Fonds uofa-2686 - University of Alberta. Students' Union fonds

Student government at the University of Alberta was established in the university's first semester with the creation of a student council with F. Stacey McCall as its first president. By 1920, due to the almost full autonomy the council had been granted by University President Dr. Henry Marshall Tory, student council had changed its name to the University of Alberta Students' Union. The student union published the Gateway Newspaper, the Evergreen and Gold Yearbook, enforced most rules of student discipline, and sponsored sports teams and other activities. Over the years, the University of Alberta Students' Union has evolved into one of Canada's strongest student associations; the Students' Union represents the 25,000 undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. An eight-million dollar organization with hundreds of paid and volunteer staff, the SU is a powerful advocate for students and a major provider of student services. The SU also operates a number of business units, manages various targeted 'trust' funds, hosts a wide variety of entertainment and educational events, and runs the Students' Union Building. All University of Alberta undergraduates are members of the Students' Union. The SU has always been an advocate for students, and has long history of improving student life, such as building SUB and HUB Mall and successfully advocating for increased student representation at the Board of Governors and General Faculties Council. In recent years, the Students' Union has created a number of new services such as Safewalk and the Student Financial Aid and Information Centre; established the Legacy, Access , Student Involvement Endowment, and Campus Rec Enhancement Funds; opened new businesses; renovated SUB twice; and helped advocate for reduced bus pass prices and for increases to the education tax deduction. In 2002, after nearly a century of publication by the SU, the responsibility of publishing the Gateway Newspaper was taken away from the SU and published independently. Past SU alumni include such persons as former Alberta premiere Peter Lougheed (SU President, 1951-52), former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark (Gateway Editor-in-Chief, 1959-60), and a former U of A Dean of Law, Tim Christian (President, 1970-71).