20 Facts About Oxford Union

Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford.

The Oxford Union exists independently from the university and is distinct from the Oxford University Student Union.

Oxford Union has a tradition of hosting some of the world's most prominent individuals across politics, academia, and popular culture.

Oxford Union is an unincorporated association; its property is held in trust in favour of its objectives and members, and governed by its rules .

All matriculated members of Oxford University are eligible to become life members of the Union, as are spouses of life members.

Related searches

Students at certain other educational institutions in Oxford Union are entitled to join for the duration of their course.

Oxford Union buildings are located in Frewin Court and on St Michael's Street, and are owned by a separate charitable trust, the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust .

Oxford Union was never financially secure and had a significant level of historic debt associated with the erection of its buildings.

Creation of OLDUT secured the future of the Union's buildings such that even if the Oxford Union Society were to cease to be or fail financially the buildings would not be lost.

Original Oxford Union buildings were designed by Benjamin Woodward and opened in 1857.

Many of the rooms in the Oxford Union are named after figures from the Oxford Union's past, such as the Goodman Library with its oriel windows and the wood-panelled Macmillan Room with barrel ceiling.

The despatch boxes which continue to be used in Oxford Union debates are modelled on those in the House of Commons and were offered to the House during World War II.

Union runs the Oxford Schools' Debating Competition and Oxford Intervarsity Debating Competition, which both respectively attract schools and universities from around the world, as well as running a number of internal debating competitions.

In March 2009, the Oxford Union withdrew an invitation to euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke after Nitschke had already accepted the invitation.

The Oxford Union is a politically-neutral institution and holds no opinion on Nitschke's views.

Oxford Union has long associated itself with freedom of speech, most famously by debating and passing the motion "This House would under no circumstances fight for its King and country" in 1933.

Several prominent Oxford Union members tried to expunge this motion and the result of the debate from the Oxford Union's minute book.

Smaller debates were eventually held with Irving and Griffin in separate rooms, amid criticism that the police and Oxford Union officials had not foreseen the degree of unrest which the controversial invitations would arouse.

In February 2015, the Oxford Union invited Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National in France, to address the Oxford Union, in view of the popularity of the FN in the French polls at the time.

Day-to-day management of the Oxford Union is partly conducted by professional staff, principally the Bursar and the House Manager.