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

students' union A students' union or student union, 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, organizat ...

of the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, England. It is among the oldest of the UK

s and was a founding member of the National Union of Students. The Union is a multi-site organisation which can be found at Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TH and The Richmond Building, 105 Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LN.

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. In April 2024, Bristol SU became more of a multi-site organisation. Based on student feedback, they brought some of the support and services to Senate House from 22 April 2024. This includes the Welcome Desk, Academic Advice Service, elected SU Officers and other staff right to the heart of campus. Students are still able to access events, activity rooms, study space, and more in the Richmond Building.

Former Sabbatical Officers

Former union presidents have included the broadcaster,

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

;

St Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

'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 on the corner of Queen's Road and Whiteladies Road. Today this building houses the University of Bristol's music department. The union is now a multi-site organisation, with spaces in Senate House and the Richmond Building, Queens Road, Clifton. The Richmond Building is one of the largest students' union buildings in Great Britain. It houses the 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 s ...

;

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, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia ...

(student newspaper) and UBTV offices; various meeting rooms, study spaces and society headquarters. It is also home to the Balloon Bar. The building was extensively renovated in 2010, including improving energy efficiency and the removal of asbestos. The building has been described as of both the

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

and

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

architecture styles.

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 status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

University of Bristol University swimming in the United Kingdom