The archives represented here include student societies, sports clubs and teams, societies for alumni/former members, and student run services or organisations from both the University of Nottingham and its predecessor, University College Nottingham.
Archives of the University of Nottingham: Student, Staff and Alumni Societies including the Students Union
This material is held atUniversity of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections
- Reference
- GB 159 UU
- Dates of Creation
- 1878-2020
- Name of Creator
- Physical Description
- 22 archive collections
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
A Nottingham University Students Association was first established in 1878 and was remodelled in June 1882 following the opening of University College Nottingham in 1881. The stated aim of the new association was to further the 'social and intellectual intercourse of students at the college'. New rules were drawn up, accommodation was found for the association in college premises and the first recorded meeting of Nottingham University College Students Association was in March 1884. In its early years, the association organised debates, lectures, discussions, tea and coffee nights, soirées, and trips to Oxford, Cambridge and Stratford Upon Avon. Other activities, such as student magazines and sport clubs, were maintained without association involvement. The association's activities were gradually limited to organising Saturday evening social events and it ceased to exist in 1909. In 1903, when the college received its charter of incorporation, a Students Representative Council was created comprising elected representatives from each department of the College and three members of staff acting as president, chairman and treasurer. The council took over the main duty of organising student life and safeguarding student interests. It was replaced in 1913 by the Students' Union. The union was designed to promote unity, corporate responsibility and interaction between students.
Today the Students Union is a charity and has a Board of Trustees and a Full-Time Officer Committee which is the coordinating political committee of the Union. Its members are the Full-Time Officers with standing invites to the Part-Time Officers and the Union's Senior Management Team. Every student at the University of Nottingham is a member of the Students' Union and therefore can elect the student leaders of the Union. Every member of the Union is able to attend and influence democratic decisions that are made at the Union including areas such as holding the elected Officers to account for their work, deciding what these Officers should be working to achieve beyond their manifesto, and agreeing processes at the Union, from how elections will work to founding new student groups.
The Students Union at 2020 is home to more than 200 societies and over 70 sports clubs, as well as groups and student-run services. Students pay a small fee to join a society and can set up their own society if they have 25 potential members. The University also has over 120 teams from over 40 sports taking part in weekly British University and College Sport fixtures across the UK. There are also intramural sports (IMS) leagues with weekly matches and the opportunity for the winners to compete against Loughborough in the IMS Varsity or travel to China or Malaysia for the annual Tri Campus Games.
Arrangement
*UU 1: Records of the University of Nottingham Students' Union (includes Ningbo Campus SU); note that there are some uncatalogued accruals and new content is being added on a regular basis, including born digital material.
UU 2: Records of The University of Nottingham's Sutton Bonington Guild of Students, 1957-1975
*UU 3: Papers of the Women's Social Club of the University of Nottingham, 1932-1997
UU 4: Records of the Anglican and Methodist Societies of The University of Nottingham and related societies; 1947-2007
* UU 5: Papers relating to the Staff Cricket Club of the University of Nottingham, 1951-1999
UU 6: Papers relating to the Association of Past Students of The University of Nottingham, 1925-1961
UU 7: Papers relating to the University College Nottingham branch of the Association of University Teachers, 1919-1954 ACCESS RESTRICTED AT OWNER'S REQUEST
UU 8: Papers relating to the East Midlands Universities Officers' Training Corps, 1914-1985
UU 9: Papers relating to the East Midlands Universities Air Squadron, 1972-1982
*UU 10: Papers relating to the University of Nottingham's Defence Studies Dining Club, 1971-1981
*UU 11: Records of the William Carey (Baptist) Society of the University of Nottingham, 1951-1978
UU 12: Records of the United Reformed Church Society of the University of Nottingham, 1961-1981
UU 13: Records of University Opera at the University of Nottingham, 1956-1963
* UU 14: Records of the Old Kingstonian Association (Alumni)
UU 15: Ephemera relating to the University of Nottingham's New Theatre, 2001-2003
* UU 16: Records of the University of Nottingham Engineering Society and Engineering Graduates Association 1948-2016
* UU 17: Records of the University of Nottingham Men's Hockey Club
* UU 18: Papers of the University Rowing Club
UU 19: Society of Nottingham Guides and Scouts, 2012-2018
UU 20: Records of the University of Nottingham Cross Country and Athletics Club, 1949-1999
* UU 21: Catholic Society records
UU 22: Photographs and ephemera relating to the University of Nottingham student Gothic Society; 1997-1998
* UU 23: Digital photos and ephemera of the Young Volunteers Association, University of Nottingham Ningbo, China
*Pending full cataloguing, access is limited and is possible only by advance notice and agreement.
Access Information
The bulk of the collection is accessible to all readers. However, access to some items is restricted under current Data Protection legislation. Please see our Access Policy or contact us for further advice.
Other Finding Aids
This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright in the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.
Conditions Governing Use
Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.
Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in writing on our Permission to Publish form (see the Reprographics Services part of our website or email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk)
Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.
Custodial History
Of the hundreds of student societies that have existed over the years, only a small number have transferred their archive to join the University Archive. In order to ensure that a more diverse range of societies are respresented from all campuses, Manuscripts and Special Collections actively encourages the officers of student societies and clubs to create a 'time capsule' to document their achievements during their time in office. One society has written into their constitution the duty to visit and add to their archive, as has the Students Union, to ensure their archive continues to reflect their more recent actions. Please contact Manuscripts and Special Collections for more information about starting a time capsule.
Bibliography
University of Nottingham. Union. The Gongster (1948). Print. University of Nottingham Collection Periodicals Not 5.G14.2 Various student periodicals listed in the University of Nottingham Library Catalogue, NuSearch, under the subject headings 'University of Nottingham -- Students -- Periodicals' and 'Student newspapers and periodicals -- England -- Nottingham'.