... more resignations and talking to the Pensioners.

The week of the 26th of September I was in the office for a significant part of the week which you may have gathered from previous blogs and blogs of other NEC members is a rarity. I was only out on one visit this week to Leicester SU and the rest of the week was mainly spent catching up on emails, meetings with staff, about the priority campaign, business development, MORI, events and conferences.

I spent a lot of time on the first conference mailing and also initiating a new way of submitting motions to annual conference via email. Please go and view the conference documents online at www.officeronline.co.uk/events/annualconference

I also met with Peter, Jamal and some of the Staff on Friday about the Glees Report and our response to it as an organization, especially in light of the impact it seems to be having on campus. I’m really proud of NUS and the NEC members who have been working on this issue since the London bombings I think that our response has been swift and was on the right message both supporting unions when facing difficulties and putting our message out in the media.

On Saturday 1st October I met with Rules Revision Committee to discuss constitutional amendments for Conference this year, which include NEC not voting at National Council, removal of references to sector committees which were abolished in the reforms of the extraordinary conferences and other equally enthralling tidy up amendments.

October 3rd was another NEC meeting, I chaired this meeting as Kat had to be in Exmouth. Sadly, James Knight, President of NUS Wales resigned from the National Executive Committee due to bullying and harassment he had suffered in Wales, that had gone beyond political criticism to personal criticism. This is totally unacceptable our members need to realize that whilst political criticsm is expected as a national officer, the slide into personal attacks is severely damaging to us as individuals, people have to realise that we are human beings, we have feelings and there really is only so much that we can take. There has to be an improvement in the culture both within NUS and the movement as a whole, and this behaviour must be stamped out, we all have a responsibility to each other. We talk about unity being our strength, we talk about mental health and liberation and equality and diversity but so many of us do not practice what we preach. I am glad that as Convenor of the strategy team I can lead a change in NUS’s policies and procedures to protect our officers from this kind of behaviour and to give us a proper process to follow in any circumstances of bullying from either the membership or within NUS. The meeting obviously got off to a bad start, but everyone was far nicer to each other than normal in the circumstances, and we actually had a reasonably productive meeting, we got through all the motions in breakneck speed and had a good management update and passed a Holocaust Memorial Day proposal submitted by Jess.

My office time this week was spent working on the MORI research, my sections of the NEC report and plan and meeting with Dan Chilcott about the potential of a digital student TV station.

I visited Goldsmiths Students’ Union on the 6th October to talk about NUS reform, MORI research and strategy. Dave and his GM both took part in the MORI research.

On Friday I spoke at the National Pensioners Convention Rally in Ealing about how we support their educational and pension demands in their Charter. I spoke about how graduates were going to find it increasingly difficult to pay into pensions, get a mortgage, and pay off their student loans and that NUS commends them on the direct action they were taking on refusing to pay council tax etc. They were really appreciative and are so supportive of our demands for free education. If you have a local pensioners club do get in touch with them and ask how you can support them in their campaign, I’m sure they will then help you when you have action on your campuses.

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