Council (students' union)A Union Council is a body of elected or appointed representatives who represent students who are members of a students' union. Union Council's often have the power to hold the Union's Officers to account and to create new Union policies. The Council is usually not responsible for implementing...
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.
Referendums
Referendums 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. Referendums are subject to a quorumQuorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
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.
General Meetings
The Annual General MeetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
(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
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
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.
Union Council
Union Council is a group of about 70 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).Executive Committee
The remit of the ExecutiveExecutive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
Committee, which is a standing committee
Standing Committee
In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...
with 16 members, is adherence to Union policy. It consists of the seven Sabbatical Officers, the chairs of the Union's standing committees, and the chair of the Committee. The committee has several responsibilities:
- Executive members are responsible for holding the Sabbatical Officers, as elected student representatives, to account.
- The committee has a responsibility to implement and monitor Union policy passed at Union Council, a general meeting, or a referendum. It also has the power to pass Union regulations governing subjects such as elections, sports clubs and societies, and 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.
Current Elected Sabbatical Union Officers
- President: Leo Bøe
- Education Officer: Sean Ruston
- Union Development Officer: George Whitworth
- Welfare Officer: Izzy John
- Democracy Officer: Chris Luck
- Sports Officer: Chris Sury
- Societies Officer: Matthew Rogers
Current Part-time Union Officers
- Chair of Council: Rory Kinane
- Deputy Chair of Council: Vacant
- Executive Committee Chair: Gareth Williams
- Academic Forum Coordinator: Iqra Musaddaq
- Campaigns Forum Coordinator: Megan Fortune
- International Forum Coordinator: Akshay Bhatia
- Democracy Committee Chair: Vicky Fowler
- Student Sports Committee Chair: Kimberley Robinson
- Societies Committee Chair: Rick Dewhurst-Lister
- Welfare Committee Chair: Sophie Allkins
- Ethics and Social Justice Officer: Fatema Karim
- Environment Campaigns Officer: Sam Tovey
- LGBTUA+ Campaigns Officer: Isobel John
- Students with Disabilities Officer: Benjamin Elvidge
- Ethnic Minorities Campaigns Officer: Kate Rhule
- Anti-Racism Campaigns Coordinator: Jehanzeb Khan
- Women's Campaigns Officer: Charli Fritzner
- Undergraduate Arts Faculty Representative: Stephanie Poole
- Undergraduate Social Sciences Representative: Erin Davies
- Undergraduate Science Representative: John Lapage
- Medical Faculty Representative: Vacant
Affiliations
The Union is a constituent member of:- Aldwych GroupAldwych GroupThe Aldwych Group is the group of students' unions of the members of the Russell Group of Universities in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994, as a watchdog in response to the creation of the Russell Group....
- Association for Managers in Students' UnionsAssociation for Managers in Students' UnionsThe mission of the Association of Managers in Students' Unions is to enhance the management of UK students' unions.AMSU publish a journal called Agenda which includes articles by and for students' union staff....
(AMSU) - British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS)
- National Postgraduate CommitteeNational Postgraduate CommitteeThe National Postgraduate Committee of the United Kingdom represents postgraduates at UK universities. Since 2002 it has held charitable status...
(NPC) - National Union of Students (NUS)
- Skill: National Bureau for Students With DisabilitiesNational Bureau for Students With DisabilitiesSkill: National Bureau for Students With Disabilities is a UK charity promoting opportunities for people with any kind of disability in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK....
The Union is also a shareholder in the NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL).
Students' Union building
The Union - apparently the largest in Europe - consists of Union South (largely food, drink and entertainment) and Union North (mostly administration, offices and meeting rooms).The Students' Union got its first building, Union South, in 1975, after a long struggle with the University under Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth
Jack Butterworth, Baron Butterworth
John Blackstocke Butterworth, CBE, DL was a British lawyer.Jack, as he liked to be called, was graduated in jurisprudence from Oxford University on the eve of the Second World War...
, who said to Will Fitzgerald (President of the Union in 1970-1): "the Students' Union will never have its own building." Union North was added in the 1990s and, until recently, was linked to Union South by the 'link corridor.'
Union South Rebuild
The Union South building underwent a £11 million refurbishment in Spring 2008, which was completed in January 2010. The new facilities included a club and gig venue, a pub, various food outlets, spaces for societies and a pool room.Societies
The Union runs more clubs and societies than any other in the vicinity; currently there are 257 societies and 76 sports clubs including a student newspaper, radio stationRadio Warwick
Radio Warwick or RaW is the student radio station at the University of Warwick and winner of the 2000 and 2003 BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Association Best Station awards....
television station, and Student Record Label.
Union Companies
The Union has four subsidiary companies:- Student Union Services Warwick Limited (Registered company number: 02197761)
- Membership Solutions Limited (Registered company number: 05525449)
- Warwick Students Union Services Limited, (Registered company number: 01187495) (mostly dormant and retained due to contracts held in its name)
- Students' Union Warwick Events Limited (Registered company number: 06371766)
Former members
The Conservative MP David DavisDavid Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
stood for the position of President during his attendance at Warwick, but failed to win. He also founded Radio Warwick
Radio Warwick
Radio Warwick or RaW is the student radio station at the University of Warwick and winner of the 2000 and 2003 BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Association Best Station awards....
, the student radio station.