h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I go to Glasgow University which has the great (but dangerous) advantage of having two unions. The great thing is that you can go to both once you join one and have a wider range of nightclubs and bars. The dangerous part is that you can only join one and there is therfore a lot of rivalry between the two unions. The two unions are known to the students as the QM and the GUU. I joined the QM and have never regretted this decision.

THE GUU. (or Glasgow University Union)
This union is almost as old as the university (about 500 odd years) and it shows. From the giant hallways to the plush smoking rooms and debating chamber it oozes aristocratic opulance. This is favoured as the classier union and is joined by the Lawyer/Medic superiority complex students, politicians and philosophers. It is also consider the more right wing union and also kinda chauvanistic (they only started letting women enter in '83!)

THE QM (or Queen Margaret Union)
Originally the union for the Queen Margaret Collegue (back in the days when women were banned from universities.) After the feminist revolution the colleage was taken over by Glasgow Uni and the union with it (although it changed site about a couple of decades ago.) Originally it was the womens union because, of course, women were not allowed to see the lewdness and debaucheries of the GUU. Ironic since the QM is now considered more lewd and debauched (in fact it was their freshers week slogan last year!) It was always smaller and lower funded than the GUU but this has earnt it a form of underdog charm. (eg. Where the GUU split it's funding between three different nightclubs, the QM only built one but put all it's effort into making it the best one.) Became mixed in '79 (the first union ever to do so) and has since maintianed an attitude of being alternative and left wing in comparision with the conservative GUU.

This all becomes very interesting around Freshers week (first week of term) when the new freshers are coaxed to join one union over the other. This often results in madness, pranks, and occasionally, extremes of violence.

I was at Leeds in the early sixties and the union was mixed - unless I am misunderstanding you, which is possible considering how long ago the early sixties are/were .

Maybe Leeds was always mixed but the QM was the first to BECOME mixed after already being single sex. I don't know. Maybe this was just QM propaganda to sell itself to freshers. I don't know if it matters. I would have joined even if they only became mixed last year. In fact probably more likely to since there would be more girls there for me to try and practise the most common student hobby. (apart from drinking and watching childrens TV.) In fact if they still weren't mixed I might dress in drag just to get in and then join the lesbian society. Interesting but a tad un-PC.

Nice.