UQ Union
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The UQ Union is the central student organisation at the University of Queensland. Run by a committee of 26 elected students, the union is responsible for representing students to both the university administration and government, organising most student-oriented events at the university and operating most of its facilities. The union operates a significant number of eateries and shops, as the university bar and cinema. While most of their facilities and services operate out of their large building at the St Lucia campus, they also operate cafes and limited services at the university's other three small campuses. The union also operates a secondhand bookshop at St Lucia and a medical bookshop at the university's Herston campus.
The union organises the university's orientation week ("O-Week") activities, regular barbeques and free bands, as well as a range of larger events, such as Oktoberfest. It funds the university's more than 135 clubs and societies, including faculty, ethnic, and a variety of social groups; sporting groups, however, fall under the domain of UQ Sport. The UQ Union also provides free legal and childcare services to university students. In addition, it also organises the weekly Wednesday markets at the St Lucia campus.
The union coordinates student representation to the University through its Student Representation and Postgraduate Student Areas, supporting students to take positions on faculty and University committees, and the Academic Board.
One of the other roles of the union is to see that minority groups on campus are adequately represented. To this extent, they provide a queer space at St Lucia and women's spaces at both St Lucia and Ipswich campuses. The spaces at St Lucia are rooms in the UQ Union building, open all the time; they provide a safe place for discussion and political organization related to women's and queer issues, as well as socialising. They also provide students with access to information about relevant topics like feminism and safe sex. The union also has queer, women's, environment, disabilities and Indigenous collectives to represent their respective interests, all of which are headed by at least one elected officer who sits on the union's committee.
The UQ Union is a member union of the National Union of Students of Australia, and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. As with most other student organisations across Australia, the UQ Union has been actively involved in campaigning against the introduction of voluntary student unionism.
Past Presidents of the UQ Student Union
| Presidents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Ticket | |
| Jody Thompson | 1996 | Liberal | |
| Cynthia Kennedy | 1997 | Labor Left | |
| Bede Nicholson | 1998 | Labor Left | |
| Mathew Carter | 1999 | Labor Left | |
| Sarah McBratney | 2000 | Labor Left | |
| Juliana Virine | 2001 | Labor Left | |
| Chris Vernon | 2002 | Labor Left | |
| Aaron Marsham | 2003 | Independent | |
| Margot Balch | 2004 | Labor Left | |
| Leah Sanderson | 2005 | Labor Left | |
| Lucy Weber | 2006 | Labor Left | |
External links
| National Union of Students of Australia | |
|---|---|
| Universities: ANU | Adelaide | Ballarat | Bendigo | Canberra | Charles Darwin | Curtin | Edith Cowan | Flinders | Griffith | James Cook | La Trobe | Macquarie | Melbourne | Monash - Caulfield | Monash - Clayton | Murdoch | Newcastle | Queensland | QUT | RMIT | South Australia | Southern Cross - Coffs Harbour | Southern Cross - Lismore | Southern Queensland | Sunshine Coast | Swinburne | Sydney | Tasmania - Hobart | Tasmania - Launceston | UNE | UNSW | UNSW COFA | UTS | UWA | UWS | Victoria | Wollongong | |
| Current Factions: Australian Liberal Students Federation | Grassroots Left | Independents | National Labor Students | National Liaison Committee | Socialist Alternative | Student Unity | |
| Former Factions: Australian Labor Students | Left Alliance | Love and Rage | National Broad Left | National Organisation of Labor Students | Non-Aligned Left | |
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