Bath Spa University

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The Students' Union

When you start at Bath Spa you'll automatically become a member of the Students' Union, so you can take advantage of all our facilities and services (as well as getting your hands on an NUS Extra card - your passport to discounts from a whole host of shops and services, local and national).

The Students' Union is run by the students, for the students.  We are a democratic organisation which ensures that the student voice is listened to and acted upon, either with the University, or within the Union itself.  The most important thing is your involvement; without the students we wouldn't exist, so get involved!

So What Does The Union Do?

Most people view the Students' Union as a big nightclub, but we are much more than that!  We provide a means to support, develop and entertain the students outside of their studies.

The day-to-day running of the Union is overseen by three Sabbatical officers, as well as four part-time Student Officers.  The Sabs are elected by the students each year and are employed full-time for one year.  These positions are usually held by graduating students, however any student can take a year out to be a Sab.  The three positions are Union President (Welfare and Representation), the Vice-President (Communications and Campaigns), and finally the Vice-President (Activities and Participation).

In a similar way, the Student Officers are elected each year by the students, but these are part-time positions, as the students continue their studies whilst filling the position.  Alongside the officers, the Union employs full-time staff to run the facilities and services which the Union provides.  The staff are always on hand to help you out if the officers are not available.

How Can The Union Help You?

Just because you're students, it doesn't mean you don't need to be represented - and that's what we do.  Like any other Union, we ensure that our members are getting a fair deal, whether that is from the University, your employer or even from your landlord.  Our welfare and advice services have a breadth of experience in a whole range of student-related matters. these take a number of different forms such as academic appeal and other related problems, personal issues, or just if you need some body to talk to.

We are here as your first port of call with any problems you might have - and we have the first-hand experience to be able to help you out.

The Union also manages the network of StARs, Student Academic Reps., who take issues from fellow students in their classes, to feed back to the tutors and the University.  This reps. network is a good way of getting involved, but also alerts us to any problems currently being faced by the student body.

Through the use of campaigns during the year, the Union tries to help students by educating them a out some of the dangers and problems they might face while students.  Big campaigns such as drink and drug awareness, safe sex, personal safety and environmental awareness are key to helping the student body take a more proactive approach to their behaviour and safety.

Facilities

The Union office will probably be your first point of contact with the Union.  The Newton Park site is home to the Union shop, selling a wide range of supplies to keep you going, from baguettes and read, to chocolate and cheese.

The Students' Union also runs a bar at each site.  Newton Park holds all of the major event nights; with a capacity of 700, it is one of the largest venues in Bath itself.  The main highlights of the week are on a Wednesday and Friday night, when we host our popular Flirt! and Friday Flux events.  For the larger Union events at Sion Hill, such as the annual Summer Ball, a large marquee is used.

Talent-Spotting?

Encouraging student talent is something Bath Spa prides itself on, and this is why University-based bands are always present at band and other music nights at the Union.  We recently introduced Bath Spa's Got Talent to try and promote all student talent, with the event proving particularly successful.

In addition to our own talent, we've also hosted some big names in the past, including Jools Holland, Artful Dodger, DJ Luck and MC Neat, and Hot Chocolate.

Activities

Bath Spa has an amazing community feeling, so making new friends and having a good night out is always on the cards.  You've already read about our entertainment facilities, but we have a lot more than those to offer you.  The Students' Union also manages all of the clubs and societies within the University.  In recent years, the number of societies within the Union has expanded enormously, with more and more students getting involved.  News and information about all of the clubs and societies that are available can be found on the SU web site.

Clubs And Societies

Cheerleading, hip-hop dance, jogging, board sports, RAG... If none of the societies on offer sound like your cup of tea, you can always start up your own society - just find ten like-minded people to join you.

In terms of the sports clubs, we have eight teams within the Union, all of them compete in BUSA, The British Universities Sports Association, at various levels and in different leagues.

These teams include football, rugby, hockey, basket ball and net ball.  The teams play either mixed or as individual sexes, but no matter what your standard, you will always be able to join in with the team in some way.

Another way for students to get involved is through the magazine H20, now in its ninth year of publication.  With its mix of news, features, reviews and random stories, H20 continues to build on its heritage, reaching more students than ever before.

Go For It!

If it is not a club or society that you want to try out, then why not try our Go For It! campaign? With Go For It!, we provide you with the means of doing things that you didn't think you could do, such as first-aid training, paint-balling or ice-skating. All of these activities give you a taster of something that you might want to try out more in the future.  The campaign has already been a big success, and looks set to follow that trend into the future.

2007-2008, Left to Right: Bethan Howell, VP Activities and Participation; James Anderson, President (Welfare and Representation); David Jones, VP Communications and Campaigns.