University College London Union

University College London Union, founded in 1893, has a credible claim to be England's oldest students' union. [cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/history/landmarks |title=Landmarks in UCL history |publisher=University College London Union |accessdate=2008-09-16] It was formed with the following objectives: "the promotion of social intercourse and of the means of recreation, physical and mental, of the students of University College, and the financial successes of students' clubs". UCL Union was the first of its kind as it was formed for both athletics clubs and social activities alike.

Since its formation, the Union has taken on responsibility for many aspects of student life. Events for example were seen as a key element hence the establishment of an Ents Committee. The student magazine Pi (then known as the Gazette) was formed a few years later and the Somers Town sports venue was also acquired.

UCL Union is affiliated to the National Union of Students and the National Postgraduate Committee.

Organisation

Student Development is at the heart of the work the Union does today. UCL Union runs over 140 clubs and societies for its members. It runs commercial services including ten bars, cafés and two shops, a fitness centre. UCL students, through the Union has nine weeks free access to put on student shows and events in the UCL-owned professionally run Bloomsbury Theatre.

The Union's sports clubs have access to several different venues including Astor College Gym, Bloomsbury Fitness, the Somers Town Sports Centre and the 100 acre Shenley Sports grounds, which Watford Football Club rent for training purposes.

UCLU provides support to students through Workstation and the Rights & Advice Centre, and has a highly active Voluntary Services Unit, providing volunteering opportunities for over 250 students a year.

As well as magazine "Pi", the Union's media output includes the radio station Rare FM, the "alternative" magazine The Cheese Grater and a number of other smaller publications. The University of London Union's newspaper, London Student, is also distributed at UCL Union, as UCL is one of the University of London's constituent colleges.

Clubs and Societies

UCL has numerous clubs and societies, catering to a range of interests, which include, sports, film, drama, martial arts, politics and degree-subjects. The University College London Union debating society, founded in 1828, is the oldest debating society in England. Each year UCL stages an opera, despite its lack of a music department. UCOpera receives considerable national press coverage.

Events

UCL Union has, in the past, hosted regular events with cheap drinks and music to cater for a broad range of tastes. Famous amongst London students who have attended the Union bars were: "99s" on Monday nights, "Postgrad Nite" on Tuesdays, "Sports Nite" on Wednesdays, which was (and still is) notorious for its drunken sports player antics, "Cocktails" on Thursdays and "Fives" fortnightly on Saturdays (where drinks were even cheaper than usual). Of these events, only Sportsnite now remains. Recent popular additions include "Bar FooTSiE" (wordplay on FTSE), which is best described as a drinks stock market in which the most recently popular drinks rise in price and those less popular become cheaper. This occurs on Mondays in the Huntley Street Medics' Bar and Fridays in the bars of the main building. Another new addition is the "Retribution" night organised by UCLU's "RockSoc" on alternate Tuesdays. This is a lively alternative rock and metal night which sees the occasional live band playing in Easy Js bar to crowds of students with greater-than-average length hair.

The full-time Union Sabbatical Officers and Union administration are based in the Gordon St building - Club & Society administration, together with student welfare services and student volunteering are based in the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre building.

Following the introduction of a new Events Department at UCL Union in late 2006, UCL Union has successfully made building changes to their main building allowing the capacity to increase to its previous size. There is now a new events programme operating six nights a week and they have also lengthened their opening hours to 2am in the morning on certain nights.

In 2007, UCL Union also dramatically increased the amount of events they hosted in external venues by creating their "VODPOP" brand @ Turnmills, that is now one of the biggest Student Club Nights in London. They have also produced events at a variety of other top London clubs including, Ministry of Sound, KOKO, Heaven and Egg.

Campaigns

2008 Banning of Armed Forces recruitment

In March 2008, a motion [cite web |url=http://www.live.cgcu.net/files/news/1712/troops%20out%20of%20ucl.doc |title=Motion: Troops out of UCL |publisher=University College London Union |format=DOC |accessdate=2008-09-16] was passed during the Union's Annual General Meeting to ban Armed Forces groups and societies including the Officer Training Corps (OTC) and University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) from operating within UCLU locations and events. [cite news |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23450359-details/Students+ban+the+military/article.do |title=Students ban the military last=Rosser |first=Nigel |coauthors=Mendick, Robert |publisher=Evening Standard (London) |date=2008-03-07 |accessdate=2008-09-16] This action made headlines in the British national press, partly due to an unrelated issue at the time where RAF personnel in Peterborough had been ordered not to wear uniform off-site for fear of aggression from members of the public.

As a result of controversy surrounding the meeting, some of the Union's sabbatical officers and management 'suspended' the Union's General Secretary and declared results of Annual General Meeting invalid.cite web |url=http://www.uclunion.org/general/downloads/notices/emergency-motion-for-council-18.03.08.pdf |title=Emergency motion for Council |date=2008-03-18 |publisher=University College London Union |accessdate=2008-09-16 |format=PDF] [cite web |url=http://www.socialist.net/student-power-right-wing-manoeuvres-defeated-by-left.htm |title=Student Power: A Microcosm of right-wing manoeuvres and how they were defeated by the left |last=Mc Donald |first=Melanie |publisher=Socialist Appeal |date=2008-04-29 |accessdate=2008-09-16] Through a subsequent motion passed through the Union's governing body, Union Council, the suspension of the General Secretary was declared void and over-turned and the decisions made at the Annual General Meeting were ratified. [cite news |url=http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=14479 |title=Striking blow for democracy at UCL |date=2008-03-29 |publisher=Socialist Worker |accessdate=2008-09-16] The Sabbatical team who were responsible for suspending the General Secretary were mandated by the Union to issue a public apology to the General Secretary for their actions in the same motion. [cite web |url=http://www.uclunion.org/student-union/noticeboard/index.php |title=Notice board |publisher=University College Union |date=2008-03-19 |accessdate=2008-09-16] Later attempts made at committee level to call a referendum on military recruitment were defeated by supporters of the motion. [cite web |url=http://www.london-student.net/2008/05/26/death-by-paperwork/ |title=Death by paperwork |publisher=London Student |accessdate=2008-09-16]

Pro-Palestine

UCL Union has also experienced several controversies relating to pro-Palestinian activism. The Union first received media attention when the UCL Union Friends of Palestine Society had an exhibition on Palestine which was accused of being offensive. [cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1204213983805&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |title=London students slam anti-Israel exhibition |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |last=Paul |first=Jonny |date=2008-02-28 |accessdate=2008-09-16] The Union later officially adopted a pro-Palestinian position by voting to twin with two Palestinian Universities; an amendment to twin with an Israeli university was voted down. [cite web |url=http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/twin-universities.html |title=Twinning with Palestine Universtiy news |publisher=Twinning with Palestine |date=2008-03-06 |accessdate=2008-09-16]

Sabbatical Officers

Current

Past officers

This table uses the 2000–2008 officer titles.

References

External links

* [http://www.uclunion.org UCL Union web site]