Its been a busy month with NUS business all over the country. I’ve attended 2 NEC meetings this month, both in London – one a regular meeting and the other a delegation meeting to discuss the motions that the NEC was putting forward to the extraordinary conference on reform. We had a priority campaign meeting to plan out the progress and strategy for this year’s main campaigns.

I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to do several union visits recently – getting out to Freshers’ Fayres and talking directly to students on the ground about the work of NUS. Meeting the sabbaticals at Paisley and Bell College where there has been discussions of a possible institutional merger and offering the small advice I could from experience I gained during my time at Essex.

Key dates from my diary this month…

• Meeting with HEFCE – National Student Survey (Bristol)
• NEC Meeting
• National Student Survey Meeting
• University of Essex Freshers’ Fayre (Colchester)
• Colchester Institute Freshers’ Fayre
• European Social Forum (London)
• Priority Campaign Meeting
• Scottish Training Forum (Pennicuik)
• Union visits Paisley, Abertay
• NEC Delegation Meeting (London)

The European Social Forum was held in London this month, and I was able to help out as a representative of NUS, as well as assisting delegates to the ESF find their way around London. It was particularly exciting to speak to representatives from our European partners and hear about the challenges of representation and campaigning that they face in their own organisations

Yet another meeting with HEFCE regarding the National Student Survey, this time in Bristol to discuss the branding of the project. I’m a bit concerned that some of the great ideas we’ve seen for publicising the survey to students are going to be scuppered by legal problems outside our control.

I attended the Scottish Training Forum in Penicuik, which is a residential FE training event. I ran a couple of workshops for delegates on the services offered by the newly launched www.officeronline.co.uk and on the changes in NUS Ents, particularly focusing on how it can work better for FE unions under the new collaboration with NUS Services and will develop even further over this year and next.

I also helped out with general campaigning sessions and went to the Halloween party on Saturday night. There were many wonderful costumes, my plastic Dracula cape included. Had a bit of relaxation time before the evening’s festivities and carved out the pumpkin to make a lantern. Later on I got volunteered (against my better judgement) to enter the ‘birdy dance’ competition, but unfortunately did not win the ‘best dancer’ prize :(

Ah well, better luck next time.

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