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York University Students' UnionYork University Students' Union (or YUSU) is the student union official to the University of York. Student Centre The SU is currently housed in the Daw Suu Student Centre, in Goodricke College. It is often remarked that the title 'Student Centre', rather than the more usual 'Student Union', was created in order to preserve the abbreviation SC on signing, as the building in question first pulled duty as a squash court. Services YUSU provides a variety of services, such as the minibus which transports students from campus to their homes, the union shops YOUR:SHOP and YOUR:BOOKS and the union magazine YOR:MAG (sic), and centrally funds the union societies, such as student newspapers Vision and nouse, student television station YSTV, student radio station URY, and debating society the York Union. The union also supports an Athletic Union, RAG campaign and a Student Community Action (latterly known as Student Action) organisation which co-ordinates an active voluntary sector. The Union has no control over any bars which is relatively rare amongst British universities. Constitution The union is a centralised body, though augmented by autonomous bodies known as JCRCs which represent the various colleges which make up the University. The main legislative body of the union is the Union General Meeting, known as the UGM, which takes the form of a series of motions concerning union affairs voted on in sequence. Motions passed in this way are then executed by the executive committee, which consists of six sabbatical officers (President, Services, Education and Welfare, RAG, Student Action, and Athletic Union President), and 12 non-sabbatical officers (Treasurer, Campaigns, Societies, Educational Campaigns, LGB, Access, Women's, Racial Equality, Ents, Communications (known until 2003 as Press and Publicity), Environment, and Training). The college chairs and AU secretary also sit on the executive committee as ex officio officers. YUSU expressly forbids slate campaigning in committee elections, although this has not always been the case - until comparatively recently it was not only acceptable but expected that elections would be fought under a political party banner similar to factions under NUS - examples including the Socialist Workers' Student Society and the Federation of Conservative Students. This provision aside, at the time of writing, political observers inside the union generally consider Labour to have a controlling influence, if not a majority, on the SU executive, with the President, Education and Welfare, Campaigns, Societies, Women's, and Educational Campaigns Officers being members of the university Labour Club. - See also: Students' Union Officerships
Criticism of YUSU YUSU has something of a reputation for ineffectuality. This is perhaps due to the lack of a student union bar meaning that it relies on the University for any funding. Also its UGM (Union General Meeting) system requires the presence of 196 students to form policy, a figure which is rarely attained, and so the union has few opportunities to originate new policy. The executive committee cannot constitutionally carry out anything not sanctioned by policy. YUSU History Founded in 1964 as the York Students Representative Committee, YUSU has evolved considerably over the years. The first sabbatical President was Dave Mahony, elected in 1965 to replace the first (largely ceremonial) President and Chairman, Pip Nayak. Since then the office of President has remained, barring a brief period in 1986 in which the role was termed General Secretary. The current form of executive is comparatively recent, essentially being created by the abolition of the Internal Vice-President and External Vice-President posts in 2000, and their roles being divided amongst the modern-day Welfare, Societies, Services and Campaigns team. More recent changes involve the institution of Halifax College and thus the addition of its chair (then James Byron) to the executive, the change of the Press and Publicity Officer to Communications Officer in 2003, and the change of the York Student Community Action or YSCA officer to Student Action officer in 2004. The current constitutional review, being undertaken by Rules Committee under the direction of its current chair, Craig Savage, is believed to be drafting a constitutional amendment to replace the LGB officer with an LGBT officer. List of Presidents A motion of no confidence in the President has never succcessfully been executed, despite this being regularly and consistently threatened. It can be confirmed that such a motion has been placed against - at least - every president from the present to Helen Woolnough. - Micky Armstrong (2005-2006)
- James Alexander (2004-2005)
- Chris Jones (2003-2004)
- Tom Connor (2002-2003)
- Ffion Evans (2001-2002)
- Ben Youdan (2000-2001)
- Helen Woolnough (1999-2000)
- Claire Ainsley (1998-1999)
- Jenny Wood (1997-1998)
- Fergus Drake (1996-1997)
- Jago Parker (1995-1996)
- Lee Flindell (1994-1995)
- Fleur Anderson (1993-1994)
- Benjamin Drake (1992-1993)
- David Wheeldon (1991-1992)
- James Minton (1990-1991)
- Amanda Kleeman (1989-1990)
- Andy Wood (1988-1990)
- Ben Rich (1987-1988)
- Felicity Huxley-Williams (1986-1987)
- Russell George (1985-1986)
- Jonathan Slater (1984-1985)
- Tim Edmondson (1983-1984)
- Gethin Jones (1982-1983)
- Richard Lerner (1981-1982)
- Simon Bryceson (1980-1981)
- Mike Barnes (1979-1980)
- Andy Lovelady (1978-1979)
- Phil Harris (1977-1978)
- Richard Burden (1976-1977)
- In this year there were two candidates for the SU president, the other being Paul Holmes. Both candidates were later members of the House of Commons.
- John Roberts (1975-1976)
- Paul Hodges (1974-1975)
- Mike Mosley (1973-1974)
- Steve Sheppard (1972-1973)
- Kevin Heymann (1971-1972)
- Nigel Strange (1970-1971)
- John Randall (1969-1970)
- Jon Taylor (1968-1969)
- Julian Friedman (1967-1968)
- David Willis (1966-1967)
- Tony Banks (1965-1966)
- Dave Mahony (1964-1965)
- Pip Nayak (1964)
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