The Union is governed through a balance between students, officers and trustees as set out in our constitution. You can read all 9,034 words of it below if you’d like.
Student Council
Students govern the union through Student Council, which sets what work the union should be doing. Student Council meets once a term, and is made up of:
- Elected officers
- Inclusion reps
- Course reps
- Society leaders
- Any other co-opted students – these may be students who wouldn’t otherwise be a part of Student Council, but the Council has decided that that they should specifically be part of the meetings.
Overall, they set the policies the union should enact, and keep officers accountable by approving their work, while also sharing some powers with the Trustee Board, so that longer term plans can be carried out smoothly and successfully.
Trustee Board
The Trustee Board is a small committee responsible for ensuring and checking the work of the union. They are legally responsible for the union (in its role as a charitable organisation), and steering the strategic direction of the organisation.
The Trustee Board is made up of:
- Chair: The current Students’ Union President
- Another current elected Students’ Union Officer
- Up to 2 student trustee’s
- Up to 2 alumni trustee’s
- Up to 2 external trustee’s
This system keeps the Unions’ work guided, actionable, legal and accountable. Every 5 years, the constitution gets reviewed and approved by Student Council, meaning the next review is currently due in 2027.