Involving you...

Paul writes:

One of NUS's perennial problems is its failure to involve and enthuse its wider membership. With each level of representation between the individual student and the National Union, more and more students are excluded from being involved in their Union. People feel excluded by the lack of responsiveness in NUS, from people pursuing their own personal careers or ideological agendas ahead of representing the students who elected them to Conference, Committees or the Executive. Students feel excluded by the National Executive's lack of real accountability and the ignorance of student opinion that results from that. Students feel excluded by Conference delegates ignoring their mandates in order to toe a factional line. Students feel excluded by the intimidation and factionalism at Conference that leaves them feeling they can make no difference to Conference's decisions. NUS needs a root-and-branch culture change and I believe that reforming the way that NUS communicate and the way NUS's democratic structures work is the way to do that.

Paul has been actively involved in trying to involve more people in NUS and in trying to build a student-led Union. Paul has been an active campaigner to reform the Rules by which NUS is run, leading to him acting as SWD Rep on the Commission for NUS Democracy. Paul has campaigned for improving accessibility throughout NUS, and will continue to do so - NUS can't involve people if it is still excluding students. Paul sees commitment to the Liberation Campaigns as integral to involving a wider range of students in NUS.

Top