Dalhousie Student Union

Dalhousie Student Union
Institution	Dalhousie University
Location	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Established	1863
President	Mariam Knakriah
Vice presidents	Tammy Maniou (Internal) Henry Amin (Finance and Operations)
Members	20,000+ (Students of Dalhousie University)
Website	www.dsu.ca

The Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) is the official representative of students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

History

On November 10, 1869 students accepted ownership of the Dalhousie Gazette from the founding editors.

A referendum was held February 18–19, 1960, regarding the question of a Student Union Building being built on campus. 90.2% of voters backed the idea. 83.2% of students turned out to vote.

On November 8, 1968, the Student Union Building was opened. The cost of the building eventually was $3,700,000. The construction of the building was made possible in part by the province of Nova Scotia, which granted a loan of $2,766,600 to the Student Union. The SUB loan was retired in 1982.

The CRTC approved student-operated campus radio station CKDU's application for an FM broadcasting license in October 1984. The station's first broadcast was Friday, February 1, 1985, at 3:30 p.m.

The Dalhousie Student Union was a founding member of the Canadian Federation of Students in 1981 but withdrew its membership in 1994. In that same year, it became a founding member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

Student Union Building

In 2003, the DSU helped found the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations, later named Students Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia's provincial student advocacy group. On February 27, 2015, the DSU council voted on and subsequently passed a motion to remove its membership from Students Nova Scotia.

Structure

The DSU is run by a Council consisting of members elected by either the student body directly in open elections, or appointed by certain student societies. The Council meets every two weeks during the school year, and monthly during the summer. The Council has the ability to approve budgets and expenditures on behalf of the student body.

Day-to-day operations of the DSU are managed by the Executive, which is led by the DSU President. The Executive has the ability to execute its functions and spend its budget as approved by Council, but any new programs or substantial changes must first be approved by Council.

The DSU also represents students on the Dalhousie Board of Governors and Senate, and to external organizations. The DSU is granted eleven seats on the Senate and three on the Board of Governors. Two of the eleven seats on Senate are occupied ex-officio by the DSU President and DSU VP Academic & External. The remaining seats are filled by appointment by other student societies or the DSU. The DSU President is also a member of the Board of Governors and the remaining student seats are filled by student representatives chosen during an election. Students sitting on the Board of Governors also hold seats on the DSU Council.

The DSU general election is held annually during the Winter term and concludes by the end of March. Any vacancies are subject to a by-election held annually in October. All elections are preceded by a campaigning period as per the DSU bylaws.

The union also employs full-time staff to manage the Student Union Building, the Grawood and T-Room campus bars, research, communications, and reservations for building facilities. All full-time staff are managed by the student union executive.

