Aberystwyth University Students' Union
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| Motto | Aber Students’ Union wants Aber students to love student life, and works to ensure that Aber students are happy, healthy and empowered, with lasting friendships and promising futures. |
|---|---|
| Institution | Aberystwyth University |
| Location | Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth, Wales |
| Established | 1900 |
| President | Bayanda Vundamina |
| Members | Approx. 8000 |
| Affiliations | National Union of Students, NUS Wales/UCM Cymru, BUCS, WCVA, CPAG |
| Website | abersu.co.uk, umaber.co.uk |
Aberystwyth University Students' Union (Welsh: Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is the students' union of Aberystwyth University. It is affiliated to the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom and NUS Wales/UCM Cymru.
It is one of the oldest and most active student unions in the UK[citation needed]. It hosted the first NUS UK national conference. Today it still plays a crucial role in upholding the interests of students in Aberystwyth, in Wales and across the UK. The Students' Union is fully independent from Aberystwyth University, led by students and supported by a team of staff.
The Students' Union covers all aspects of student life including:
- student voice and representation
- sports clubs, societies, and volunteering
- advice
History
The predecessor to the Union, the Aberystwyth Student Representative Council, was founded in 1900 by Herbert John Fleure, who later went to become a lecturer in botany, geology and zoology at the university.[1] The SRC was based in the common room in the basement of the Old College, was democratically elected and produced The Dragon, and later The Courier, as student newspapers. In 1966, student representation on various college committees was introduced, increasing student involvement in college administration.[2]
In 1923, the former Aberystwyth Assembly Rooms at 10 Laura Place were bought by the Old Students' Association with funds it had raised to mark the college jubilee. The rooms were to form part of a memorial to the students from Aberystwyth who died in the First World War, and hosted the new Students' Union. The building was officially opened on 30 October 1923 by the then-Prince of Wales, Edward (later to become the Duke of Windsor). The event was marked by the unveiling of the only public statue of Edward in the United Kingdom.[3] During the 1950s, an adjacent house was purchased to be the "Students Union Annexe", as increasing numbers of students came to Aberystwyth. As part of the university's expansion onto the present site, the first wing of the new Students' Union building on the new Penglais campus was opened in 1970.[2] The use of 10 Laura Place and the Annexe ceased in 1984, when the final stage of the new building on Penglais campus was finished. 10 Laura Place was refurnished for use as a music centre, and the Annexe sold for private housing. In 2011, 10 Laura Place was re-opened as a 24-hour computer room.
The union was renamed Aberystwyth Guild of Students (Welsh: Urdd Myfyrwyr Aberystwyth) in 1972, after the university's Union merged with the Unions of the College of Further Education, College of Librarianship and the Welsh College of Agriculture. In 2012, the Guild reverted to the name Aberystwyth University Students' Union (Welsh: Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Aberystwyth).
Operations
Officers
The union has 5 full-time sabbatical officers, and 13 part-time officers. All officer positions are elected in cross-campus elections every spring.
Volunteer Officers (LGBT+, BME, Women's, Disabled, Mature, Postgraduate, and International) are elected solely by students who self-define into each respective category, and candidates for these positions must likewise self-define to be eligible to stand.
| Officer Title | Incumbent | Date incumbent was first elected | Date of next election |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Bayanda Vundamina | 17 March 2023 | March 2024 |
| Welsh Culture and UMCA President | Elain Gwynedd | ||
| Welbeing Officer | Helen Cooper | ||
| Academic Affairs Officer | Anna Simpkins | ||
| Student Opportunities Officer | Tiff McWilliams |
Sports Clubs, Societies and Volunteering Projects
As of 2023, there are 43 sports clubs, 78 societies and 4 volunteering projects affiliated to the union.[4] These range from more traditional sports like rugby, football, cricket and hockey, to American football, cheerleading and Ultimate Frisbee, as well as outdoor and water sports such as snow sports, hiking, mountaineering, sailing and surfing. The societies range from casual and hobby-based societies such as the chess society or gaming to political organisations such as Labour and the Lib Dems. A full list can be found on the website. Most people join these groups at the annual Freshers Fairs held in the first week of term usually in late September, or at the ReFreshers Fair, which is usually held at the beginning of February.
The oldest continuously running society at the university is The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, the university's Chamber Choir, who were founded in 1950 and continue to perform over sixty years later.[5]
Debating Union
The Aberystwyth Debating Union is a society run by students to foster the use of debate as a means of exploring ideas. The society was formed in 1872 and the first president was Idris Evans. Since then many students have been active in the society including former president of the Debating Union Emlyn Hooson QC,[6] who went on to become Chairman of the Liberal Party in Zanzibar.
