University of Alberta Students' Union


The University of Alberta Students' Union is the student society that represents undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. Originally established in 1909, it is a non-profit corporation that operates under the authority of the Post-Secondary Learning Act. Its membership consists of the roughly 30,000 undergraduate students enrolled at the university.
With an annual budget of approximately $14,000,000 and hundreds of paid and volunteer staff, the Students' Union serves as an advocate for students and provides a variety of services to its members. The Students' Union also operates a number of businesses, manages various targeted trust funds, hosts a wide variety of entertainment and educational events, and runs the Students' Union Building.

Council

Students' Council is the ultimate decision-making body of the Students' Union and is composed of representatives elected from each faculty, five executive members elected in a campus-wide general election each March, and one undergraduate student elected in the same election to serve on the University's Board of Governors.

Representation

Provincially, the Students' Union participates in the Council of Alberta University Students. The Students' Union was a founding member of the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations. While it took a brief hiatus on its membership, having pulled out in 2003, the Students' Union moved to rejoin CASA in March 2008.
In the fall of 2016, the Students' Union expanded the U-Pass program to Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc and Spruce Grove.

Services

The Students' Union provides a number of services to assist students in their academic careers. These services include:
The Students' Union also runs several businesses, which offer discounts to Students' Union staff and volunteers.

Students' Union Building

Built in 1967, the Students' Union Building is the headquarters of the Students' Union. It contains the Horowitz Theatre.

Myer Horowitz Theatre

The Myer Horowtiz Theatre is a 720-seat concert hall used a venue for a variety of music, dance and lectures. The theatre hosts no regular season, and is rented by various student and community groups. They also regularly host shows organized by local promoters looking for a smaller intimate venue in Edmonton.
Built in 1967 during the building of the Students' Union Building, the theatre was originally called SUB Theatre. The theatre has been through two renovations since opening, a major overall in 1983 and a technical update in 1988. The theatre was renamed in 1989 to honour the outgoing university president at the time, Dr. Myer Horowitz.

Notable past presidents

Several people who have served as president of the University of Alberta Students' Union have gone on to achieve some level of fame.