University of Portsmouth Students' Union
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This article is about the University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU). There is also an article on the University of Plymouth Students' Union, also known as UPSU.
The University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU) is an NUS-affiliated union, representing students at the University of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.
The University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU, online at www.upsu.net) was voted best Union in the UK in New Musical Express in 2004. Formerly housed in the ex-NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) building Alexandra House, a new £6.5 million purpose-built Union was opened in 2002 at the other end of Ravelin Park, to the north of Frewen Library, though the main entertainment area has been significantly altered recently.
The Union houses two bars, a nightclub and a Balfours/Co-Op grocery shop, along with Blackwells bookshop and also its own radio station, PURE:FM.
Since the summer of 2005, a restructure resulted in the division of the Union into the UPSU Charity - whose broad remit covers such areas as the running of University clubs and societies - and its trading-orientated operations, under the remit of UPEL (the University of Portsmouth Enterprise Ltd.), a company owned by the University of Portsmouth to "[offer] to business, industry and the public sector the wide range of skills and knowledge in the University" (from here, "What is UPEL?").
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[edit] The UPSU Charity
The UPSU Charity is a member of the National Union of Students (NUS) - website www.nusonline.co.uk.
[edit] Media
The Union's media outlets include radio and magazine- and newspaper-format printed materials, as well as verious periodical publications including the Pompey Guide.
[edit] Pure:FM student radio
The Union's student radio station is run as a society as part of the UPSU Charity, with a remit to broadcast student-orientated content suitable for a wide range of audiences.
Further information about Pure:FM can be found on their website at www.purefm.com.
[edit] Printed media
[edit] Pugwash magazine
The student magazine is called Pugwash (www.pugwashmagazine.com) and is published approximately five times per academic year. In its time it has won the Best Student Magazine award from the National Students Union (www.nusonline.co.uk.
[edit] Purple Wednesdays magazine and branding
There is also a weekly sports and societies newspaper called Purple Wednesdays (www.purplewednesdays.com). The name stems from the ubiquitous day for BUSA (British Universities Sports Association) activities and the fact that purple is the corporate colour of the University (though strangely enough, it doesn't feature prominently on the University's armorial bearings). Sporting 'colours' (awarded annually for achievement and effort) are thus "Purples" and "Half Purples".
"Purple Wednesdays" is also the name given to the branding of the weekly nightclub and bar event held at the Union by the trading company (UPEL).
[edit] Pompey Guide
This is published annually to coincide with the start of the academic year, and is designed to offer new and returning students alike a snapshot of the range of facilities on offer throughout the Union, the University, and in the wider context of Portsmouth.
[edit] Website UPSU.net
Primarily controlled by the UPSU charity, the Union's website at www.upsu.net was recommissioned in 2005 to provide a single point of reference for each and every activity within the Union. The site covers news, support, general and contact information, as well as listing clubs and societies, details of democratic process and so forth for the UPSU (Charity) side of the Union.
The UPEL (trading) side of the Union is represented under the "Social:Life" heading and its aim is to ensure customers are fully aware of the Union's events and other trading activities. To that end, this can be considered the only part of the UPSU.net website which has a clearly-defined and comparatively tangible role as that of an advertising platform.
UPSU.net is one of the first students' Unions in the country to transfer its membership registration process online, a move which has reaped many rewards for the Union both in terms of reducing the inconvenience associated with the issue of student memberships, and the accuracy and security of the Union's data collection processes.
In the future, the Union have stated their aim to expand the use of the website to capitalise on the ease with which students and non-students alike can provide feedback, as a way of improving the Union's relationship with its customers.
[edit] UPEL
UPEL - the University of Portsmouth Enterprise Ltd., operates the vast majority of the trading functions within the University of Portsmouth Students' Union, including bars and catering, entertainments, and so forth.
Following financial difficulties in 2005, UPSU was re-structured and is now a registered charity, with its trading arm (UPSU Trading Ltd.) placed under the direct control of the University, through the auspices of UPEL (University of Portsmouth Enterprise Ltd, previously only used for commercialising research).
As a result of this new investment, in October 2005 the Union was redeveloped, in particular its bars, and this could allow for extra teaching and exam space.
Further information about UPEL's role on the Union's website can be found here.
Further information on the Union's trading activities can be found at www.upsu.net/sociallife.
