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Boston University Student Union

By jmsapp

  • Founding: BU USC

    The Boston University Student Union is founded in its first incarnation as the Boston University Student Congress. The Congress was composed of a cuncil of students, faculty, and administration. The Student Congress stood as a succecful arbiter of conflict and expression of student voice.

  • Transition: BU SU

    In the spring of 1969, the Student Congress was replaced by the Student Union, a student-only body. The executive board, referred as the Joint Council of the Student Union, consisted of a president, vice-president, five secretaries (Cultural Affairs, Student Life, Community Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Financial Affairs) and the presidents of all the college governments. With the constitution ratified, the first election was held between two slates, with more than 5,000 students voting.

  • An Exciting First Year

    The Student Union set out with the goal of providing services. At the beginning of the year, the Union asked for an increase in the Student Activity Fee (what is now referred to as the Undergraduate Student Fee) from $2.50 to $11.00. The increase passed by a large majority and the Union budget grew to $146,000 dollars (estimated to be about $700,000 by today’s standards). With the extra money, the Student Union funded many projects and publications (The News and The Daily Free Press for example)

  • The Daily Free Press is Founded

    The Daily Free Press is founded, funded as a special project of the Student Union

  • A Turbulent Second Semester

    The Student Union focused on administrative changes during the second semester. However, after a riot broke out between police and protesters in November, twenty students found themselves in jail. The Union organized a campus-wide strike to free the students and rehire a popular professor that had been fired, among other demands. When the date of the one-day strike arrived, nearly 7,000 students participated. As a result, the original protestors were released on parole with no other demands met.

  • Quarrels with Silber over the USF

    1971-1972: President Silber removed the Student Activity Fee (now Undergraduate Student Fee) from the Student Union budget, leaving it with no funds. After a referendum, the student body asked that the Student Union control the Student Activity Fee. President Silber did not agree but suggested the voluntary collection of the student activity fee.

  • Recreating the Student Union

    1977-1978: The Student Union became a “student group” through the Student Activities Office, and evolved into the form it would maintain until 2004 . The Student Union would consist of 3 branches and 2 special bodies, including what would eventually become Programming Council and Allocations Board.

  • Guest Policy Protests

    1989-1990: The Union organized a protest in Marsh Plaza against the guest policy, which allowed no guests after 11pm and no study extensions. Sadly, the protest failed to remove the guest policy. Instead, the policy was revised to give students more freedom.

  • Dividng Student Union and Residence Government

    1990-1991: Over the summer, an administrative task force decided to remove the Residence Hall Governments from the Union.

  • Student Union installs Blue Lights

    1990-1991: The Senate Crime and Safety Committee successfully received approval for the installation of the blue-light system around campus, dramatically improving campus safety.

  • Project 100 Program begins

    1993-94: Project 100 (later to become SU Service Council, and now a part of Programming Council) is founded as a program to get 100 volunteers to get involved with the Union.

  • Student Union Conducts first Safety Walk

    Student Union conducts first safety walk after recieving several complaints regarding safety and student concerns of the campus. Please read more here: http://www.dailyfreepress.com/news/union-conducts-safety-study-with-campus-walking-tour-1.946962

  • Implementing a Divide: A Committee to reinvent the Student Union

    2003: At the beginning of the year, the Union experienced a decrease in effectiveness due to internal conflicts. The new Dean of Students, Kenneth Elmore, created a committee of students, administrators, and faculty to put a stop to the problem. As a result of this committee, the General Assembly was created. This assembly would be run by an Executive Board and would be separate from Programming Council and Allocations Board.

  • A New Start

    2004: The newly elected Executive Board and General Assembly wrote the Constitution and it was approved by the Student Body. The Union focused entirely on student advocacy and left programming and the allocation of funds to its sister groups, the Programming Council and Allocations Board.