The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford under the branding Oxford SU or by its previous name of OUSU. It exists to represent Oxford University students in the university's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher education policy debate, and to provide direct services to the student body. The president for the 2023–24 academic year is Danial Hussain (Lady Margaret Hall).
History
In 1961, the University of Oxford Proctors banned the student magazine Isis from publishing reviews of lectures. Students resisted, and legally incorporated the Oxford University Student Representative Council (OUSRC) for the first time. They then agitated for formal university recognition of the OUSRC, and petitioned the United Kingdom's Privy Council, asking the government to amend the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1859. Rather than risk having its hand forced by legislation, the university relented, and formally recognised the OUSRC in 1970.
The OUSRC adopted its contemporary constitution in 1974, changing its name to the Oxford University Student Union, or OUSU. OUSU rebranded itself as Oxford SU in 2017 to improve its image among students at Oxford.
Structure
Membership
Reflecting the collegiate nature of the University of Oxford itself, Oxford SU is both an association of Oxford's more than 21,000 individual students and a federation of the constituent organisations: Junior Common Rooms (JCRs), Middle Common Rooms (MCRs), Graduate Common Rooms (GCRs), and other equivalent organisations that represent undergraduate and graduate students at the university's forty-four colleges and permanent private halls and choose to allocate to the students'union.
Individual students can opt out of membership, although this right is rarely exercised. Individual Common Rooms can also disaffiliate, although few have chosen to do so since Oxford SU started being funded from a block grant from the university rather than through affiliation fees. Oriel College's JCR disaffiliated itself from 2001 to 2010, and again on a temporary basis between January and June 2014; a referendum to disaffiliate permanently failed in 2015. Trinity College's JCR disaffiliated in 2007, holding a referendum on affiliation each year, before reaffiliating in 2014. Christ Church's JCR disaffiliated itself from the Student Union in 2021, with Brasenose JCR voting to disaffiliate from both the SU and NUS in 2023.
Finances
OSSL has its own managing director and board of directors, and the corporation's profits are all remanded to Oxford SU. OSSL's primary activities are: Freshers' Fair, the three-day introduction in Oxford's Examination Schools to clubs and societies, held during Freshers' week; publishing, primarily of handbooks for and by students, but also of The Oxford Student newspaper and Oxide Radio, a student radio station.
Governance
Oxford SU is made up an executive committee, which includes six full-time salaried sabbatical officers, who generally serve in the year following completion of their Final Examinations, although this is not a requirement, and various part-time elected student positions. Also elected are Divisional Board Representatives who represent the students within their Division.
Oxford SU Council acts as the sovereign body of the Student Union, and has over 150 eligible voting members, specifically: every Oxford SU Executive Officer; every Divisional Board Representative; three representatives from each affiliated JCR; two or three representatives from each affiliated MCR/GCR; three votes representing each of the five Oxford SU Autonomous Liberation Campaigns and one vote representing each SU affiliated campaign. If a JCR, MCR, or GCR has fewer than 100 members, it receives one fewer Council vote. The Chair of Council is elected by the Council itself in each academic term.
In 2021/22, a governance review was conducted by President Anvee Bhutani which changed all six sabbatical officer positions and notably expanded the VP Women position to VP Liberation and Equality.
Campaigns
The 8 student campaigns are independent student lead organisations that work within the SU, which aim to represent, promote the interests of and hold events for self-identifying demographics.