The 19th of September saw an emergency meeting of the NEC to receive the report on the resignations of three Jewish Students from the NEC and Steering committee. Unsurprisingly the report suggests that NUS is not an anti-Semitic organisation, but may be apathetic in responding to anti-Semitism. I say unsurprisingly, as it is the conclusion that many would come to, however the importance of having an independent report cannot be ignored.

The following NEC meeting, on the 3rd of October, saw the resignation of a fellow Labour Student, James Knight. JK’s speech, made without interruption to the NEC and observers, details his reasons for leaving, and all I want to do here is wish him all the best for the future.

Freshers’ season this year saw me travelling to Aberdeen Uni, Edinburgh Uni and Edinburgh’s Telford College. It was great to be back in Aberdeen, and fantastic to be part of the NUS presence in Edinburgh, at the first Freshers’ Fair since they reaffiliated.

At the end of September I attended Labour Party Conference in Brighton, where it was great to see past NUS officer Mel Witter chairing several of the debates and sessions. I took this to be a public statement by the party that they were committed to both involving, and listening to, young people in the party. My personal highlight of conference was the opportunity to discuss science, and the public understanding of it, with Gordon Brown. Anyone who knows me well will know that public understanding of science is one of my passions, so if you haven’t yet had the chance to have that conversation with me feel free to get in touch!

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