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| Motto | Mens Agitat Molem - Mind moves matter |
|---|---|
| Institution | Newcastle University |
| Location | King's Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Established | c.1970 (merger of the JUS and the SRC) |
| President | Andriana Georgiou |
| Members | c. 17,800 |
| Affiliations | National Union of Students, Aldwych Group, British Universities and Colleges Sport |
| Website | www.unionsociety.co.uk |
The Newcastle University Union Society is the students' union of Newcastle University, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It aims to represent students' interests at the university and provide services on a daily basis
History
The current Union Society exists due to the merger of several earlier student organisations. The oldest of these was the Junior Union Society (founded in 1880) which arranged debates and dances. The other organisation was known as the Union Society. The previous Union Society dealt almost solely with student societies and entertainment and was governed by a Union Management Committee. The committee is composed of the President (in the Chair), the Lady President, two Vice Presidents (one male, one female), the Secretary, and various members of staff from King’s College (including the Bursar and the Society Steward). This structure remained in varying forms until the 1950s.
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of Armstrong College (a former college of Durham University) was formed in 1900 to represent all students in matters of policy to the Board of Professors. It remained a separate entity, being the SRC of King's College in the University of Durham from 1937-63 and subsequently Newcastle University from 1963–82, when it merged with the Union Society.
With the construction of the current Union building in 1925, to be used by students of both Armstrong College and the Durham University College of Medicine, the care of the building was vested in a separate Board of Trustees, appointed by the University Council. The Trustees are responsible for maintaining the fabric of the original building but also play a role as scrutinisers of constitutional changes and as channels of appeal in certain matters.
The Union Society, in its current form as provider of on-campus entertainments, student services, welfare and debates, has been established since 1970.
The building
Unlike the majority of other students' unions in the UK, the Union Society owns the building in which it is housed. The Union building was built in 1924 following a generous gift from an anonymous donor, who is now believed to have been Sir Cecil Cochrane, a major benefactor to the University. It is built in the neo-Jacobean style and was designed by the local architect Robert Burns Dick whose firm designed the Laing Art Gallery, the towers of the Tyne Bridge and The Spanish City in Whitley Bay. It was opened on 22 October 1925 by the Rt. Hon. Lord Eustace Percy, who later served as Rector of King's College from 1937 to 1952. It is a Grade II listed building.
Recent history
Substantial additions were made to the rear in the 1960's in a contemporary style, including the debating chambers section, which was demolished in 2003.
The Union Society had a Post Office which was located in the main student shop, however on 2 September 2008 the Post Office announced that a number or branches in the North East of England, including the branch within the Union Society, closed on 23 January 2009 as part of the Post Office's restructuring programme.
From 17 January until mid-September 2009 the King's Walk steps access to the university were closed, due to essential work on the King's Gate building. During the Summer of 2009 the area in front of the union building was refurbished.
In 2009 a branch of the Abbey bank opened inside the union; in January 2010 this was rebranded as Santander. Over the years this area of the union has housed many different companies including insurers and printers. On 5 January 2010 a branch of Greggs opened in the union; Greggs was founded in the Gosforth area of Newcastle, before becoming the nation's largest bakery chain.
2010–2011 refurbishment
Starting 1 November 2010 the Union Building will undergo a redevelopment project for which the University have donated up to £8 million. The refurbishment is due to be complete before September 2011. During redevelopment some of the Union's services such as the Activities Centre, SCAN, the Student Advice Centre and the Officer team will move to Park Terrace. The old Museum of Antiquities building will house the Union's commercial services including the shop.
Projects included in the redevelopment are converting the top floor into a social learning area, similar to YourSpace in the Robinson Library, new computer cluster areas and a branded coffee bar. The Activities Office, SCAN, the Athletic Union and the Union's student media outlets will be located on the middle floor. A new space for part-time officers will be developed. The current Mens Bar will become a location for advice services and offices, as well as a representation and democracy area. The Cochrane Lounge and Rijos will be the new Union shop. The site of the current shop will be a modern bar and catering area and the Basement will be a multi-function social space. The new design will have Wheelchair access.
Union structure
The Union Society is run by six sabbatical officers and fifteen part time unpaid officer positions (some positions such as Freshers' Week Organisers and RAG Week Officers are job-shares). The officers report to the Union Council, the legislative body of the Union Society which consists of:
- The Officers
- Society and Club Representatives
- Sub Council Representatives
- University School Representatives
The Union Society also employs around 300 people in various ancillary roles including Bar staff and Entertainment organisers. The General Manager works closely with the President to ensure that the Union Society's standards and procedures are maintained.
Elections
The elections are typically held in November and the following March of each academic year. Since 2007, all union elections have been conducted using electronic voting.
Events
'Unite' was the Union's flagship student night (from September 2008, replacing 'Solution'), open to students from any university with a valid student card, and their guests. As of 24 April, a new version of Solution and Unite was launched under the banner of '2ManyRooms'.
Newcastle University Freshers' Week, previously known as the First Year Conference (or FYC) is organised by four elected part-time officers of the Union Society. The event has gained a national reputation for being one of the largest and best Freshers' Week welcome events in the country. In 2002, The Guardian published an article on university life at Newcastle University and included the following quotation: "Newcastle University deserves every inch of its reputation for having a first class freshers' week, and other universities should follow suit."
Other regular Saturday nights at the Union include Brighton Beach, Federation and Freaky Dancing. Every term, the whole building is opened up until 5am the next morning for the dance event Arcane. Notable DJs such as BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe have played at Arcane.
A line-up of nationally acclaimed acts have performed at the Union Society including Maxïmo Park, Snow Patrol, Kosheen, The Fratellis, Coldplay, Low, Mercury Rev, Goldie Lookin' Chain, Chicane, The Hoosiers and Damien Rice.
Notes
- Bettenson, E (1971). The University of Newcastle upon Tyne: a historical introduction, 1834–1971. University of Newcastle upon Tyne. ISBN 0900565322.
- "Union Debating Chamber". Newcastle University SINE Project. 2004. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- "Post Office consultation". BBC Tyne News. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- "King's Walk to close for re-development". Newcastle University. 2008-12-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
External links
54°58′44″N 1°36′54″W / 54.978912°N 1.614984°W / 54.978912; -1.614984
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