Newcastle University Union Society
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Newcastle University Students' Union (NUSU) 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
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...
in
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, England. It is an organisation with the intention of representing and providing services and welfare for the students of University of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was originally set up as the Union Society and changed to its present name in 2011. It is not affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS). The Students' Union is run by seven sabbatical officers and ten part-time unpaid officer positions. It also employs around 300 people in ancillary roles including bar staff and entertainment organisers.


Students' Union Building

Unlike the majority of other students' unions in the United Kingdom, Newcastle University Students' Union owns the building where it is housed. The Union building was built in 1924 with a gift from an anonymous donor, who is 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 Robert Burns Dick (1868–1954) was a British architect, city planner and artist. Mainly working in the Newcastle upon Tyne area, he designed municipal buildings, churches and over one hundred houses and housing schemes in the North East of Engl ...
whose firm designed the
Laing Art Gallery The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is located on New Bridge Street West. The gallery was designed in the Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements by architects Cackett & Burns Dick and is now a Grade II listed building. It ...
, the towers of the
Tyne Bridge The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...
and
The Spanish City The Spanish City is a dining and leisure centre in Whitley Bay, a seaside town in North Tyneside, Tyne & Wear, England. Erected as a smaller version of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach, it opened in 1910 as a concert hall, restaurant, roof garden and ...
in
Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around eas ...
. It was opened on 22 October 1925 by the Rt. Hon. Lord Eustace Percy, who later served as
Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of King's College from 1937 to 1952. In 1987 the Students' Union was made a Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. The building was originally split in two with one union for men and one for women. In the 1960s the university funded a significant extension, known as the 'flying wing'. This was given to the union for a 99-year lease with a
peppercorn Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diamet ...
rent. The
modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
copper-clad extension, which is part of the Hadrian Building, was designed by Sir William Whitfield who also designed the
Northern Stage Northern Stage is a regional non-profit LORT (League of Resident Theatres)-D professional theater company located in White River Junction, VT. Founded in 1997 by Brooke Ciardelli. Northern Stage launched New Works Now in 2014. Northern Stage ...
. A debating chamber which hung over Kings Road was also built, though it was demolished in 2003. In 2010 the university donated £8 million towards a redevelopment project for the Union Building. This work won the Education Interior Design category of the National Mixology Interior Design Awards 2011. The building houses ''Luther's'' – the student union bar, the Student Advice Centre (SAC) and food outlets including Subway and
Domino's Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino ...
, along with a number of offices and rooms for its members. In the basement is ''Venue'', a nightclub and event space, with space for 1,400 people. Artists that have performed at Students' Union include
Maxïmo Park Maxïmo Park are an English alternative rock band, formed in 2000 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band consists of Paul Smith (vocals), Duncan Lloyd (guitar), and Tom English (drums). The band have released seven studio albums: '' A Certain Trigge ...
,
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...
,
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
,
George Ezra George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, '' Did You Hear the Rain?'' (2013) and '' Cassy O (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, "Budapest", ...
and
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. The union building also houses a printers and a branch of
Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
.


History

NUSU is made from a merger of several earlier student organisations. The oldest of these was the Junior Union Society, founded in 1881, which arranged debates and dances for the Durham colleges in Newcastle. From 1914 to 1925 Newcastle Union Society and the
Durham Union Society This is a list of social activities at the University of Durham, including details of clubs, societies and other common leisure activities associated with Durham University. Over 200 student clubs and organisations run within Durham Students' Uni ...
collaborated with a shared president and vice-president selected alternatively from the two divisions. The previous Union Society dealt almost solely with student societies and entertainment and was governed by a Union Management Committee. The committee was 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 was formed in 1900 to represent all students, in matters of policy, to the Board of Professors. It remained a separate entity from the Union Society. In 1937 it became the SRC of King's College, and subsequently for Newcastle University when it disaffiliated from
Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...
in 1963. The management of the Union building was run by a board of trustees appointed by the University Council. In 1985, the SRC was merged into the Union Society. This put the
student council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
and its elected student representatives in full control of the union. In 1990 the union also went through significant restructuring after a period of poor management and high debts. The Union Society became a
limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
, with a board of trustees, in 2009. In 2011 it also became an independent charity after completing the legal requirements and registering with the
Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...
. This coincided with a name change to Newcastle University Students’ Union (NUSU). In 2017, the Students' Union voted to rename the student bar from ''Mensbar'' to ''Luther's'', to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the honorary doctorate awarded to
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
by the university in 1967. The previous name came from the fact it was initially male-only, originally ''Men's bar'', and from the motto - ‘Mens Agitat Molem’ – of the Armstrong College.