In the early 2000s the society experienced a lull in activity; however, in 2006 Michael Keary reinvigorated the society, with teams being trained and sent to external competitions once again.
Union members Ollie Newlan and Roberto Sarrionandia became the first team from a Welsh institution to reach the Quarter Finals of the World Universities Debating Championships, after doing so at the annual competition in Berlin, 2013.[7]
The Debating Union is the university's oldest society and is set to celebrate 150 years of existence in 2022
Theatre Societies
The Students' Union is notable for the number of drama and theatre societies available to its members.
The oldest of these, The Nomadic Players (now called Aber Theatre Society), was founded in 1999 and focuses solely on established 'straight' plays. The Nomadic Players produce, on average, four shows a year. Plays produced by the Nomads include A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster, David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Alice by Laura Wade. The society has also successfully produced Moira Buffini's play Dying For It, and Willy Russell's Stags and Hens. The society's aim is to carry on providing high quality performances and give students the opportunity to further their acting experience.
Curtain Call Musical Theatre Society, founded in 2006, typically produces two large scale shows a year with smaller showcases taking place throughout the year. These showcases are usually held in the Student Union. The society's original aim was to provide more opportunities for Aberystwyth students to be physically involved with creating musical theatre. In its formative years the company did not purely produce musical theatre but also 'straight' plays such as Michael Frayn's Noises Off. Curtain Call has produced sell-out runs of shows such as Jonathan Larson's RENT, Little Shop of Horrors and a successful production of Our House, based on the music of Madness. The society's mission today is still to give opportunities to all student and associate members to participate in producing musical theatre. Past members of Curtain Call are now working professionally in the West End and regionally, most notably the society's founding president Alan Mehdizadeh who made his West End debut in Billy Elliot the Musical at The Victoria Palace Theatre, London in 2013, and in 2016 took over the role of Don in Kinky Boots the Musical,(also on London's West End). Other former members have since gone on to work at venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Opera house and in film and television. In May 2014 Curtain Call became the first ever university society to perform in the main house of Aberystwyth Arts Centre with their production of Fame which also featured the brief return of Mehdizadeh to the society.
Student Media
After a period of dormancy student media is coming back to the Students' Union. Student media has been established as part of the volunteering provision within the union. Similar to societies, the union is supporting students to establish their own student-led volunteering projects.
Currently the only student media on offer is a new student newspaper, called Mouth of the Ystwyth (a literal translation of Aberystwyth). Similar to the Courier the newspaper has full editorial independence from the Students' Union and Aberystwyth University.
Student Media History
The Courier was a long-running student newspaper voluntarily run by students of Aberystwyth University. Established in 1948, it undergone many changes in style and format since then, and for most of the early Noughties was a magazine. Following a year of not printing the magazine due to financial reasons, it was relaunched as a tabloid by a new committee in the academic year 2011/12. The Courier had complete editorial independence from both the Students' Union and the University, and printing was funded exclusively by advertising.
At the beginning of the 2012 academic year, the three existing student media operations (The Courier, Bay Radio and Aber TV, now Bay TV) merged to form Aberystwyth Student Media, which aimed to produce integrated media content across all three, along with Online. These later closed in 2014 following a period of dwindling interest and inability to find a committee of students to run them.
Commercial services
The Student Union building contains a shop (called Siop @ The Union) which sells stationery, snacks, branded men's and women's clothing and accessories. There is also a bar (called Bar @ The Union) with a wide selection of draught beers and ciders, its Starbucks selling hot drinks, and its 'Food @ The Union' providing quick hot takeaway food[8]. The commercial services inside the Union building are operated by the university.
External links
- Official English-Language website of Aberystwyth University Students' Union
- Official Welsh-Language website of Aberystwyth University Students' Union
References
- ↑ "National Library of Wales – Herbert John Fleure Papers". Archives Wales website. Archives Wales. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "University of Wales, Aberystwyth Guild of Students Archive". Archiveshub website. Archiveshub. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "History: Rise of the University". Website of Aberystwyth University. Aberystwyth University. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ↑ "Aberystwyth Student Union".
- ↑ "AberMads – Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, Aberystwyth".
- ↑ "Aberystwyth Debating Union". Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ↑ "Debating on the world stage - Aberystwyth University". www.aber.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ↑ "Hospitality Services : Aberystwyth University". www.aber.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
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