By Lilja Nassar, Comment Subeditor
As I'm in a confessional mood today, I'll admit that apart from its ever-present appearance on every email header, I was until recently quite unsure of what the Bristol SU's (Student Union's) role really was. I can't say I've heard many students reference the SU with a positive tone – it's only ever really brought up in complaints about them impeding on sports societies' 'fun and harmless' socials and initiation rituals. I'm sure many of you who have a committee position in a society have received that daunting email (it's always the emails) from the over-policing SU condemning its socials.
You may share the same belief that I used to: that you have a sufficient understanding of the role of SU. It represents student voices, doesn't it?
While true, can you call to mind how the SU has managed to do this, and what its highlights in improving student welfare in the past year have been? I thought not. I myself was unable to think of anything the SU had done, or that I was aware it had done, to improve my personal student experience.
I saw the SU and its advocates as having possibly bloated levels of self-importance at times, at its worst being out of touch and performative, and at its best being an invisible relic of its perhaps glorious past. I saw the SU as the committee of an indistinguishable student society, one that certainly wanted their presence known, but that was unfortunately unable to elucidate their purpose.
The last I heard of the SU being mentioned amongst my peers was following their controversial decision to end the Associate Membership Scheme which permitted non-students such as alumni and staff from being a part of societies within the University of Bristol. The SU's defence of their decision was that changes had to be made to the scheme for 'safeguarding and 'managing conduct' principles, amongst others.
Julia Mullins
It seemed to me that the SU was only relevant when it had ignited controversy; many promises were made in their constant output of reassuringly polished emails, however I'd become disillusioned with their ability to actually instigate any real change as I hadn't noticed it myself.
You might then be surprised that after some careful and thorough research (at least I hope), I reached the eventual conclusion that the SU is actually of some use. Quite a lot, in fact.
For instance, did you know that the SU has been vital in aiding students to navigate through their shared difficulties? For one, in support of the 'Bristol, Cut the Rent' strike, the SU ran a workshop to help freshers strike against the lack of support received from the University of Bristol in first year halls during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Emilie A. Robinson
It was strange internalising that the SU really was putting consistent effort into making internal changes within the University of Bristol to ensure a more equitable and accepting environment for students. I found it regularly proposes motions related to current affairs which affect individuals within the university on a personal level, such as requesting the 'Bristol SU to lobby the University to adopt the following anti-Palestinian racism definition: Anti-Palestinian racism is a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanises Palestinians.'
More of its recent successes include the renewal of the 'Supporting students who have experienced sexual misconduct' motion during the 2025 Annual Members Meeting, in which the SU is to for one 'work with the University of Bristol to deliver an Annual Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct at UoB,' and more. It's especially important for students to be able to support each other in what is far too commonplace in university life. Following the meeting, a new motion to 'Implement recycling soft / flexible plastic at Bristol University' was also passed with student-centric benefits in mind, such as 'to reduce the workload of students trying to recycle and help the environment'.
'the SU is only as powerful as the students who care about it'
If this wasn't impressive enough, what sealed the deal was that the SU has not neglected the importance of socialising for students either – their ‘Give it a Go!’ series of taster sessions during freshers' week (or refreshers', for many) provide students with the opportunity to try many different societies and mingle with others with the shared interest. This I knew beforehand; however, I didn't really link it to the SU, perhaps because of my previous supposition that it was a fluffy entity which floated within the university’s central existence with little useful input.
In a way, the SU is a microcosm of the wider political sphere, which many students are actively participating in. You would think that with the rising cases of 'political burnout' that students would, if anything, want to focus on smaller scale political activity which would make a more feasible and direct impact on themselves and their peers. Maybe as students we should start to think of the SU as a human shield composed of many well-intentioned students like ourselves who stand up and protect us against the wrath and injustices we may be encountered with by the university.
At the risk of being reminiscent of a Second World War propaganda poster, what it comes down to is that the SU is only as powerful as the students who care about it – which could include you. We as students may be too passive in engaging with the union. We expect results but without any input from ourselves – are we the bosses that we so dread, who “climbed up” the career ladder purely by hanging onto their connections, expecting big things without offering any help in return? Student apathy is a real issue; our misguided understanding of the SU's role, and our disinterest in it almost entirely, may be the cause of our dissatisfaction with its effectiveness.
Far be it for me to say that the SU is perfect; it can do with many improvements or internal reforms. Where alternatives like issue-based groups may be more effective in reaching their outcomes, the SU is however still what we have got going for us at this moment, and it is a vital vessel in catalysing our progression to a better student environment.
Featured image: Epigram / Patrick Sullivan
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