[5] The Union obtained charitable status in 2010 and is overseen by a Board of Trustees made up of student-elected sabbatical officers and full-time staff.

The Gong Magazine (now Impact, having been Gongster and Bias at various points) initiated in 1939 was an early sign of developing union life.

In 1928 the expanding college moved to the new out-of town Highfields Estate and here the Union's first permanent residence was in the lower corridor of the Trent Building.

In the 1960s, the Union rationalised its representative system into a series of guilds, mostly based on halls of residence as 'constituencies'.

This did lead to some positive results, such as student representation of many university committees – an opportunity openly satirised by the 1980s as less of a revolutionary shift than expected.

Recently, the Union has started to address a number of pressing challenges presented by the dynamism and growth of the university under Sir Colin Campbell – such as provision of union services to members at East Midland sites beyond the main Nottingham campuses.

The Students' Union is governed by its Constitution and Regulations, a document which is informally known as the 'Big Red Book'.

The Referendum came back with a strong Yes Vote, this was despite strong and substantiated evidence that the No Campaign predominantly led by students from Nottingham University Conservative Association had been supported including financially by UNiDAYS which caused huge controversy and accusations of incompetence on the part of the returning officer.

The constituencies for voting members of students' union council are, for the most part either residential or subject-based.

The current democratic structures have only been quorate 17% of the time in the past 10 years and it was widely felt that they were not publicised well enough.

An individual is allowed to hold a sabbatical position for a maximum of two terms, while there is no term-limit on non-sabbatical roles.

[12] The Student-Run Services (SRSs) are set apart from societies since they exist for the benefit of the wider student body.

[18][19] The non-SRS replacement Welcome Program was subsequently established to undertake a similar role to Week One with greater oversight to prevent any repetition of such incidents.

The winners of each sport then compete in an annual intramural varsity match against Loughborough University.

Membership of the Ordo Caligulae (literally, "The Order of the Boot") is granted to those "who have given outstanding contribution to the University of Nottingham Students' Union."

Members entering the Ordo Caligulae are presented with a cast metal boot on a pedestal at the Union's Annual General Meeting.

Honorary Life Membership is conferred on those who have furthered the achievements of the aims of the University of Nottingham Students' Union.