February seemed to really kick-start with an NEC delegation meeting for annual conference on the 4th of the month, the same day nominations went in for next years NEC. I have made the decision not to stand for a second year on the block of twelve but I do wish all those candidates standing for positions the best of luck.

The following week it was time to return to regional Conferences, I headed to Chester on the 6th where I met up with Helen Symons, Kat Fletcher and Sian Davis the night before the first regional conference in the NW. We had a brief meeting in the lobby of the Hotel we were staying in before we all got a fairly early night to make sure we were bright and sprightly the following morning for the first regional conference of the week. After a day spent in Chester Helen drove myself and Gareth of the NEC, who had arrived the Conference in the morning, to Perry Barr. The following morning, Tuesday 8th February was the second Regional Conference at UCE.

Both days proved to be informative and interesting with issues raised particularly around the idea of the NUS extra card and its implementation in unions. I spent the rest of the week studying hard in Birmingham and apart from a few phone calls here and there and preparing for the NEC meeting the following Thursday.

The NEC meeting on the 17th seemed to go on forever, discussions surrounding the NUS extras card took almost 3 hours and I cant help but feel that if certain members of the NEC had actually read what they get sent by email the Q and A session could have been a lot shorter. We passed two motions, one asking for Martin Ings to look at finances for NUS USI, which was passed unanimously, and a second one condemning the recent comments of Ken Livingstone to a newspaper reporter. I voted in favour of this motion as well.

That is my month in a nutshell I spent the rest of it trying to sort stalls about environmental issues at Lancaster and Dudley College during the week of the 7th March, which I will report back on at the end of next month.

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