Student union

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A Students' union, is a student organization present at many colleges and universities, often with its own building on the campus, dedicated to social and organizational activities of the student body. At a few institutions, the students' union is a formally organized group analogous to a labor union.

Many students' unions are run by students for students, independent of the University. The purpose of the union is to represent students' views within the university and on local and national issues. It is also responsible for providing a variety of services to students. Students can get involved in its management, through numerous and varied committees, councils and general meetings, or become one of its elected officers.

Many students' unions are highly politicised bodies, and often serve as a training ground for aspiring politicians. Campaigning and debate is often very vigorous, with the youthful enthusiasm of the various partisans, a student media that is itself often partisan, inexperienced, and under no financial pressure to slant coverage to please a broad readership, and a general lack of serious consequences for decision all encouraging political gamesmanship.

Table of contents

1 United Kingdom
2 Sweden
3 Australia

United Kingdom

In British universities, the Students' Union is often, but not always, affiliated with the National Union of Students. It generally runs some facilities attached to the university such as shops and night clubs, and publishes information and sometimes student newspapers. It also provides counselling and advice services.

The oldest students' union in England is University College London Union, founded in 1893.

Sweden

At Swedish universities, students' unions are responsible for representing the students in evaluation of the education, and membership is mandatory. Students' unions generally provide counselling services to its members and publishes their own magazines or newspapers. Large universities often have several students' unions, where the smaller students' unions only provide basic services. Larger students' unions often runs and owns their own facilities at the university such as shops, restaurants and night clubs. Which student union a student belongs to is decided by the course of study, and competing for members is as such not possible. Many student unions, but not all, are affiliated with the Swedish National Union of Students.

Australia

Virtually all Australian universities, bodies, alternately named students' unions or student representative councils, are student-run bodies providing many student services including media, an umbrella body for a huge variety of sporting clubs, student for student arts such as drama and music, and political advocacy for issues concerning students. The last role, in particular, is often highly controversial and politicised. Membership of student unions is theoretically voluntary after legislation was passed by the conservative federal government in 1998; in practice, a compulsory "amenities and services" fee is charged by the universities and largely passed on to students' unions anyway. The Australian National Union of Students is an association of most students' unions.

Particularly at the Group of Eight universities, students' union politics are divided down party political lines, and campaigning is often vicious.

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