LSE Students' Union

Infobox Students Union
name = London School of Economics and Political Science Students' Union


institution = London School of Economics and Political Science
president = Aled Dilwyn Fisher (General Secretary
other_sabbs = Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang (Education & Welfare)

Wil Barber (Treasurer)Dan Sheldon (Communications Officer)

location = East Building, Houghton Street, Westminster, London, England
members = 8,810 cite web |url=http://www.hesa.ac.uk/holisdocs/pubinfo/student/institution0506.htm |title=Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06 |work=Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics |accessdate=2007-03-31]
affiliated = NUS, ULU, National Postgraduate Committee, BUSA, Aldwych Group
free =
homepage = [http://www.lsesu.com www.lsesu.com]

The London School of Economics Students' Union (LSESU) is the representative and campaigning body for students at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It is affiliated with the National Union of Students and the National Postgraduate Committee as well as University of London Union. The LSESU is also a member of the Aldwych Group, the national group of Students' Unions which mirror the members of the Russell Group.

It is one of the oldest Students' Union in the United Kingdom, and often regarded as the most politically active in Britain - a reputation it has held since the well documented LSE student riots in 1966-67 and 1968-69, [cite web |title=BBC website: LSE Student Protests |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6299579.stm] [cite web |title=BBC website: On This Day - LSE Student Protests
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/13/newsid_2542000/2542639.stm] which made international headlines, and its links with the political, economic and business world give it great influence to debate and rally on major issues, both campus related and internationally.

LSE is the only UK university to have a UGM every week, with meetings and debates proving very popular plus there are over 200 student societies, many representing nationalities where students come from. LSE also has more academic societies then most other universities. The oldest and one of the largest society's is the Grimshaw IR Club, [http://www.lse-students.ac.uk/grimshaw/main.html] founded in 1921 which arranges study trips abroad. Competing financial societies are by far the most popular at the LSE, with several enjoying memberships of over 2000 students. They are viewed as often good preparation for a professional banking job, with several arranging trading competitions. These societies also help maintain the strong investment bank presence on campus.

All students studying at the LSE on courses of one year or more in duration are automatically enrolled as members of the LSESU.

Location

The Union is based in the East Building of the main LSE campus on Houghton Street, in the City of Westminster, centred around The Quad, a multi-purpose venue, used during the day as a social meeting place, and nightly as a club and live gig venue. Is location means that space is limited and thus the Union feels very cramped, though there are future plans to relocate the SU to other premises within the School by 2011.

History

[
Fabian Society flag which was flown by LSE students till the 1950's.] The LSESU has often been in national focus for its activities. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6299579.stm Testing the student political mood] ] In 1967, David Adelstein, president of the Students' Union, and Marshall Bloom, president of the Graduate Students' Association, were suspended from the School for taking part in a protest against the appointment of Walter Adams as Director of the School in which a porter died of a heart attack. Adams had previously been in Rhodesia and was accused of complicity in the regime's white minority rule. The suspensions were reversed five days after students began a hunger strike in opposition to the move [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/13/newsid_2542000/2542639.stm 1967: Protest over student suspensions] ] . An American citizen, Bloom committed suicide in 1969 when he was called up to fight in Vietnam.

The LSESU once again made the news during 1969 for its student activism when radical students closed the School for three weeks. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/24/newsid_2506000/2506485.stm 1969: LSE closes over student clashes] ] The protests were against the appointment of Walter Adams as Director of the School and his order of installation of security gates at the LSE. These gates were later removed. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/january/24/newsid_2639000/2639609.stm 1969: Once a rebel] ]

The LSESU elected Winston Silcott, one of the Tottenham Three who were originally convicted of the murder of PC Keith Blakelock during the Broadwater Farm riot and then released when the evidence used to convict him was found to be unsafe, as Honorary President as a protest against miscarriages of justice. This led to a large amount of hate mail, much of it racist in nature, including death threats being sent to the LSESU. There was media outrage, particularly amongst the tabloid press, at the action.

