The Students' Union at UEA was formed shortly after the first students arrived, in October 1963. At an inaugural meeting, held on 13 October 1963, a temporary committee of seven members was elected. This committee then made arrangements for the election of a governing body for a students' union in the form of a Students' Council, to hold office for the first academic year.
All matriculated students automatically became members of the Students' Union. The Union was a formal link between the student body and the University authorities, representing student interests and organizing those activities which were beyond the scope of the usual range of societies and clubs.
In its early years, and notably the 1970s, the activities of the Union were strongly influenced by wider political issues, but by the end of the 1980s the focus shifted to the social life of students and student welfare. This was recognised in a revised constitution in 1989, when the name was changed to Union of UEA Students.
The present Union of UEA Students provides an extensive range of professional and well-established advice and support units, it also runs many of the commercial enterprises on campus, such as the newsagent and post office, the food shop, bookshop, travel agent and the bars. The Union organises most of the entertainment on campus, from freshers' week to the end-of-term balls. It also funds a large number of sporting and non-sporting clubs and societies.
From the guide to the UEA Collection : Students' Union, 1963-1964, (University of East Anglia)
