I’ll be giving updates of the three months between my election at the end of March and taking office on July 1st.

I remember receiving a letter last summer demanding affiliation fees from my union, accusing me of years of lying and misleading the national organisation, and threats to send around the heavies unless I paid in full and on time! Needless to say I thought we could have a much more sophisticated approach for affiliation fees collection for 2007/8. I, therefore, spent what seemed like an incredible amount of time crafting and finalising the letter to go out to our members. Asking people for money, and justifying expenditure will be much easier with the growth of the Impact Report.

I was invited to attend University of Manchester Students’ Union’s Executive’s In-House Summer Training, an opportunity I could not miss! I had a great deal of fun, and although the environment was intense, it was really useful for me to begin thinking about my role, and my relationship to the membership over the next year. Many thanks to UMSU for allowing me to attend.

Over the last two years I had been able to secure greater representation of my students’ union within the university, and for the first time ever, onto the appointment panels of Senior Managers of the university. It was with great excitement, and no doubt creating huge precedence within the university, that I was asked to sit on the appointments committee of the University of Reading’s new Chancellor. I found it an illuminating experience, a sort of cloak and dagger exercise where potential suitors are approached and asked for their availability! Shrouded in secrecy, John Madejski was approached, and he accepted. Although his politics wouldn’t naturally sit comfortably with me, I hope he’ll put the pressure on the hierarchy to achieve even more for the student community.

Throughout the month I also managed to attend the Summer Balls of Hertfordshire and Canterbury, two fabulous events. Apologies for not being able to get to Buckingham Chilts or Essex’s, but it sounds like they went really well! Unfortunately my predecessor intercepted my invite to Leeds University Union’s Summer Ball, but the facebook photos look superb. It was also my last Summer Ball at Reading, an event which sold out, the first time in three years. It was a new site, and to see 3,500 students recognising and celebrating the impact that their union had on their lives made standing in the election in the snow, the 70 hour weeks, the late night abusive phone calls, just about worthwhile!

I had a couple of days with the Senior Management team in Coventry, doing some team building, thinking about the year ahead, and about the shape of the new organisation. We will begin to work in a much more effective way, but we must change our governance structures, they are stifling NUS.

After a quick train journey back to London, it was straight to meet Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks to hear him talk about leadership and the increasing faith tensions on campus. A very thoughtful conversation and some kosher wine later, it was back to Reading to get some sleep.

And as my last few days as National Treasurer Elect draw to a close, the journey has been fun so far, I cant wait to focus on the role, start delivering for our members and fulfilling the expectations of students’ unions.

A vote for me was a vote for change, a vote for reform, a vote for the future. It can now begin…

dave x

dave.lewis@nus.org.uk

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