UBU is an Affilliate member of the NUS.
What is the NUS?
NUS is a voluntary membership organisation comprising a confederation of local student representative organisations in colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland which have chosen to affiliate and which pay a membership fee. There are nearly 750 constituent members (CMs) - that is virtually every college and university in the country, of which Bristol is proud to be one - in fact one of the few founding members of NUS.
NUS is one of the largest student organisations in the world and represents the interests of around five million students in further and higher education throughout the United Kingdom. NUS provides research, representation, training and expert advice for individual students and students' unions.
What does the NUS do for us?
Much like UBU, the NUS exists to promote, defend and extend the rights of students - but on a national and sometimes international scale. It does this through the enormous amount of campaigning activity it undertakes each year - representing and campaigning for student rights in education and welfare as well as standing up for minority and traditionally under-represented groups through its liberation campaigns.
Our affiliation also grants us membership of NUS Services LTD (NUSSL), a purchasing consortium through whom we supply our coffee bar, Epi Bar & Food as well as all bars in halls of residence. As it is a student run organisation, it helps us keep costs as low as possible as well as operating in a sound ethical and environmental manner.
What do we do with NUS?
The NUS is nothing without its member unions, and Bristol strives to be an active member and strong voice within the national student movement.
Over the last decade, Bristol has had a turbulent relationship with NUS - in 2003/4 the AGM voted to disaffiliate, a decision over-turned by a subsequent referendum. In the years since, each attempt to disaffiliate has been defeated by an ever increasing majority, as attitudes within our Union have shifted towards us taking an active role in the reform of NUS, a process that is at its climax this year with the national governance review.
As well as being involved in NUS reform, UBU is active in its democracy and campaigns and are proud to send delegates to all liberation conferences, work on national campaigns and send a full delegation to Annual Conference. In 2007, we were the only Union in the country to pass motions in every single policy zone at that event, an achievement we mirrored in 2008.
How do I get involved in NUS?
In the October Elections we will be electing our main NUS delegation. As a member of this team of twelve, you will be a voting member of Student Council (where we decide what policy proposals to send to annual conference) and will represent Bristol at all regional events and conferences as well as all national conferences this year. It is a great experience and you get to meet with student representatives from nearly every University and College in the UK - you learn a lot!
To find out more about being in the Bristol NUS Delegation, contact the President: ubu-president@bristol.ac.uk
