What does NUS mean to you? Your student ID card? Your NUS extra discounts? Maybe you’ve come here to nus.org.uk for advice? You might even have joined in with our campaigns.
As a student, you’ll have probably encountered NUS in one way or another. But you might not know that NUS is your organisation; you elect the leaders and you make the decisions that drive campaigns on anything from student finance to housing reform.
In fact, we campaign on a wide range of issues that affect your day-to-day life and the wider world. And we have quite an impact. In the last couple of years we have saved students £20 million by forcing HSBC to back down over ending interest free overdrafts and another £50 million plus through the creation of a tenancy deposit scheme to stop dodgy landlords pocketing your cash.
Fit for the 21st Century
Unfortunately, it’s become difficult to get your voice heard within NUS and that’s a problem since the more of you that get involved, the more we can do. That's why NUS is changing.
On 13 November 2008 almost 800 students’ union representatives gathered in Wolverhampton for an Extraordinary Conference to discuss NUS Reform.
The Conference, called by 36 unions from across the UK, met to discuss changes to the constitution aimed at making NUS an organisation fit for the 21st Century.
82% said yes to opening up the doors
NUS proposals got the support of 82 per cent of the delegates on the Conference floor, with only a handful of individuals abstaining.
The proposals on the table were aimed at opening up the doors of NUS, ensuring that our members are at the forefront of leading their national organisation. The new structures will create more opportunities for involvement by students through the introduction of a new National Executive Council that will have space for almost double the numbers currently involved. By opening our doors, NUS hopes to give students like you more opportunities to play an active role in NUS.
Find out more about the proposals and how NUS is changing to to suit your needs.