To sign this statement, email [email protected]
At National Conference, students voted by a clear margin for a radical set of policies to put NUS at the centre of the fight for education and the welfare state. These included a national demonstration in the autumn term and a series of walkouts in FE. The political basis that conference gave this was clear: that education is a public good, and should be funded by taxing the rich; that FE should be free at every level; and that postgraduate education should be fully funded, with living grants open to all graduates.
Due to the extremely short length of conference, a large proportion of motions were not heard, and many were passed on to the National Executive Council (NEC). As a result, the NEC will technically have the ability to pass motion 306 unamended, effectively overruling NUS’s members and returning to a policy of campaigning for a graduate tax. This would be disgraceful, and would lead to division and turmoil within our national union at a time when we most need unity and trust.
As campaigners for public education, and as democrats, we urge the NUS NEC:
• Not to reverse conference’s mandates on HE funding, either by passing the amendments to 306, or voting not to hear the motion.
• To organise the wave of protest in the autumn around the clear political mandate that it was given by conference: that further and higher education should be funded by taxing the rich.
Michael Chessum, NUS NEC
Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place) and VPUD-elect
Daniel Stevens, NUS NEC and International Students Officer-elect
Luke James, NUS PGT NEC-elect
Robin Burrett, NUS PGR NEC-elect
Gordon Maloney, NUS Scotland VP Communities-elect
Jamie Woodcock, NUS NEC-elect
Mark Bergfeld, NUS NEC
Sky Yarlett, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)-elect
Christina Yan-Zhang, NUS International Students Officer
Kanja Sesay, NUS Black Students Officer
Matt Bond, NUS Disabled Students Campaign NEC rep
Sean Rillo Razcka, ULU President-elect and Mature and Part-Time NEC-elect
Luke Durigan, NUS HE Zone Committee and UCL Union Education & Campaigns Officer
James Haywood, NUS Society and Citizenship Zone NEC rep
Anil Sachdeo, NUS NEC and Vice-Chair Birkbeck Students’ Union
Dennis Esch, NUS International Campaign NEC rep-elect
Mike Williamson, Edinburgh University Students’ Association Academic Affairs Officer and NUS NEC-elect
Aaron Kiely, NUS NEC
Charlotte Britton Welfare Officer Swansea SU, NUS Wales NEC
Matt Stanley, NUS NEC-elect
Roshni Joshi, NUS NEC
Mary Prescott, NUS NEC
Zahid Raja, NUS Wales NEC, Swansea University Education Officer-elect
Robert Foster, Education Campaign Convener on the NUS Scotland Executive Committee
Arianna Tassinari, NUS International and Postgraduate Committees and SOAS SU Education and Welfare Officer
Luke Frost, University of the Creative Arts Maidstone Campus Officer
Alex Peters Day, LSESU General Secretary
Claire Locke, London Met SU President
Maev McDaid, President, Liverpool Guild of Students
James McAsh, Edinburgh University Students’ Association President-elect
Fairooz Aniqa, Culture and Diversity Officer at University of the Arts London Students Union
Daf Adley, NCAFC LGBT Rep (Open Place)
Stef Newton, NCAFC LGBT Rep (Women’s Place)
Edward Maltby, NCAFC NC
Ben Towse, UCL Union Postgraduate Association President
Matthew Reuben, NCAFC Disabled Campaign Rep
Thomas Blake Johnson, UELSU Education Officer
Daniel Cooper, NCAFC NC, President of Royal Holloway SU and ULU VP-elect
Hanif Leylabi NUS LGBT Committee
Bob Sutton, Vice President, Liverpool Guild of Students
Lukas Slothuus, LSESU Community & Welfare Officer
Ruth Nicholson, Royal Holloway, NCAFC NC
Tom Harris, Academic Affairs Officer-Elect at Royal Holloway, University of London
Stuart Roney, President Stow College SA
Izzy John, Welfare Officer, Warwick SU
Natasha Gorodnitski, UCL Union Ethics, Environment and Operations Officer-elect
Edwin Clifford-Coupe, UCL Union Education and Campaigns Officer-elect
Hannah Webb, UCL Union Community Officer-elect
David Cichon, President, University of Sussex Students’ Union
Max Crema, Edinburgh University Students’ Association VP Services-elect
Steven Martin, University of the Creative Arts Farnham Campus Officer
Edmund Schluessel, International Committee
Kelly McBride, University of Sussex Students’ Union President-elect
Chris Page, Cambridge University Students Union Welfare Officer-elect
Edd Bauer, Birmingham University Guild of Students VP Education
Simon Furse, Birmingham University Guild of Students VP Education-elect
Sam Gaus, UCL Union Democracy and Communications Officer-elect
Jade Baker, NUS Women’s Committee
Jenifer Krase, NUS Women’s Committee
Emma Kerry, NUS LGBT Committee 2010-12, NUS Women’s Committee-elect
Alan Bailey, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)
Rustnam Majainah, Young Greens
Aurora Adams, NUS International Campaign Scotland rep-elect
Rob Henthorn, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy convener elect, AUSA
Daphne Heijdelberg, Vice-president Equal Opportunities elect and current Women’s Officer, AUSA
Megan Dunn, Vice-President Education elect and this year’s NUS delegation leader, AUSA
Hanna Moy, Faith Officer elect, AUSA
Kate Harris, LGBT+ Convener, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Naomi Beecroft, Women’s Liberation Convenor, Edinburgh University Students’ Association, NCAFC National Committee and Women’s Committee.
