With little nearby off-campus activity, there is a great emphasis placed on The Royal Holloway Students' Union

Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

 (SURHUL), which "has a reputation as one of the best unions in the London area", in the words of The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

. The Students' Union provides much of the on-campus entertainment, through to organising and sponsoring the sport clubs and special-interest societies, on top of providing advice and counselling to students through the Student Advice Centre. Like most Students' Unions in the United Kingdom, SURHUL is run entirely by the student body itself, headed by a team of elected student officers, including four paid Sabbatical Officers who work full time, having been elected for one year. In keeping with democratic practice, the elected Officers' executive power is held in check by the legislative power of General Meetings. The Sabbatical Officers also have 15 unpaid volunteers (elected Executive Officers) at their assistance. In order to supervise the administration and commercial activities of the Union, 20 permanent members of staff are employed. More than £1 million a year accounts for the Union's turnover. The Union uses the employment of 250 student staff, and also runs an accreditation scheme for the student staff and volunteers.

Royal Holloway's Student Union usually provides entertainment seven days a week, with a function hall which holds 1,200 people, three bars, a coffee shop and administrative offices all located within the Union's main building. The Students' Union also controls three other student-run bars; Medicine, The Stumble Inn and Tommy's. Union events have attracted acts such as Trevor Nelson

Trevor Nelson

Trevor Nelson MBE is an English DJ and presenter.Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, he attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School in Cowper St, Islington, London EC2 and Westminster Kingsway College...

 and Tim Westwood

Tim Westwood

Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...

. An annual Summer Ball is held at the Founder's Building at the year's end, with a survivor's breakfast for those still on their feet 6am the day after the ball begins. The likes of Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...

, Lemar

Lemar

Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...

, Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...

, Alesha Dixon

Alesha Dixon

Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...

 and Wheatus

Wheatus

Wheatus are an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser, as well as in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.-1995-2002: Formation and Wheatus:...

 have all headlined at the Ball. There are also weekly market days, at which a variety of items are sold including fresh fruit, vegetables, books, and there are also CD sales.

Over 100 student societies and clubs, run by a committee of students, are put on through the Union. Societies include Academic Societies like the Politics and International Relations Society (which takes part in the NMUN) or the Classical Society and recreational societies like the Comedy Society (which hosts stand up evenings throughout term time), The Institute for Impure Science (IFIS aka the Sci-fi

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 and Fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 society), and Anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 and Manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

, which won society of the year for 2004/05. The oldest society on campus is the highly regarded Savoy Opera Society which was established many decades ago and still performs two to three comic operettas a year. The Union also maintains a number of successful sports club, catering to sports as diverse as rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

, ultimate

Ultimate (sport)

Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...

 and a highly successful competitive cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

 squad, the RH Tom Cats. The 2007/08 "Sports Club of the Year" award went to the Bears Basketball Club. The 2009 "Sports Club of the Year" award went to the Lacrosse Club, led by Stephen Bieniek, Amy Ferrier, Stephen Yates, Portia Higgs, Robin Harris and Stephanie Howard.

Student Union Media

The Royal Holloway Students' Union is responsible for broadcasting Insanity

Insanity (radio)

Insanity Radio is the student radio station of Royal Holloway, University of London and a member of the UK Student Radio Association. Established in 1998, the station broadcasts throughout the year on a LPAM license, with presenters in the studio presenting a varied schedule from 8AM till 2AM...

 radio station, which was established in 1998. Available locally on 1287MW, Insanity broadcasts during term time, between the hours of 8am and 1am, 7 days a week. The station is also available worldwide through the internet. Receiving a positive reaction, the station has twice won the Silver Award for Best Student Radio Station at BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

's Student Radio Awards

Student Radio Awards

The Student Radio Awards is a UK awards scheme celebrating talent within the UK student radio industry, held annually since 1996 by the Student Radio Association and supported by BBC Radio 1....

, and has also won the Best Marketing and Promotions Award 3 times since 1999.
Released up to 14 times per academic year, The Orbital

The Orbital

The Orbital is the official student publication of SURHUL. It contains a range of subjects covering student life, culture, entertainment and current affairs. It attempts to strike a balance between serious topics and light-hearted features....

is a student newspaper published fortnightly by the Students' Union, covering subjects from culture and arts to society and sport. The original official Royal Holloway student publication was in the format of a newspaper called The Egham Sun, but this was replaced with the magazine edition in the early 1990s.. The publication has a readership of 3,000, and a print media budget of around £10,000, which is considered low compared to some other University's £50,000 budget. The Orbital was named runner-up at the 2000 Guardian Student Media Awards

Guardian Student Media Awards

The Guardian Student Media Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition run by The Guardian newspaper.-History:Since 1947, The National Union of Students have run a student journalism competition of some kind. In 1978, The Guardian joined forces with the NUS for the inaugural...

 in the category of Student Magazine of the Year. The magazine was named the Best Student Magazine at the 2006 National Student Journalism Awards

National Student Journalism Awards

The National Student Journalism Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition organised by the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom .- History :...

, as well as being nominated in two other categories: Best Student Critic and Best Student Photographer. Judges from the media industry said of the magazine, it is "gritty, witty, relevant and coherent, packaged with good design and strong front covers."

Sports Clubs at Royal Holloway University

• American Football
• Athletics and Cross Country
• Badminton
• Basketball (Men’s)
• Basketball (Women’s)-Team of the Year 09/10
• Boat
• Cheerleading-National Grand Champions 09/10
• Cricket
• Dodgeball
• Fencing
• Football (Men’s)
• Football (Women’s)
• Golf
• Hockey-Coach of the Year 09/10
• Judo
• Karate
• Lacrosse
• Mountaineering and Climbing (MACS)
• MMAAD
• Netball
• Ninjutsu
• Polo
• Riding
• Rugby (Men’s)
• Rugby (Women’s)
• Sail and Board
• Ski and Snowboard
• Squash
• Surf
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Thai Boxing
• Trampolining
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball

Societies at Royal Holloway University

• Absolute Harmony - Society of the Year 07/08, Best Volunteering Society 09/10, Best Event (joint with Gospel) 10/11
• African Caribbean Society (ACS)
• Anime and Manga
• Amnesty International/People and Planet
• BALADS-Best Publicity 09/10
• BioScience
• Catholic Society
• Chinese
• Christians Together
• Classical
• Comedy
• Criminology and Sociology
• Dance-Best Event 09/10 President winner of VPSA Cup 09/10
• Drama
• Debating
• Feminism
• Games
• Geography
• German
• Hellenic
• History-Most Improved 09/10
• Hispanic
• Historical Re-enactment
• IFIS (Sci-fi
  Science fiction
  Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
  
   and Fantasy
  Fantasy
  Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
  
  )
• Indian Dance
• Investment
• Islamic
• Jewish
• Juggling
• LGBT
• Love to Make Noise (Alternative Music and Arts)
• Media
• Management
• Musical Theatre Society (MTS)-Best Community Contribution 09/10
• New Lyell
• People and Planet
• Photography
• Politics and International Relations (PIR)
• Poker
• Psychology
• Revelation Rock Gospel Choir-Society of the Year 09/10
• Rock
• Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs
• Savoy Opera Society
• Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE)
• Writing Society-Best New Society 09/10

External links

• Royal Holloway Students' Union
• Royal Holloway, University of London