UQ Union
Encyclopedia
The University of Queensland Union (UQU) is a student organisation established to provide service, support and representation to the students of the University of Queensland
.
a) to further the right of all people to a quality education on an equal basis;
b) to advance the interests of students in the fields of social security, health, welfare, equity, equal opportunity and cultural activities;
c) to represent students within the University and the community;
d) to financially assist affiliated bodies;
e) to provide quality facilities and services to students;
f) to foster the principle of student unionism; and
g) to do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects and the exercise of the powers of the Union.
campus, union services are provided at all campuses.
The union organises the university's orientation week ("O-Week") activities, regular barbecue
s and free bands, as well as a range of larger events, such as Oktoberfest
. It funds the university's 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 a free legal service to university students. In addition, it also organises the weekly Wednesday markets at the St Lucia campus.
One of the other roles of the union is to see that minority groups on campus are adequately represented. To this extent, it provides a Queer Space at St Lucia campus 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.
According to a press release the decision from CAPA was based on a number of factors including failure to respond to repeated attempts to engage with CAPA, failure to pay affiliation fees since 2005, consistent failure to send representatives to the CAPA annual conference and failure to adequately represent postgraduate students and their concerns. The UQ union in combination with UTSSA owes CAPA in excess of $145,000 in outstanding affiliation fees.
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
.
Aims
The specific aims of the Union as defined by the UQ Union Constitution are:a) to further the right of all people to a quality education on an equal basis;
b) to advance the interests of students in the fields of social security, health, welfare, equity, equal opportunity and cultural activities;
c) to represent students within the University and the community;
d) to financially assist affiliated bodies;
e) to provide quality facilities and services to students;
f) to foster the principle of student unionism; and
g) to do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects and the exercise of the powers of the Union.
Union Services
The union operates most of the campus's student eateries, cafes, bookshops in addition to the university bar and cinema. These facilities and services are concentrated at the Union Complex at the St LuciaSt Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
campus, union services are provided at all campuses.
The union organises the university's orientation week ("O-Week") activities, regular barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s and free bands, as well as a range of larger events, such as Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
. It funds the university's 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 a free legal service to university students. In addition, it also organises the weekly Wednesday markets at the St Lucia campus.
One of the other roles of the union is to see that minority groups on campus are adequately represented. To this extent, it provides a Queer Space at St Lucia campus and Women's Spaces at both St Lucia and Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
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
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
. The union also has queer
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
, women's, environment, disabilities and Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
collectives to represent their respective interests, all of which are headed by at least one elected officer who sits on the union's committee.
Student Representation
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. The Student Union recently successfully negotiated for the University to contribute 1 million dollars to the Union annually for student services. The Union also negotiated for the "formula marking" scheme (under which markers can deduct marks in multiple choice exams if a marker believes the student guessed answers) to be abolished .Postgraduate Students
In 2011 the UQ union along with fellow union the University of Technology Sydney Student Association (UTSSA) become the first student unions to be disaffiliated from the Council of Australia Postgraduate Associates Incorporated (CAPA). CAPA is the peak body representing the interests of Australia's 300,000+ postgraduate students. Founded in 1979, CAPA is a membership based non-profit organisation.According to a press release the decision from CAPA was based on a number of factors including failure to respond to repeated attempts to engage with CAPA, failure to pay affiliation fees since 2005, consistent failure to send representatives to the CAPA annual conference and failure to adequately represent postgraduate students and their concerns. The UQ union in combination with UTSSA owes CAPA in excess of $145,000 in outstanding affiliation fees.
Presidents of the UQ Student Union
| Presidents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Ticket | |
| Dirk Moses | 1988 | Labor | |
| Victoria Brazil | 1989 | The Better Alternative - National Party | |
| Jane Lye | 1990 | Reform | |
| James Gifford | 1991 | Liberal | |
| Michael Kleinschmidt | 1992 | Liberal | |
| Sandy Brown | 1993 | SEA - Students for Education Action | |
| Murray Watt | 1994 | Focus - Labor Left | |
| Maya Stuart-Fox | 1995 | Labor | |
| 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 | NOLS - Labor Left | |
| Chris Vernon | 2002 | NOLS - Labor Left | |
| Aaron Marsham | 2003 | Vision | |
| Margot Balch | 2004 | Focus - Labor Left | |
| Leah Sanderson | 2005 | Focus - Labor Left | |
| Lucy Weber | 2006 | Thrive - Labor Left | |
| Julie-Ann Campbell | 2007 | Voice - Labor Left | |
| Josh Young | 2008 | Fresh - Liberal | |
| Brandon Carter | 2009 | Fresh - Liberal | |
| Michael Zivcic | 2010 | Fresh - Liberal | |
| Ben Gorrie | 2011 | Fresh - Liberal | |
| Colin Finke | 2012 | Fresh - Liberal | |