Alice Swift University of Birmingham Ethical & Environmental Officer Elect
Nadia Mehdi, Mental Health and Well-being Convenor-elect, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Lucy Eskell, External Campaigns Representative-elect, Edinburgh University Students’ Association, NCAFC National Committee
Abigail Rebekah Barr, ECA President, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Liam O’Hare, External Campaigns Representative, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Beti Scott, Equal Opps and Liberation Officer, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Chara Charsou, Postgraduate Campaigns Representative, Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Lizi Gray, Newcastle College
Nick Hart, Birmingham City
Jack Poole, Brighton
Sam Garratt, Leeds Trinity
Ed Mason, Cardiff Uni
Georgina Bavetta, Bristol Uni
Susan Cook, LGBT Society President, London Metropolitan university
Ben Beach, Bartlett School Faculty Rep, UCL Union
Charlie Hayes- Student Rep at Birmingham City University
Kiah Manning, Heriot-Watt University Union, Women’s Officer elect
Tom Prior, University of Liverpool, Merseyside Network Against Fees and Cuts
Kristofer Wright, Glasgow Caledonian University LGBT Pres
Ned Hercock, DPhil candidate & Associate Tutor, Sussex uni
Nathan Bolton, Essex Union President-elect
Lani Baird, President Aberdeen College Students’ Association, NUS Scotland & UK LGBT Committee
Lily Hendron, Heriot-Watt Woman’s Officer, SWC-elect
Fran Cowling, NUS LGBT committee elect, and University of Nottingham
Tom Burmeister, Student Support Officer, Aberystwyth Guild of Students
Paul Dunne – Universities at Medway Students’ Association officer
Leander Jones, Vice President of Democracy and Resources elect at Birmingham University Guild of Students
Jack Saffery-Rowe, Royal Holloway student and member of RHACA
Kelly Rogers – University of Birmingham Women’s Officer
Jess Bradley, Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK, Uni of Manchester
Yolly Chegwidden, LGBTUA+ Officer -elect (job share), Warwick SU
Gary Paterson, Student Officer, Angus College Students’ Association
Hannah Louise Wright, Vice-President for Welfare Elect at Aberdeen University Students’ Association
Simon Keble, Goldsmith’s
Krissie Pearse, City College, Coventry
John Bowden, Manchester Metropolitan University
Matt Jenkins, University of Warwick
Jasmine Chohan, Courtauld institute of art
Aadam Siciid-Muuse, Lay-member of Union Council-elect, University of Bradford Students’ Union
Tim Derbyshire, York St Johns University
Howard Littler, Goldsmiths campaigns co-ordinator elect and GMB students officer
Sean Farmelo CAO-elect University of Birmingham
Alex Dickson, UCA Maidstone, Student Experience Officer
Liam McNulty, Cambridge Defend Education.
Azfar Shafi, University of Birmingham
Annabel Jones, Chair and Womens’ Officer, Birkbeck Students’ Union
Dan Heley, Entertainment Officer Elect & President of Labour & Co-Operative Society, Royal Holloway UoL
Beccy Sawbridge, NUS Black Sudents Campaign FE Women’s rep
Joana Ramiro, NCAFC NC, School of Oriental and African Studies
Sophie Filar, UCA Rochester
Liat Norris, Staffordshire University Students Union
Beth Evans, NUS LGBT Committee
Luciana Blaha, International Officer- elect, Worcester University SU
Julian Goodman, NUS Scotland Executive Committee, 1990-91
