Change is on the cards for NUS. The next year will be the most important challenge they’ve faced since the battle against top-up fees.
Only three years ago, Cardiff University saw a disaffiliation referendum to leave the NUS. Students voted not to leave. But with waning student interest, the NUS is in a fragile position.
The purposes of reform are to act as an antidote to the wave of student apathy that has been steadily seeping in since the 1960s – the peak of student activism – and reignite faith in the NUS.
As well as changes in the way that the NUS is constructed in terms of full and part-time officers, the emergence of new Zone conferences and the power to veto any decision should allow the NUS Board to wade through bureaucracy and take action on important issues more quickly.
President Gemma Tumelty and her executive should be commended for managing to produce a governance review just four months after National Conference mandated them to do so. The 48-page review is full of examples of student consultation, which is an impressive feat to achieve since the National Conference in May.
However, the length of time taken over the review is seen as worrying to some. As detailed as the plans are, some issues still need to be addressed.
One thing is clear: if nothing changes, the NUS may cease to be a collective student voice as member institutions lose faith.
Ultimately, it is hoped that the reform will bring an end to the era of students looking to their NUS membership for litte more than a high street store discount.
