Lancaster University Students' Union

Governance

LUSU is run by over 150 student officers, made up of Full Time Officers, JCR Officers and Cross Campus officers.

Full Time Officers

The Union is led by a team of six Full Time Executive Officers (FTOs): President, Vice President Union Development, Vice President Education, Vice President Activities, Vice President Campaigns & Communications and Vice President Welfare & Community. These are either students who have just graduated or are taking a year out from their studies. These students are elected during Lent term, with a two-week period of campaigning and three days of voting. The Union's current FTO team consists of:

JCR Officers

Each of the eight Undergraduate Colleges has a JCR Executive. The roles within these vary but they all have a president, at least one vice president, welfare officers, social secretaries, communications officers and sports representatives.

Cross Campus Officers

These ten officers are elected to represent students on a range of university issues; Charity, Welfare, Democracy, Media & Communications, Education, Socials, International, LGBTQ*, Environmental & Ethics and Activities.

Accommodation

LUSU Living is Lancaster University’s accommodation service available to students of Lancaster University and The University of Cumbria on behalf of LUSU.

Advice and Support

LUSU provides students with support related to academic, accommodation and finance issues. This is through drop-in sessions with advisors, available on weekdays.

Jobshop

Working in partnership with the University careers service, the LUSU Jobshop keeps a database of jobs available both on and off-campus and provides help for students looking for part or full-time employment. This is managed by a system called TARGETconnect.

LUSU Retail Outlets

The Union owns a shop on campus as well as an online store. Central is an on campus supermarket situated between Grizedale College and Pendle College. The LUSU online store sells Lancaster University clothing and gifts.

Nightline

Lancaster Nightline is open 10pm to 8am during term time to provide students with an access point for information, and a listening ear. It is run by students and services are available via phone, Instant Messaging, email and a reverse charge skype system.

Purple Card

The Purple Card can be bought by staff and students at Lancaster University and The University of Cumbria and is used to join clubs and societies, as well as to redeem local offers and discounts.

Sugarhouse

The Sugarhouse is a nightclub which was purchased by LUSU in 1982 with a loan from the University. It is located on Sugarhouse Alley, Lancaster and opens on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The club is extremely popular amongst Lancaster University students and has recently hosted acts such as Rudimental, Bondax and Danny Howard.

Volunteering

There are a wide range of voluntary schemes available to students through LUSU, such as community projects, schools volunteering and environmental projects. There is also a well established ‘LUSU Overseas’ programme, which enables students to participate in an international cultural exchange interacting with students studying at one of Lancaster University’s partner institutes around the world. These are GD Goenka World Institute in India, Sunway University in Malaysia, An-Najah University in Palestine, COMSATS in Pakistan, Lancaster University Ghana and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. These activities add value to the Lancaster Award – an employer focussed award which recognises the achievements of our students outside their programme of study.

World Lancaster

World Lancaster is a fantastic combination of many cultural opportunities, such as travelling overseas, studying abroad, joining a cultural societies or learning a new language.

SCAN

SCAN (an acronym for Student Comment and News) is Lancaster University’s student newspaper, and is published fortnightly during term time by the Students’ Union. It was founded in 1967 as a one-page newsletter by members of staff at the University. It has continued to evolve over the years, becoming one of the longest running student newspapers in Europe.

Bailrigg FM

Bailrigg FM is the student radio station of Lancaster University, operated by an elected subcommittee of the Student's Union. Bailrigg FM provides news and entertainment across the University's campus (known as Bailrigg) to staff and students on 87.7 FM. It is one of only a handful of student radio stations in the UK to broadcast non-stop on FM. Being one of the first to set up in the UK, they have a long history dating back to the 1960s. Any student of the University may join and every member has the chance to be elected onto the management committee.

LA1:TV

LA1:TV is LUSU’s television station and is run by students who produce a variety of programmes, such as ‘SugarTV’ and ‘The Sportscaster’. The name ‘LA1’ is taken from the postcode of the University.

Take 2 Cinema

Take 2 Cinema is the student union's on-campus cinema, based in Bowland College Lecture Theatre.

Clubs and Societies

LUSU provides support and funding for over 140 official activity groups and sports clubs, ranging from ‘Assassins Guild’ to ‘Wilderness Medicine’ and everything in between.

Roses Tournament

The Roses Tournament is an annual sports competition between Lancaster University and the University of York in England, which was founded in 1965. The competition is organised by LUSU and YUSU, and is held every summer term during the first few weeks, alternating its venue between the two universities.

Green Impact Awards Gold Standard

LUSU has a strong environmental and ethical track record which has been recognised by the Union being awarded the Gold Standard by the NUS in the Green Impact Awards. This makes LUSU one of only 5 Universities in the UK achieve this standard. The Union has also won a Green Gown Award in 2011 and been highly commended in the Children and Young People Now Awards.

NUS Students’ Union of the Year

LUSU was shortlisted for the Higher Education Students’ Union of the Year award at the National Union of Students (NUS) Awards 2013.