NUS reform consultation

I hope that summer period and planning for freshers' weeks is going well.

As you are hopefully aware, I wrote to all NUS member unions back in May to outline to decision of the National Executive Committee in relation to ongoing efforts to reform NUS.

I outlined then that we are seeking to strike the right balance between genuinely listening to the views of students and students’ unions whilst maintaining the need for speed on reform.

I also outlined the intent of the NEC to engage in a period of summer consultation with union officers, activists and key stakeholders in an effort to revise the existing proposals for reform. I also made clear our commitment to both consulting direct with students ourselves, and enabling you to consult with students on a local level next term.

To ensure we cast our consultation net as wide as possible, we have put together a wide ranging summer consultation period as outlined below. As well as giving you the direct opportunity to feed back on the proposals, we will be proactively seeking out views at events and meeting representative groups to gather opinion. We also launched an e-consultation with students last week via the nusonline and NUS Extra databases.

At the end of the summer, after the NEC meets, we will provide materials and guides to enable you to carry out local consultation with students that will enable you to directly propose amendments to the proposals. Only then will we recommend formal discussion at an extraordinary conference.

I have set out a timetable for consultation and discussion below, including events where discussions have already taken place. If you foresee any problems with the timetable, please get back to me as soon as possible via reform@nus.org.uk. Furthermore, if you would like someone from NUS to come and visit you to outline the events over the past year and the reforms that were proposed, also get in touch via the same address.

Throughout last year, unions fed in ideas, proposals were then developed, they were amended on and voted on at an Extraordinary Conference. But at Annual Conference they just missed the two-thirds majority necessary to pass. So we know they weren’t perfect, which is why we need your feedback. Please do take the opportunity to examine what was proposed- and to give us your thoughts on how we can make the proposals better - to ensure we deliver a better NUS in years to come.

All the best,

Wes Streeting
National President

Notes

We would encourage unions to use the resources below, to ensure as much feedback as possible on where we go next with NUS reform.

We would specifically encourage you to respond, personally or officially, individuals as well as unions, using the questions herein as a starting point rather than a limit to responses. You should ensure all responses are returned to NUS by 31 August 2008.

By email
reform@nus.org.uk

By Post
NUS Reform, NUS, Centro 3, 19 Mandela Street, London, NW1 ODU

In addition if you would like an NUS NEC member or your regional organiser/development training officer to come to your union to do a briefing on reform and record responses do let us know at reform@nus.org.uk

Resources

Core consultation document

Powerpoint presentation for use with councils, execs and new sabb teams

Leaflets on the proposals Proposed structure leaflet - a short guide to the structure proposed last time

Proposed structure diagram - a visual guide to structure proposed last time

Key dates

28/29 April
NUS Mature Students’ Conference
6 May
Union Staff Critical Friends Group
12-15 May
English Regional Conferences
16-18 May
FE Leadership (1)
26 May
Written Unions Consultation Opens
2 June
Student E-Consultation Opens
19 20 23 24 June
Regional Receptions
20-22 June
FE Leadership (2)
July/August
Liberation Committees
July/August
Student Political Groups Meetings
First week July
NEC Residential
7-9 July
FE Leadership (3)
12-13 July
International Students’ Committee Training
15-18 July
Active Political Leadership (1)
22-25 July
Action Through Advocacy (1)
31-1 July
Leadership and Governance (1)
August
Mature Students Committee Training
5-7 August
Developing your Members
12-15 August
Active Political Leadership (2)
16-17 August
Scotland- The Gathering
19-22 August
Action through Advocacy (2)
27-28 August
Leadership and Governance (2)
31 August
Unions and Student e-Consultation Closes
30 Sep and 6 Oct
NEC Meetings to discuss revisions
8 Oct
Revised proposals distributed to unions
8 Oct
Union Led Student Consultation Period Begins
Mid Nov
Extraordinary Conference TBC