Welcome to Bangor Students’ Union
Greetings everyone, my name is John Jackson and I’m your Students’ Union President this year. First and foremost I would like to say a very warm welcome to all of our new students; I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible (or even all of you if possible).
I’m thirty two years old, making me what is termed a mature student – however, believe me, the ‘mature’ bit quite often only refers to actual age! I’m originally from Liverpool and I’ve just graduated from the School of Linguistics & English Language. I’ve been involved in the Students’ Union in many aspects over the years, having been Mature Students Officer, Elections Secretary, a presenter on our radio station (Storm FM), and a regular contributor to our English language newspaper (Seren).
I think you’ve made a fantastic choice in coming to Bangor – there’s nowhere else in the world quite like it; it’s a beautifully unique location sandwiched between Snowdonia and the Menai Straits, with a great view of Anglesey from the pier. It’s a town-sized city which means that you can feel part of a local community without slipping into an abyss of metropolitan life, but you can still go about your day-to-day activities without every man and his dog knowing your business!
The activities most often associated with a Students’ Union are of course the clubs, societies and night venues. Well we won’t disappoint – we have all of these things in bucket-loads! From canoeing to American football and photography to wargames we believe there’s something for everyone – and if you think not, then you can start up your own activity. And on the night venue front, we have a public nightclub, a student bar, and (new this year) The Pub in the basement.
The Students’ Union isn’t just about spare-time activities or going out in the evenings, there are many students and staff-members who work tirelessly with the University to provide support and representation to our 10,000 students, and also others who regularly get involved in the local community.
We’re a fully democratic organisation run by students for students and the political side of things is open to anyone to get involved through representing their courses, clubs, societies or campaign groups.
You’ll soon discover that being a student is not just about earning a degree, but about a whole life experience – the people, the places, the cultures, the activities. There is much positive change on the horizon in and around the Bangor area and I really do encourage you to take advantage of your opportunity to get involved – it is a golden one. I wish you all the very best of luck for the next few years. When you’ve settled in, call by and say hello…
John Jackson
Students’ Union President


