The roots of Liverpool student union form many years before the polytechnic formation in 1970. The 4 colleges that formed the polytechnic all had their own student unions. It is very easy to argue that the LiverpoolSU was born on April the 1st 1970 and that is a date and a fact that I will not contest, the student union that represents Liverpool John Moore’s students today was born on that date. Before 1970 the student union had a really strong base in the late 1960s at one of the four colleges; the college of commerce. 
Robert Rippin the then president wrote a plea using the local papers asking for students to be a priority when the polytechnic was being planned. The turbulent years that faced the students at the polytechnic in the 70s would say that this plea wasn’t successful but it does show that even before the polytechnic had formed there was a union putting students first. Going even further back, the art college that was formed in 1825 as the mechanics school makes Liverpool John Moore’s the third oldest university did have a student union. Student union activism was not at its most active before the mid-1960s in Liverpool but in 1963/64 the SULCA looked out for student’s welfare and tried to encourage social events. They also had a general meeting every year and offered food for students to have. They offered a base to structure how the educational term was based outside of lectures and college time. It was simple but it shows on a smaller scale what a union could do. The history of the art college union can go back to 1936/37 in which their prospectus at the time introduces is to what the union is, it says “it is an important organisation” and “has charge over the social and recreative side” and says all full time students must be members, much like the union today.

So that is an overview of a few factors that introduced the 4 colleges to unions. However while information before 1970 is always an important contributor it does not change the fact that the student union was born on April 1st 1970. On the day that the polytechnic formed, so did the student union. It operated out of the college of commerce union’s base but due to the work that the 4 college unions had achieved in 1969, the union on its birth had representation on the academic board and the board of governors. While this was a token gesture that had to be changed in the mid 1970’s, it still showed that this union was going to try and make a difference. The union has roots that go far back, the city of Liverpool has roots that go back further and on April 1st 1970 the biggest student union in Liverpool was formed. It was not formed in the most favourable circumstances but it fought to make these circumstances favourable and by 1971 the polytechnic had a union that offered over 60 clubs and societies and they campaigned for improvements in the facilities from this point. This is without debate what led the city council to look for alternative sites for the polytechnic. It was from the word go that the union demanded more and fought for more.

In 1971 the union had sabbatical officers, it had board representation and it was successfully affiliated with the National Union of Students. From its birth in 1970 to the following year being able to announce this is the polytechnics prospectus for 1971. The union had come a long way and it had set a framework that we still use now. It was not easy but using ideals set before 1970, when the opportunity was presented the LiverpoolSU seized that chance, that is where it all began and this is why we have such excellent facilities today.