Second NUS Extraordinary Conference called – Delegates Needed

The National Union of Students (NUS) has officially called for a second Extraordinary Conference on the 20th of January to ratify the controversial Governance Review.  The required twenty-five Unions have come forward and requested that the new constitution be approved now rather than later in the year at the Annual Conference. After the last Extraordinary Conference voted to adopt the new constitution, all it requires now is the final document to be ratified a second time for it to replace the old constitution. All Student Unions have been asked to send delegates and vote on the future of the NUS. If you wish to attend, please see below.

USSU has remained strongly opposed to the proposed reforms on the grounds that they will make the NUS more undemocratic and strangle grass-roots activism, only increasing student apathy and weakening any attempts to campaign. The 2007 AGM voted unanimously to vote down the last governance review, with USSU Council recently voting to reject the newer proposals. The whole process of the review to date has been frequently condemned as undemocratic bordering on a sham, with previous submissions by USSU having been ignored, the insistence of forcing through the reforms through Extraordinary Conferences and even democratic amendments made to the last Extraordinary Conference were altered without warning by the Steering Committee. USSU will be voting down the new constitution and if approved, will lead to a referendum being called on whether to stay affiliated to NUS.

USSU has seven delegate places to attend the Extraordinary Conference and needs students to represent Sussex. Nominations are open until the 15th of January. The conference takes place in Wolverhampton on Tuesday the 20th of January. USSU will arrange all the necessary transport and accommodation and will cover all the costs incurred. If you wish to attend please email finance@ussu.sussex.ac.uk with your name and email. If more than seven delegates wish to attend, then USSU Council will vote on which delegates to send.

To read more about the NUS and the history of the Governance Review click here to see more.

A response to student apathy

As a Union Sabbatical, I think it is important that the Union comes back on the points raised since the AGM and student apathy/disengagement generally, especially Paul Codd’s article last week (“The Apathy of US”). Before I respond to some of these points, I would like to point out that Sussex Student’s Union remains one of the most politically active Unions there is. Read more

NUS approves new constitution

Student Unions overwhelmingly voted in favour for the new National Union of Student’s (NUS) constitutional changes at an Extraordinary Conference held last week in Wolverhampton, sparking off the disaffiliation debate at AGM. With over 800 delegates representing Student Unions from all over the country, 85% voted to approve the constitution put forward by the NUS leadership. This marks another step forward in reforming the NUS, now only needing to be ratified at either Annual Conference, or another Extraordinary.
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Why say NO to disaffiliation?

I just wish to start by saying how much I hate NUS. Words can hardly do my bitterness justice, but saying I despise it with every ounce of my being is a pretty good description. I’m kinda the NUS expert around the Union and I challenge anyone to take that honour (god, please do).
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