About

CCSU LogoChrist Church Students’ Union (CCSU) is independent of the University and is here to represent all students at all the campuses. The Students’ Union is run by a mixture of full time sabbatical officers (sabbs), the Union Council, staff and of course your voice through various committees and working groups.

So what does the Students’ Union do? Well, we are run by students for students, and so we democratically represent the interests of our members, and also provide a variety of services to our students.

Have a look at our Vision, Mission and Values statement and our Balanced Scorecard for 2012-13.

To get a taste of what we do please have a look around the site which details many aspects of our work or view some of our ‘frequently asked questions’.


What is the Students’ Union?
The Students’ Union exists to represent its members and provide them with services, support and opportunities for development to enable them to maximise the benefits of their overall student experience.
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Is the SU just a bar?
No we provide a variety of different services to our member and offer an inclusive environment for students to come to.
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What are Sabbs?
Sabbatical officers are normal students that are elected to work in the SU for a year in paid positions. Their jobs involve representing you to the University and other bodies as well as leading and developing the SU. The sabbatical positions we have at CCSU are President, Vice President (Welfare and Education), Vice President (Sport), and Vice President (Student Activities).
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Who runs the SU?
Decisions on what the SU does are made by you, the students, through various committees, including the Union Council. The Executive committee is made up of the sabbs, they are responsible for deciding on the aims of the SU and are held to account by Union Council. The SU also has excellent staff that organise and run the day to day activities of the SU, they are also always available to give you advice or support on a huge range of topics.
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What is Union Council?
Students’ Union Council is the highest level decision making body in the Students’ Union, responsible for giving the Students’ Union direction (through deciding policy) and approving the aims of the Students’ Union Executive (by approving strategy). It is a forum for raising issues and discussing items (through questions to officers) and holds the SU Executive to account through regular reporting and planning. The Union Council meet up once a month.
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How can I get involved?
You can get involved with the SU very easily, simply being part of a sports club, society or volunteer group is being involved with the SU. If you would like to get more involved then there are various different ways of doing so. You could become an academic rep for your course or help run a club or society. You could also stand for a position on Union Council and help make decisions about the whole SU, also any student can stand to be elected as a Sabb. Even coming to Union events counts as getting involved.
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How is the SU funded?
The SU is funded with income from various different sources. We receive a grant from the University each year, we also generate income from our membership activities, i.e. sports and societies, and also throughout various sponsorship opportunities. All of this money is spent on running and improving the SU.
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Is the SU part of the University?
The SU has its own constitution and management structure and is effectively run as an independent organisation. However we do receive a grant and other support from the University, and work closely with the University and its departments in order to represent your views most effectively.
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How do I become a Member?

All registered students of Canterbury Christ Church University, regardless of programme of study or location of study are automatically members of the Union and are entitled to vote, run for election as an academic representative or a Union Officer, attend Union events and activities, attend and submit motions to the AGM and Union Council, join sports clubs and societies, get free advice and academic information, partake in campaigns and enjoy all the other benefits of membership all for free!  Membership costs you nothing and allows you access to a whole host of benefits, including your NUS Extra card which allows you to access discounts at multiple stores and websites.

All Members of the Union should be aware that they agree to contribute £1.00 GBP in the unlikely event that the Union falls into liquidation or needs to be wound up.

Although all students are automatically Members of the Union, you can opt out if you wish.  If you would like to opt out of the Union, you must email ccsu@canterbury.ac.uk with your name and student ID number and clearly state that you would like to opt out.

Any student who has opted out can opt back in again at any time by following the same procedure above.

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