Historically, the LSESU is politically left-leaning with many strong socialist, and more recently, since the 1990s, green political societies. Currently, its largest party political society is the LSESU Green Party.

The LSESU voted in March 2005 to stay affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS). The current Honorary President of the LSESU is the Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Honorary Vice President is Khaled Al-Mudallal, the Bradford University student of Palestinian origin who was stranded in Gaza due to the closure of all borders to the external world by the Israeli military occupation. [Campaign to support Khaled: http://www.letkhaledstudy.co.uk/ ] The LSE also made it in the broadsheets in 2007 with protests about the appointment of Peter Sutherland to the Governors Board, improving wages for cleaners on campus and the alignment of the SU with Ken Livingstone as Mayor for London.

Students are often very active in getting speakers at the LSE including Johan Galtung, Vince Cable, Geir Lundestad, actors, politicians, sports personalities along with central bankers and investment bank CEO's.

Recent Achievements

In 2005, the LSESU campaigned successfully [cite web|url=http://www.lsesu.com/pages/your_union/campaigns/environment_and_ethics/the_living_wage_campaign/|title=The Living Wage Campaign|accessdate=2008-06-05] to secure a Living Wage for the cleaners on campus and within the LSE's residences. The campaign was led by students, cleaners, academics and The East London Citizens Organisation (TELCO) and has involved several high profile protests, petitions, UGM motions and consistent lobbying of the School's administration in an effort to lift cleaners out of poverty pay.

In 2006, the LSESU voted to divest from 14 listed arms companies and are currently lobbying the School to do the same.

In 2007, the LSESU voted to twin with An-Najah National University Students' Council in Nablus, Palestine, and to affiliate to the Right to Education Campaign in support of the Palestinian Right to Education. [Right to Education Campaign website: http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/]

In 2008, the LSESU voted to divest its funds from Israel over its abuses against the Palestinians. The divestment motion also calls for the end of the siege in Gaza and to support organisations that work for peace and justice in Israel-Palestine such as Zochrot and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. [LSE SU divests from Israel: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/391427.html]

Facilities

[

Lincoln's Inn Fields, with the uni's tennis courts to the left] The Quad is the heart of the SU, a large space used as a meeting, socialising and cafe by day and as a venue for live entertainments, gigs and the weekly "Fresh" night every Friday. The LSESU also runs and upkeeps the recently refurbished Three Tuns and Underground Bars on campus, as well as the Student Union Shop on Houghton Street, Quad Café, Advice Centre, Copy Shop, Three Tuns Kitchen, Alpha Books (a secondhand bookshop) and a coffee cart. In addition, the Union is home to the offices of the LSE Media Group, "The Beaver" newspaper, and its associated radio and television stations. There are also numerous squash courts (proving the most popualar sport at LSE), an indoor basketball court and tennis courts in Lincoln's Inn Fields. The school owns a 25 acre site for football and rugby in Surrey. The cricket team train at Lord's.

ocieties and Events

The Union is responsible for the organisation and undertaking of entertainment events and student societies ('socs') on campus, of which more than 200 are currently enlisted catering to a wide variety of interests [cite web |title=Societies A-Z List |url=http://www.lsesu.com/main/societies/list] . There are over fifty national societies, reflecting LSE’s position as the most international higher education establishment on the planet. Additionally, there are societies reflecting the School’s background and interests including business, investment banking, NGOs and government organisations, as well as countless political societies. The largest political party at the LSE as of October 2007, is the Green Party.

FRESH!

"Fresh!" is the LSE's main student night, held every Friday during term time (approximately 30 weeks a year) in The Three Tuns, Underground and Quad. It is the largest student night in the UK, running from 8.00pm until 3.00am each week. It is open only to NUS members and their guests, and takes a different theme each week, with recent themes including "Chav Crush!", "Bollywood Crush!" and "Foam Party Crush!".