National Union of Students

In May 2016, NUSU held a referendum on their membership of the NUS. A 67 per cent majority of students voted to end the affiliation. The then NUSU president Dominic Fearon said students felt the NUS “no longer represents their views, does not prioritise correctly, and is not effective at achieving change.” A second referendum was held in December 2018 with the result being to not re-affiliate with 52% of the vote, and a turnout of only 4%.


Clubs and societies

Newcastle Students' Union has over 160 registered student societies in many different areas from the 20 Minute Society to Zumba. There are also 65 sports clubs run through the
Athletic Union An athletic union or athletics union (AU) usually refers to the group of student sports clubs within a university or other institute of higher education, in the United Kingdom. General information Sports clubs affiliate to their athletic union fo ...
(AU). Students are able to set up their own societies. For a society to become ratified it must have 15 members as well as an executive committee which consists of a president, secretary and treasurer. Any student is eligible to become a member of a society and the typical membership fee is £5.


Elected Officers

Newcastle University Students' Union is run by seven full-time Sabbatical Officers, seven unpaid part-time Liberation Officers, and two unpaid part-time Chairs. The sabbatical officers work as full-time employees of the Students' Union whilst the part-time officers complete the role alongside their studies. In September 2019, the Students' Union introduced the seventh sabbatical officer position, the ''Postgraduate Officer''. They are responsible for representing students studying, both taught and research,
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...
courses such as
master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
and PhD's. The role is only open to students who have previously studied at postgraduate level. Officers are elected usually in March via a cross-campus vote typically preceded by a four-day campaign period. All Newcastle University students are eligible to vote in elections via the Student Union website. Officers officially begin their roles in July of the year in which they are elected. The election period typically sees candidates canvassing around campus and student accommodation sites as well as participate in debates facilitated by the Students' Union and in more recent years, ''The Courier'', ''NSR'' and ''NUTV''. The results of the elections are typically announced on the Friday of elections week often in a live-show format held within the Students' Union. Newcastle University Students' Union currently uses a transferable voting system which allows students to vote for candidates for each position in order of preference as well as vote to
re-open nominations "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
(RON) if the student does not feel any candidates are appropriate for the role.


Student media

''The Courier'' is a weekly free
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
. Established in 1948, the current weekly readership is around 12,000, most of whom are students at the university. It is published every Monday during term time. ''The Courier'' has won ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s ''Student Newspaper of the Year'' award in 1994, 2012 and 2013. ''The Courier'' is edited by a number of section sub-editors who are all Newcastle University students. ''The Courier'' also has a head editor - the Student Media Officer - who works full-time editing the newspaper. The role is a sabbatical officer role and is therefore elected by Newcastle University students for a one-year term. The current editor is George Boatfield. Newcastle Student Radio (NSR) is a
student radio station Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...
based in the university, which broadcasts 24 hours a day. It host's music alongside news, sport and talk programs. The station aims to cater for a wide range of musical tastes, from Metal and Punk to R&B and swing music. NUTV, known as TCTV from 2010–17, is a student television channel first established in 2007. NUTV's output is on-demand on its
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel and through live broadcasts. It covers events such as student council and sports as well as student-made dramas, cookery programmes and fashion shows. It is affiliated with The National Student Television Association (NaSTA) and has links to the
Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
.


Notable former officers

*
Tim Farron Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, before which he worked ...
: President 1991–2. *
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
: Secretary 1935–6 and President 1936–7. * Stuart Prebble: President 1972–3. * Brian Thomson: Deputy President 1986–7.


See also

*
List of students' unions in the United Kingdom not affiliated with the NUS This article lists some of the students' unions in the United Kingdom that are not affiliated with the National Union of Students. Around five per cent of student unions in the UK are not affiliated with the NUS, including of student unions who r ...
*
Durham Students' Union Durham Students' Union, operating as Durham SU, is the students' union of Durham University in Durham, England. It is an organisation, originally set up as the Durham Colleges Students’ Representative Council in 1899 and renamed in 1969, with ...


References

{{University of Newcastle upon Tyne, state=expanded Buildings and structures in Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University Students' unions in England Students' unions