The University of Bristol Students' Union (known as Bristol SU) is the

students' union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

of the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, England. It is among the oldest of the UK

s and was a founding member of the National Union of Students . The Union is currently based in the Richmond Building on Queens' Road.

History

The original home of the students' union was the Victoria Rooms, which was given to the University in 1920. In 1934, a serious fire destroyed the main hall and electric organ of the building, though many of the other areas were saved from serious damage. In 1965, the students' union moved to the Richmond Building on Queens' Road. A fire in the Richmond building on 15 September 2009 caused its closure. Canoes and other water sporting equipment in a storage area in front of the building caught fire and by 9am was sending "thick black smoke" along the road. For two days, starting 24 November 2010, a room of the building was occupied by students following the protests in Bristol on the same day. Among other things, the students claimed the union was failing to represent them on issues such as government funding for higher education, and rises to tuition fees. The union was also criticised for not holding an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to discuss these issues. The occupation was ended when the union agreed to call an EGM, which resulted in motions mandating the union to support students opposing tuition fees and cuts in funding to higher education. An extensive refurbishment of the union building took place in 2014–15. The building was reopened as 'the Richmond Building' in April 2015, and the union was rebranded from 'the University of Bristol Union (UBU)' to 'Bristol SU'. The University of Bristol and Bristol students' union announced in March 2017 that they would be divesting from fossil fuels. This means they stated as part of a deal that they would dump investments in companies which extract coal and tar sands within a year; review investments in companies extracting oil and gas annually and gradually remove them depending on their polluting potential; and invest three million pounds into a green fund.

Former presidents

Former union presidents have included the broadcaster,

Sue Lawley Susan Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is a retired English television and radio broadcaster. Her main broadcasting background involved television news and current affairs. From 1988–2006, Lawley was the presenter of ''Desert Island Discs'' on BBC R ...

;

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

's foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations, George W. Odlum; and former Liberal Democrat MP and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats,

Lembit Öpik Lembit Öpik (, ; born 2 March 1965) is a former British politician. A former member of the Liberal Democrats, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat at the ...

Facilities and activities

Richmond Building

The union was originally housed in the grand

Victoria Rooms Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

on the corner of Queen's Road and Whiteladies Road. Today this building houses the University of Bristol's music department. The union is currently located in the Richmond Building, Queens Road,

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

. The Richmond Building is one of the largest students' union buildings in Great Britain. It houses th
Anson Rooms
gig and performance venue; the 200-seat

Winston Theatre The Winston Theatre is a traditional proscenium arch theatre located in the Bristol Students' Union building, one of the largest students' union buildings in Great Britain. The theatre seats 204, with 5 additional seats for the Front of House ...

;

Burst Radio Bristol University's Radio Station (Burst) is a radio station run by students of the University of Bristol, UK. Its studios are located within the University of Bristol Students’ Union building and it broadcasts online.Epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...

(student newspaper) and UBTV offices; various meeting rooms, study spaces and society headquarters. It is also home to the Balloon Bar.

Elected officers

Bristol SU is run by a team of seven officers who are elected by the student body annually in March. They represent students and have the job of improving the student experience at Bristol. The officer team is made up of Liberation, Equality and Access Officer, Postgraduate Education Officer, Sport and Student Development Officer, Student Living Officer, Undergraduate Education Officer, Union Affairs Officer and International Students Officer.

Activities

Bristol SU currently offers over 400 societies, sports clubs and networks covering a wide range of activities. All societies and clubs are entirely student-run by their elected committees, and are supported by the union.

References

External links

Bristol SU website
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Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

University of Bristol Music venues in Bristol