The Chuckle Club

"The Chuckle Club" is a weekly comedy club help in the LSE student union bar the Three Tuns; nationally recognised in its field and is open to both students and the general public. Its location in the heart of London, ensures that it is able to attract the top names in stand-up comedy including Andy Parsons, Will Smith, Ricky Gervais, Will Self, Paul Merton, Adam Bloom and Russell Howard.

The Chuckle Club came to the LSE in 1994, when Gary Delaney (now a stand-up comic) was Entertainments Sabbatical and offered the club, which was losing its previous residency, a home. The Club has thrived at the School ever since.

Three Tuns Quiz

Tuesday night has historically been the night of the Three Tuns Quiz night, hosted regularly by the School's Director Sir Howard Davies who takes the reign as Quizmaster.

Athletics Union Night

The Athletics Union reigns on Wednesday nights in the Three Tuns and Underground Bars, where LSE's sportsmen and women meet up after matches and games to celebrate, commiserate and take part in the time-old tradition of karaoke.

Regular gigs and events from musicians and groups are held in The Quad, including recently We Are Scientists and The Waiting Room.

Executive Committee

The LSESU Executive Committee comprises sixteen officers, of which four (General Secretary, Treasurer, Education & Welfare and Communications Officer) are full-time positions, known as Sabbatical Officers or 'Sabbs'. These sabbatical officers are LSE students, usually at the end of their period of study, but sometimes on a 'year out' between studies, and are paid circa £26,000 for their respective roles for the academic session. A recent UGM motion reduced their salaries after criticism that their pay was the highest in the country compared to other students' unions.

The remaining twelve officers are all part-time, and include two non-voting positions - those of the General Course Students' Representative, and the Athletics Union President. These positions are not elected in a cross-campus ballot as with all other positions, and thus the roles and those holding them are restricted in their actions. The 'Exec', particularly the four sabbatical officers, carry out the day-to-day running of the Union.

* * Will be elected in Michaelmas Term 2008, as C&S were too disorganized to sort the mess out beforehand.

ub-Committees

There are two principal committees to which students are elected that help in the running of the LSESU; Constitution & Steering, the terminally-incompetent group which ensures that the actions of the LSESU are in accordance with some obscure, lengthy and frankly pointless document called the Codes of Practice, and Finance & Services, which assists the Treasurer in the preparation of the annual budget and acts as a check on the financial actions of the LSESU. There are other minor committees and sub-committees that administer the daily affairs governed by the LSESU.

Elections

The SU holds two sets of elections throughout the academic session, in November and February to elect new officers and sabbatical officers. Use of the Single Transferable Vote PR system has operated in recent years. These are the most well-attended in Britain, with LSE students taking their democratic view and opportunity extremely seriously, and there are strong campaigns by students each October and January prior to election day. The elections themselves are broadcast live throughout the night on both the School’s radio and television stations.

The 2008 Lent Term elections took place on Thursday 28 February 2008, with the results announced between the evening of 28th and the early hours of 29th February 2008. Many positions were extremely close, with only 20 or fewer votes between respective candidates. Such close results have caused problems, such as Ben Phillips who went into a major sulk after he lost the election for International Officer to Ayushman Sen.

Additional Staff

Apart from the Sabbatical Officers, the Union employs an assortment of full-time and part-time staff. These include a General Manager, Finance Manager, Societies Manager, Sports Administrator and Entertainments Manager. Students are also employed on a part-time basis, involved in the provision of services such as the Union Shop, Copy Shop, bars, cafe and advice centre.