Past Presidents

Term	Name	Notes
2023-2024	Mariam Knakriah
2022-2023	Aparna Mohan
2021-2022	Madeleine Stinson	Two-term president
2020-2021	Madeleine Stinson
2019-2020	Aisha Abawajy
2018-2019	Aaron Prosper	First indigenous president ^[2]
2017-2018	Amina Abawajy
2016-2017	Kathleen Reid
2015-2016	Dan Nicholson
2014-2015	Ramz Aziz
2013-2014	Sagar Jha	Survived a recall vote triggered in March by the loss of his student status and subsequent ineligibility to remain a DSU executive and resigned weeks before conclusion of term ^[3]
2012-2013	Jamie Arron
2011-2012	Chris Saulnier	Two-term president
2010-2011	Chris Saulnier
2009-2010	Shannon Zimmerman
2008-2009	Courtney Larkin
2007-2008	Mike Tipping	First international student president
2006-2007	Ezra Edelstein	Two-term president
2005-2006	Ezra Edelstein
2004-2005	Curtis McGrath
2003-2004	Johanne Galarneau	Two-term president
2002-2003	Johanne Galarneau
2001-2002	Shawn Tracey
2000-2001	Steven Cote
1999-2000	Kelly Mackenzie
1998-1999	Ted Chiasson
1997-1998	Chris Adams
1996-1997	Brad Mackay
1995-1996	David Cox
1994-1995	Rod Macleod
1993-1994	Jefferson Rappell
1992-1993	Lale Kasebi
1991-1992	Peter Pottier
1990-1991	Ralph Cochrane
1989-1990	Dave Shannon
1988-1989	Juanita Montalvo
1987-1988	Caroline Zayid	Two-term president; first woman two-term president
1986-1987	Caroline Zayid
1985-1986	Catherine Blewett	First woman president
1984-1985	Alex Gigeroff
1983-1984	Jim Hill
1982-1983	John Logan	Two-term president
1981-1982	John Logan
1980-1981	Gord Owen
1979-1980	Dick Matthews
1978-1979	Mike Power
1977-1978	Robert Sampson
1976-1977	Gord Neal	First Black President
1975-1976	Bruce Russell
1974-1975	Dan O'Connor
1973-1974	Mike Gardner
1972-1973	Brian Smith	Two-term president
1971-1972	Brian Smith
1970-1971	Andy Winstanley
1969-1970	Bruce Gillis
1968-1969	Randy Smith
1967-1968	Dennis Ashworth
1966-1967	John Young
1965-1966	Robbie Shaw
1964-1965	Peter Herndof
1963-1964	George Cooper
1962-1963	Alan Robertson
1961-1962	Dick Thompson
1960-1961	Douglas Cudmore
1959-1960	Byron Reid
1958-1959	Dave Matheson
1957-1958	Murray Fraser
1956-1957	Ken Mounce
1955-1956	Douglas Brown
1954-1955	Victor F. Burstall
1953-1954	Gordon McConnell
1952-1953	George Kerr
1951-1952	Eric Kinsman
1950-1951	Sherman Zwicker
1949-1950	Art Moreira
1948-1949	James Russell McKinney
1947-1948	Ross Hamilton
1946-1947	Clint Havey
1945-1946	Alex Hart
1944-1945	Arthur Titus
1943-1944	Ken MacKinnon
1942-1943	Henry Tonning
1941-1942	Webster Macdonald
1940-1941	George Corston
1939-1940	Fred Barton
1938-1939	Gordon Mackenzie
1937-1938	Fred Day
1936-1937	Gordon Lea
1935-1936	H.E. Taylor
1934-1935	Fred Henry Wigmore
1933-1934	W.G. Mackenzie
1932-1933	William Gerald Stewart
1931-1932	John Denoon
1930-1931	Gerald Stewart
1929-1930	Frederick C. Jennings
1928-1929	Murray McGregor Rankin
1927-1928	Joseph Gerald Godsoe
1926-1927	Fred W. McInnes
1925-1926	A.B. Morton
1924-1925	L.W. Fraser
1923-1924	Leonard Fraser
1922-1923	N.A. Mackenzie
1921-1922	N.A. Mackenzie
1920-1921	W. Marshall Rogers
1919-1920	Daniel W. Hoare
1918-1919
1917-1918	C.M. Bayne
1916-1917	D.G. MacGregor
1915-1916	J.S. Fraser
1914-1915	E.C. Phinney
1913-1914	J. McG. Stewart
1912-1913	J.D. Vair
1911-1912
1910-1911	C.L. Gass
1909-1910
1908-1909
1907-1908
1906-1907
1905-1906	J.H. Charman
1904-1905
1903-1904
1902-1903
1901-1902	J.R. Miller
1900-1901	L.J. Miller
1899-1900	David Jardine
1898-1899	Chas E. McMillan
1897-1898	D.A. MacRae
1896-1897	A.D. Gunn
1895-1896	H.V. Bigelow
1894-1895	D.K. Grant
1893-1894	D.G. MacKay
1892-1893
1891-1892
1890-1891	J.W. Brehant

References

^ "2022/2023 Enrolment Statistics - Summary by Faculty" (PDF). Dalhousie University. 2012-12-01.
^ "Head of the class". Dalhousie News. 2018-10-01.
^ "DSU president Sagar Jha resigns; union leaves CASA again". Dalhousie Gazette. 2014-04-10.

External links

[2022-2023_Dalhousie_Enrolment_Statistics-1] "2022/2023 Enrolment Statistics - Summary by Faculty" (PDF). Dalhousie University. 2012-12-01.

[Head_of_the_class-2] "Head of the class". Dalhousie News. 2018-10-01.

[DSU_president_Sagar_Jha_resigns;_union_leaves_CASA_again-3] "DSU president Sagar Jha resigns; union leaves CASA again". Dalhousie Gazette. 2014-04-10.

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