Coventry University Students' Union
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| Institution | Coventry University |
|---|---|
| Location | The Hub, Coventry, England |
| Established | 1965 |
| Affiliations | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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| Website | Coventry University Students' Union website |
Coventry University Students' Union, also known as CUSU, is the students' union for Coventry University, in Coventry, England.
The Students’ Union is situated in The Hub; a building used for students to socialise or study and is located in the heart of the city centre. The Students’ Union was first opened during 1965-6 and became the first union in the UK to offer part of an academic programme from its own services.[1]
Contents
History
The Students’ Union building opened during 1965-6 and in the late 1970s to early 1980s, “Coventry became a centre for the UK music scene,” (Pete Chambers). The Student Union and its club The Lanch became an embodiment for trendy music and in 1985-6, more than 150 bands played at the union. In the 1970s, Coventry excelled in the amount of top acts performing at The Lanch; this included Slade, Pink Floyd, Chuck Berry, Family, Fairport Convention and even Elton John whose records were sold in the cut-price vinyl stand in the Union Bar. The famous ska band ‘The Specials’ members Jerry Dammers and Horace Panter met at Coventry University and signed their record contract in The Lanch bar, they later went on to film their music video for the hit single ‘Rat Race’ in the Main Hall. The band originally named themselves The Automatics, followed by the Coventry Automatics and eventually settled on The Specials.[2]
Governance
The Students’ Union is a democratic organisation; decisions made by the SU are based upon the wishes of its students. Students have the ultimate choice on whom to elect to be their representatives. There is the role of the Students’ Union is as a channel of communication between those attending the University and the University authorities. Student representatives are on all major formal committees of the University.
Facilities
The Students’ Union offers many facilities for students including the CUSU Advice Centre (SUAC). This service gives students a chance to obtain free and confidential advice, ranging from financial issues to disability rights. The Volunteer and Employability department help to support Coventry University students in securing volunteering placements in the local community. Students are able to browse through opportunities and sign up to gain skills they believe will enhance their career prospects. The department offers information about the placements students choose, and offer support and training to get students started with their volunteering. The Student’s Union also likes to support the local community; they’ve been able to steer up to 500 students a year into community work ranging from tutoring in schools, to supporting asylum seekers, to charities active in helping people with mental health difficulties.
There are also many student run activities which involve thousands of students in various different roles. These consist of the official student newspaper (Source Newspaper) which is run by CUSU and a team of student editors who are responsible for producing the paper. Originally, it was a magazine called ‘Elephant and Castle’ which became a newspaper named ‘The Source’ in 2002. The newspaper is still named Source at present. Regular features include news, retail information, entertainment, competitions, technology updates, a section about sports and societies and general information.
Other student run activities include the radio station (Source Radio) and a promotional TV channel (Source TV) which are all available through the CUSU website. Source TV has its own channel on YouTube “SourceTV CUSU”.
Activities and events
The Union holds a variety of club nights throughout the week at the CUSU Services Venue, ‘Hush’, which was opened on the 14th November 2012. Hush can hold a capacity of up to 800 students. The clubs most popular nights at the venue include Roar! Wednesdays, being a magnet for the sports and Societies groups, Urban music night Déjà Vu and Fridays nights with 90s music. The daytime events include dance sessions, fitness nights, live music from student bands and many other activities. There are many clubs and societies operating within the University, as of January 2013 there are 45 sports teams and 79 societies. In 2011/12, Coventry had a successful year for sports and finished 48th in the BUCS rankings (British Universities and Colleges Sport). Sports Active, a joint programme between Coventry University and CUSU, host a session for students and staff to try out sports sessions for all abilities to enable everyone to get involved and stay physically active.
Every year CUSU runs a number of campaigns, each one having their own purpose. Some campaigns are principally run to raise awareness and others are set out to achieve specific objectives. Each of these campaigns are not only chosen by students but driven by them too. Successful campaigns Coventry University’s Student Union has done in the past include Black History Month, a Stop Smoking campaign and One World Week.
Affiliations
- Advice Centre
- Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
- National Association Student Money Advisors (NASMA)
- Advice Services Coventry (ASC)
- ADVICE UK
- London Advice Service Alliance (LASA)
- United Kingdom Council International Students Affairs (UKCISA)
- National Association Citizens’ Advice Bureau (NACAB)
- UNIPOL Student Homes
- Democracy NUS
References
- ↑ CUSU Strategic Plan
- ↑ Cheeseright, P & Stokes, N (2009). The Phoenix Rises. London: Third Millennium Publishing Limited. 126-139
