Frequently Asked Questions about the Students' Union

What is the Students’ Union?
The Students’ Union exists to represent its members and provide them with high quality services, support and opportunities for development to enable them to maximise the benefits of their overall student experience.

Is the SU just a bar?
NO! The SU runs bars and other commercial services for two main reasons. Firstly to provide you with affordable and convenient services and secondly so that we can generate income which is used to run the activities and support services for you, e.g. all the sports clubs, societies, AWARE and volunteer centre.

What are sabbs?
Sabbatical officers are normal students that are elected to work in the SU for a year. Their jobs involve representing you to the University and other bodies as well as leading and developing the SU.

Who runs the SU?
Decisions on what the SU does are made by you, the students, through a variety of committees.  The SU has ten sub-groups: Academic Council; Postgraduate Association; International Students' Association; Student Support Group; Training & Enterprise; Volunteering; Student Media; Sports; Societies; and Arts.  Each group is co-ordinated by an Executive committee which is answerable to the wider body within that sub-group.  There are in addition, several steering groups: Ethical & Environmental; Equal Opportunities; and Events.

These sub-groups make decisions about their own activities.

How can I get involved?
You can get involved with the SU very easily; simply being part of a sports club, society or volunteer group is being involved with the SU. If you would like to get more involved then there are various different ways of doing so. You could become an academic rep for your course or help run a club or society. You could also stand for a position on the Executive committee co-ordinating one of the sub-groups or volunteer on one of the steering groups. Also any student can stand to be elected as a Sabb.

How is the SU funded?
The SU is funded with income from various different sources. We receive a grant from the University each year, we also generate income from our shops and bars and also from our membership activities, i.e. sports and societies. All of this money is spent on running and improving the SU. So any money that you spend in the bar or on a membership is put straight back into your SU.

Is the SU part of the University?
The SU has its own constitution and management structure and is effectively run as an independent organisation. However we do receive a grant and other support from the University, and work closely with the University and its departments in order to represent your views most effectively.