Union General Meeting

The UGM is the sovereign body of the Union, and the LSE is the only university in the country which retains a weekly Union General Meeting open to all to attend where motions and ideas are discussed and debated. This is opposed to an annual gathering. Reasons for this largely stem back to the LSE’s radical past in the 1960s, but it has been upheld today, and meetings are well known to get heated, almost violent at some points. It is not uncommon for paper (and even other objects) to be thrown onto the stage of the Old Theatre whilst students debate and discuss motions, although the creation of a new role of "Keeper" is designed to prevent this. The UGM can remove any elected union official from office and sets union policy to which all elected officials must adhere, linked with the Constitutional & Steering Committee (C&S). Unfortunately, this also allows for UGMs to degenerate into no-confidence buffoonery, with random idiots calling for all officials to be dismissed from their posts.

Any two people can move a motion on any subject, which is then debated at the UGM. These motions can be serious, setting policy and making major financial decisions, or can be much more light-hearted. Recent activity, including the linking with a Palestinian university has been met with much debate amongst the student cohort, especially in the wording of a letter sent from the General Secretary to Freshers at the beginning of the 2007 academic session. Regular meetings are also held with the School’s Director, and the heads of both ULU and the NUS.

Athletics Union

The LSE Athletics Union (LSEAU) is the body responsible for all sporting activity within the university. It is a member of the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA). Sports teams are wide-ranging from football (where the School excels nationally) to fencing, squash, badminton, aqua-hoc, polo, ultimate Frisbee and raquets. Particular rivalry is found with King's College London and also University College London. The Union operates the Natwest Gym in the Old Building, as well as numerous squash courts, badminton courts, a gymnasium, an indoor basketball court and tennis courts at the School’s central London location, with ownership of twenty-five acres of playing fields at Berrylands in south London, easily accessible by train and also by coaches which depart each day.

Students are permitted to use the facilities of other University of London colleges, and those of Energybase at ULU, comprising its own sports halls, courts, multigym and swimming pool. LSE’s cricketers use the indoor and outdoor facilities at Lord’s Cricket Ground year-round. The LSE has a particularly strong association, along with the University of London, in rowing, and has a boat house situated on the River Thames at Chiswick. In distinction to the ‘blues’ awarded for sporting excellence at Oxford and Cambridge, London’s outstanding athletes are awarded ‘purples’.

U Media Group

A weekly student newspaper, "The Beaver" was founded in 1946, and as such is one of the oldest student publications in Britain. It has gained great clout in recent years, investigating campus, national and international issues and stories, including the issue of costly postgraduate degrees, student loans and examination pass rates. It has a weekly readership of approximately 5,000 and is distributed free across campus every Tuesday, as well as in Whitehall offices, and many City firms and corporations who take keen interest. There is also several smaller papers such as 'LSE Sanctuary' and also society magazines. Students also get access the "The London Student", the largest student publication in Europe, which is published by the University of London. The "Clare Market Review", established in 1905 and published termly, is an interdisciplinary academic journal run by students, and provides a critical forum for students and faculty.

"Pulse!" is the School’s own radio station, which was relaunched in October 2007 and broadcasts twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week on campus and online, as well as providing regular podcasts. The interview slot is popular with students, and recent interviewees have included Jacqui Smith MP, Mark Steel, Peter Hain MP, Clare Short and "Neighbours' actor Alan Fletcher.

"LooSE Television", which was incorporated in 2005, is the LSE’s own television station, responsible for filming and streaming public lectures, as well as publicity films, election results and other media.

University of London Union

As part of the University of London, students at the LSE are also affiliated with the University of London Union (ULU) which is situated on Malet Street in Bloomsbury. This arrangement gives particular strength when debating issues that affect all London colleges, such as the campaign to extend the Student Oystercard scheme to daily travel, and also in the campaign for the future of Senate House – the University of London’s central headquarters at Russell Square. There has been recent protest at the election of Peter Sutherland, the former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, to Chair of the Court of Governors at LSE.

Notable Sabbatical Officers

1994-5:
* General Secretary - Martin Lewis
* Entertainments and Societies - Gary Delaney

Notes

External links

* [http://www.lsesu.com LSESU Online - The Official Website of the LSESU]
* [http://lse-su-swd.blogspot.com Students with Disabilities Officer blog]