The Acadia Students' Union represents the undergraduate students at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. They are a member of the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations (CASA) and StudentsNS (formerly ANSSA).
History
The Acadia Students' Union is a not-for-profit student organization that provides services, events, societies and advocacy work to the students of Acadia University. Founded in 1967, it is an organization led by students in order to provide services and events to the students at Acadia. It consists of over 80 employees and many more volunteers.
The ASU offers many Student Services to help Acadia students have a worthwhile university experience. These services include Off-Campus Housing Assistance, the Safety and Security Shuttle (which helps students get from place to place around campus and off in the evenings) and the Health and Dental Plan. The ASU also hosts the clubs that operate through the ASU, as well as the Internal Organizations like the student-led campus newspaper, The Athenaeum; the campus radio station, Axe Radio; and the Environment and Sustainability Office (AESO). Cajun's, the Union operated clothing store is also owned and operated by the ASU with the proceeds from these sales going directly back to the students.
Students' Union Building
The Acadia Students' Union operates out of the Students' Union Building (SUB) located on Highland Avenue in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. This location, central to the Acadia University campus, is owned and operated by the union.
Inside the building is located several ASU run services as well as offices for the ASU Executive, all of the Internal Organizations, and the university office of Residence Life. The services provided inside the Students' Union Building are the Union Market convenience store, Perkin's Cafe (named after the 12th President of Acadia University), Cajuns Clothing Store, the Axe Lounge, and the Sexual Health Resource Centre. The building also includes an Information Desk which offers postal services, bus tickets, and dry cleaning.
The Axe Lounge, which is the only on-campus bar for students, is set to undergo renovations over the summer of 2016. It was last renovated in 2014 in a joint fundraising effort between the ASU and the 2014 Grad Class to help make the Students' Union Building more accessible (the lounge previously could not be accessed by anyone in a wheelchair). This second renovation is set to be much more ambitious and could cost upwards of two million dollars to complete. The renovation was decided by referendum during the 2016 ASU General Election which it passed. Construction is set to begin during April 2016. The goal is to help offset these costs through an increase in union fees. On the cost per student, The Athenaeum reported "Part of this cost will be incurred through ASU student union dues, at a rate of fifteen dollars per student per semester for the first five years of operation, and then changing to a total of twenty-five dollars per semester per student."
The new Axe Lounge will aim to be a student hub with extended hours during the day and bolstered services. The kitchen which currently operates through The Axe Handle grill will be moved into the lounge and will offer a full menu during the day and increased employment opportunities for students.
Students' Representative Council
The Students' Representative Council (SRC) is the governing body of the Acadia Students' Union. As such, the legislative authority of the organization and its power are governed by the ASU Constitution and By-Laws. The SRC is made up of elected and appointed members from all areas of the Acadia community. These include the Students' Union Executive, the Office of the chairperson, a Diversity & Inclusion Representative, Board of Governors Representative, Faculty Representatives, and Councillors.
The Office of the chairperson is responsible for the effective and efficient execution of all Council and Committee meetings and ensuring that the student body is kept apprised of any important Council decisions and opportunities to get involved. The chairperson for the 2017/2018 academic year is Oliver Jacob.
While the SRC makes overarching policy decisions for the Union, the ASU executive is tasked with its day-to-day governance and is made up of five members detailed below.
President of the Union
The primary function of the president of the ASU is to oversee the actions of their executive and to serve as the public face of the union. As such, they serve as the chief executive officer of the union and are "responsible to the S.R.C. for efficient and proper administration of the Union"