The Students’ Union
Welcome to Bath University Students’ Union (BUSU)!
BUSU will form an integral part of your student experience at Bath. Much of your extra curricular activities and enjoyment will be accessed through the Students’ Union. BUSU exists for the benefit of its members and provides them with services, support and opportunities for development. We are a ‘not for profit’ organisation run by a team of elected sabbatical students and professional full-time staff.
We are very proud of our interactive website: www.BathStudent.com which regularly receives over 6 million hits per month! Why not check it out now for all the latest Union activities and news.
Clubs & Societies
There are well over 100 clubs and societies which are financed
and supported by BUSU. These range in nature from
departmental groups, cultural societies, political societies, arts
societies and sports clubs.
Last year, Students’ Union sports clubs gained 2nd place overall for the University of Bath in the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) national championships.
Media & Communications
Opportunities to gain experience in media and publications are
many and varied at Bath. The student newspaper, ‘Impact’, is
written entirely by students. Campus Television (CTV) offers
students the opportunity to get first hand experience in the
complete production of television and is broadcast throughout
the Students’ Union. URB, or University Radio Bath has been
broadcasting for many years and offers the chance to either
become a DJ or get involved in the technical side of radio. Both
Neil Fox, from the Network Chart Show, and Richard Evans, of
Radio One fame, started here at URB.
Entertainment
Being a student in Bath can’t be beaten. As well as having all the
Georgian splendour and Roman Baths, your social time spent
here will certainly be memorable. Bath is considered to be a safe
city, and benefits from a lively pub and club scene. The liveliest
of them all is our very own Union run bar and nightclub, called
‘Plug’ and ‘Elements’ respectively. A whole spectrum of events are
run, including discos, live bands, karaoke, comedy, dance and
specialist nights.
The Union’s clubs and societies also organise a large number of events including balls, theme nights, quizzes and other social events. The Union gives as much support as it can in organising these and helps to make them as successful as possible.
Academic, Welfare & Representation Centre (AWARE)
AWARE offers information, advice and representation on all
academic and welfare issues which affect students at the
University. The centre has 2 professional staff as well as a team of
student volunteers. Welfare issues covered include housing,
particularly the checking of tenancy agreements, and all areas of
health and well being, including personal safety. Throughout the
year the student volunteers run a series of welfare related
campaigns to raise awareness within the student body. AWARE
also supports groups for students with disabilities, LGBT, student
parents, mature students, Global Group (promoting integration
between home and international students) and Nightline, an
overnight counselling and information service run by students.
The Volunteer Centre
The Volunteer Centre has been established to provide a wide
range of training, development and volunteering opportunities
for students. These include: mentoring, School Tutoring, Duke of
Edinburgh Award, Student Community Action and RAG.
JobLink
JobLink is a student employment service available to those who
wish to find part-time work whilst they study. The jobs are located
both on campus and in the general locality; they include retail,
catering, office, teaching and work mentoring in nearby schools.
Enterprise Centre
A new area, the Enterprise Centre provides a wide range of
training sessions for students through the SORTED Programme,
aimed at developing key skills for work and study. We also have a
team of student trainers who are supported through the centre.
BANTER (Bath Entrepreneurs) is a group of budding student
entrepreneurs who organise enterprise training and networking
opportunities for students interested in running their own
business. BANTER also help organise the National Student
Enterprise Conference held annually on campus during National
Enterprise Week.
Trading Activities
The Union Shop and ‘Fresh’ grocery store sells a very wide
variety of stock including stationery, newspapers and magazines,
toiletries, confectionery, sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, greeting
cards, DVD’s and memorabilia. ‘Fresh Oriental’ is the new campus
grocery store which specialises in authentic oriental cookery
ingredients and also stocks a range of products from the Indian
subcontinent.
‘The Terrace’ food outlet serves a wide range of items including jacket potatoes, pizzas, lasagne, burgers, quiche and much more through breakfast, lunchtime and into the evenings. The ‘Pitstop’ sandwich bar is open daily and offers a huge selection of baguettes, wraps and sandwiches. The STA Travel Shop trades in conjunction with BUSU and offers you the cheapest way to get around locally or travel overseas.
Academic Representation Centre (ARC)
The ARC provides students with academic support through a
number of channels. Each programme of study elects its own
student academic representative to voice student opinion at
departmental level and across campus. The ARC supports the
work of the Academic Representatives through training, briefings,
meetings and research.
The centre co-ordinates student representation in over 50
University committees, dealing with issues from social space to
placements. We work closely with the University to get the
student voice heard from the department to Westminster.