University of Alberta Students' Union

The University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU) is the student society that represents undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. Originally established in 1909, it is a non-profit corporation that operates under the authority of the Post-Secondary Learning Act (Alberta). Its membership consists of the roughly 31,000[1] undergraduate students enrolled at the university.

University of Alberta Students' Union
MottoTo serve, represent, and engage students.
InstitutionUniversity of Alberta
LocationEdmonton, Alberta
Established1909
PresidentChristian Fotang
Vice presidentsPedro Almeida (Academic), Chris Beasley (External), Levi Flaman (Operations & Finance), Michael Griffiths (Student Life)
Members34,600
AffiliationsCAUS, CASA
Websitesu.ualberta.ca
Signage near the south entrance to the Students' Union Building.
South face of the Students' Union Building.

With an annual budget of more than $13,000,000 and hundreds of paid and volunteer staff,[2] the Students' Union serves as an advocate for students and provides a variety of services to its members. The Students' Union also operates a number of businesses, manages various targeted trust funds, hosts a wide variety of entertainment and educational events, and runs the Students' Union Building.

Students' Council

The Students' Council is the highest decision-making body of the UASU and is composed of a speaker, a general manager (both of whom are non-voting members), councillors elected from each faculty, 5 executive members and an undergraduate student representative to serve on the university's Board of Governors, all of whom are elected in an annual campus-wide general election every March.[3]

The breakdown of faculty councillors is as below:

  • 2 from the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
  • 7 from the Faculty of Arts
  • 1 from the Faculty of Augustana
  • 2 from the Faculty of Business
  • 3 from the Faculty of Education
  • 5 from the Faculty of Engineering
  • 1 from Faculte Saint-Jean
  • 1 from the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation
  • 1 from the Faculty of Law
  • 1 from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
  • 1 from the Faculty of Native Studies
  • 1 from the Faculty of Nursing
  • 1 from the Faculty of Open Studies
  • 1 from the Faculty of Pharmacy
  • 7 from the Faculty of Science

Representation

Provincially, the Students' Union participates in the Council of Alberta University Students. The Students' Union was a founding member of the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations. While it took a brief hiatus on its membership, having pulled out in 2003, the Students' Union moved to rejoin CASA in March 2008.

In the fall of 2016, the Students' Union expanded the U-Pass program to Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc and Spruce Grove.[4][5]

Services

The Students' Union provides a number of services to assist students in their academic careers. These services include:

  • Access Fund
  • Campus Food Bank
  • InfoLink
  • Ombudservice
  • Peer Support Centre
  • Safewalk
  • Student Job Registry

The Students' Union also runs several businesses, which offer discounts to Students' Union staff and volunteers.

Students' Union Building

Built in 1967, the Students' Union Building (SUB) is the headquarters of the Students' Union. It contains the Horowitz Theatre.

Myer Horowitz Theatre

The Myer Horowtiz Theatre is a 720-seat concert hall used a venue for a variety of music, dance and lectures.[6] The theatre hosts no regular season, and is rented by various student and community groups. They also regularly host shows organized by local promoters looking for a smaller intimate venue in Edmonton.

Built in 1967 during the building of the Students' Union Building, the theatre was originally called SUB Theatre. The theatre has been through two renovations since opening, a major overall in 1983 and a technical update in 1988. The theatre was renamed in 1989 to honour the outgoing university president at the time, Dr. Myer Horowitz.[7]

Notable past presidents

Several people who have served as president of the University of Alberta Students' Union have gone on to achieve some level of fame.

See also

References

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