More on what the title is about further down the blog...

I have had a very busy September. In this blog you have all this to look forward to:

• 4th National RAG Steering group (HQ)
• 4th -5th NUSSL Board (Macclesfield)
• 6th Campaigns launch (Birmingham)
• 7th Campaigns Launch external (London)
• 11th South region meeting (Reading)
• 19th Liverpool John Moores Freshers

I have a question and request for suggestions in this blog, would love to know your thoughts.

RAG, RAG, RAG

Firstly I have to say well done to Sam Lebens aka, Mr.RAG! for creating this national RAG idea during world AIDs day and SHAG week.

I attended the steering group meeting which had representatives from all over. Students’ Unions, NGOs, AIDs Charities and organisations, members of the NEC.

The main aim of the meeting was to understand why what we see our main aims of the National RAG week were and pull them together so we were all singing off the same hymn sheet. Fortunately, the aims were all echoed around the

4th -5th NUSSL Board (Macclesfield)

This was my first board meeting, I have to say it was not the most engaging meeting I have attended. But then I have joined the train half way through its journey. So better luck next time.

Most people see NUSSL as being about Beer and Flap jacks but we need to proactive in dispelling that myth. I stood for responsibility for NUSSL so that I can be proactive in dispelling this myth. Last year there was the interest from Student Unions in the bulk buying of condoms through NUSSL.

Since then Students Unions have continued to express an interest in the extension of the welfare products supplied by NUSSL.

There are many small University Unions and F.E colleges that buy their ‘Welfare’ products from nearby larger unions because they cannot afford and or they don’t meet the bulk buying quota which is sometimes 2-3 times the amount of students that they have at the University or college.

Unions report that they have often spent a lot of time trying to find a reparative supplier for the product that they wish to purchase but have often failed or resulted in going off shores to places such as the USA to buy the products.

We know that there are plenty of reparative suppliers of goods on our shores who are also able to supply Students’ Union and are not charging the prices that are being offered else where. After asking quite a few Unions what they would be interested in seeing NUSSL stock these were my initial response:

• Alcotops
• Dental Dams
• Lube
• Flavored Lube
• Flavored condoms
• Attack Alarms
• D-Locks

If you have other suggestions please do not hesitate to get in contact with me ama.uzowuru@nus.org.uk, 07742341921

6th Campaigns launch (Birmingham) 7th External Campaigns Launch (London)

The campaigns launch in Birmingham went amazingly well, well done to all the NEC who had a speech to make and made them well. It was great to see familiar faces from summer training and faces form while I was an officer last year. There were the odd one or two negative comments but the majority of what I heard were great. The officers seemed very enthused and were ready to get students down to the demo!

The external campaigns launch was held at the Royal Medical Society which took me so long to find and turned out to be round the back of Oxford St. I met a woman from ‘Schools Out’ who are an organisation who deal with homophobic Bullying in schools. She was definitely someone that I wanted to get onboard with the up and coming Bullying day myself and Louise Sweeney are running in November.

Just to re-iterate the main aims of this campaign and what we are saying:

• No to soaring levels of student debt

• No to any attempt to lift the cap

• No to the marketisation of education

• Yes to free education and access for all

11th South region meeting (Reading)

I have responsibility for the south region. The whole south team which include the regional organizing manager, regional organizers, development worker, learning and development advisor as well as the regional assistance and the allocated members of the NEC.

The meeting is really a catch up on what the team has been up to over the last month because the team is spread over such a large area.

19th Liverpool John Moores Freshers

It was my first freshers that I attended and I have to say that it was noting short of amazing! The WHOLE Union Exec pulled together to get the job done. They had already printed stickers and a massive National Demo banner which helped to pull in the crowds. I was stood nest to the DJ booth so left LJM and woke up the next day with a slightly worn voice. On the day we managed to sign up nothing short of 800 people to the demo. A lot were first years who agreed with the message of the campaign. Although in a room of people you think agree with you, there is always one! I started the usual spiel telling the student about the demo and what it stand for and all of a sudden as if she had ‘externally combusted’(If there is such a thing, it would be this) She screamed at me! She screamed at me and yelled that she agreed with top up fees and all that they bring. So for those of you that know me, I wasn’t going to stand and allow anyone just scream at me, so I kindly shouted back and gave her the arguments. I want to pass her case study she gave me of her friend after I gave her the argument that people from poor backgrounds will not be able to go. Now Read carefully She has a friend in America who goes to University there and pays $45,000 a year! Yes, $45,000 and is doing well (Read on to see how well he is actually doing!) because his University pays $20,000 because he is from a poor background, he works two jobs and gets a loan to pay the other $25,000! Right, then she went on to comment and say the sooner we get to these conditions the better! You know what, I aint going to beat around the bush. This girl was just wrong, complete rubbish! How can you be ok if you have $25,000 of your tuition to pay of EVERY YEAR! Come on, come on! After she told me this and I told her she was talking trash, Sonia, President of LJM came to my rescue and picked up the megaphone (Not deliberately of course ? ) and made an announcement to sign up for the demo!

You know I don’t know why but after thinking about it I think I have the answer. Right when people disagree with our politics we always seemed so shocked and almost at times offended! All to often we find ourselves talking to people who agree with our morals and general beliefs. We don’t tend to associate our selves with people who really have a 180 view of what we say so when that day comes that you meet that person who disagrees, we are taken aback, we know these views exist out there but we tend to shelter ourselves away from it. I know racist views exist out there, I would be foolish if I didn’t, but while I was on the train on my way to Newcastle and I asked a man on the train to pipe down a little, he told me that if I was in ‘HIS’ country I should speak ‘HIS’ language……nice! I was shocked that this man had the audacity to say what he said. I don’t chose to surround myself with these people which is why it comes more of a blow when I hear it!

Question: Is the greatest single antidote to disagreement is conversation? Speaking our fears, listening to the fears of others, and in sharing of vulnerabilities discovering the way to hope.

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