This month has been largely dominated by the National Demonstration punctuated by the occasional referenda campaign! The hard work that took place in unions around the country was amazing, hard warming and appreciated. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the students officers and union staff members for all that they did to make that day a success. The same must go NUS staff and all the NEC who weren’t on freshers’ fairs for NO Sweat, Venezuela or Respect. I am so proud of the efforts of Labour Clubs round the countries and the support they are giving to the demo (there were at least 5 Labour Club banners on the demo). It should show those people who said the Labour Students could not organise a mass demonstration against the government, well done Wes Streeting!

For more on what I have done to organise for the demo see here.

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

How I spent my October days:

• 1st: Aston Students’ Guild Freshers’ Fair (Birmingham)
• 2nd: UCL Debating Society Event “This House Believes University is a Waste of Time” (London)
• 3rd: Campaigns Launch (Canterbury Christ Church SU)
• 4th: St Martin’s SU, Lancaster Freshers’ Fair
• 6th: University of Bristol Union Freshers’ Fair (Bristol)
• 7th: LGBT Committee (London)
• 9th: Public Meeting with Israel Education Minister (London)
• 10th: Regional Meeting and West Midlands Banner Painting (UCE SU, Birmingham)
• 11th: Meetings with Matt Hyde (Deputy National Director), my mentor Andy Grant (National Director) and with David Malcolm to do Bursary Briefing (NUS HQ, London) & then off the Imperial to meet their Yes2NUS Team (Imperial, London)
• 15th: Prep Campaigning for Bugs’ Referendum (Birmingham)
• 16th: Leafleting for the Demo at Kings College London (London) and then travelling to Birmingham for Bugs’ Referendum Campaigning
• 17th: Bugs’ Referendum Campaigning (Birmingham), East Mids Banner Making (Nottingham) & Travel to UWE Students’ Union for their Referendum
• 18th: UWE Students’ Union Referendum (Bristol)
• 20th-22nd: Political Weekend (Lincolnshire)
• 21st: Meeting with Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Lincolnshire)
• 23rd: Served at the Women’s Reception, House of Commons (London)
• 24th: Working from home and calling round for the Demo
• 25th: Quality Takes Time Event (London)
• 26th: Westminster Labour Club Event (London)
• 27th: Essex Students’ Union selling Demo Tickets (Essex)
• 28th: Warwick University Students Union to help prepare for the Demo and selling the final demo tickets (Coventry)
• 29th: National Demo (London)
• 30th: At work where I blogged on the Demo
• 31st: Working from home to catch up on the Postgraduate Council Tax Submission and the Ticket to HE paper.

The Three Highlights were:

1. Quality Takes Time;

I am not sure how he did it but Wes momentarily left his tour of the country to host the Quality Takes Time event that took place in Marble Arch Tower. Officers and staff from students’ unions came together to look at the forthcoming QAA round of audits and how students unions best prepare for the Student Written Submission (previous submissions can be found here: www.officeronline.co.uk/library/qtt/submissions/).

The day was really great, we looked at what tolls we had available to measure quality and participate in quality enhancement. The National Student Survey (NSS) is clearly a tool that we can get better at using – one of our challenges is accessing the data. Thanks to NUS students’ union are entitled to the same information that institutions are – to get your info fill in this form NOW. We also looked at the continued work of student reps. In the feedback my message was clearly about students; unions focusing on our reason for being – Academic Representation:

“If students’ unions could on do one thing it would be representing students in the classroom, lecturers and their schools – that means student reps, our challenge is to move our tight resources so that we put as much energy into representing students as we do running bars.”

2. Getting to question Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills;

This was a brilliant opportunity to put the issues for NUS and many students on the agenda in a rare one-to-one opportunity (including no civil servants). In our conversation we spoke about:

• Free Prescriptions for students;

• Changes to council tax for postgraduates and to plug the local community gap;

• The representation of women in postgraduate education, academics and university management;

• How to best retain the skills of international students (like Scotland does with the Fresh Talent scheme –see here); and

• Top up fees obviously – with a real focus on why this government felt variability was necessary.

He was open and honest on all these issues and is keen to set up time with him or his special advisors to chat some of them over. I will blog the letter shortly…

3. The Demo!

The real highlight was clearly. I think fun was had my all – we really led the media agenda on the day and got Rammell on the TV throwing accusations at NUS which couldn’t be better for us! Our clear reply is:

“Rammell, you could stop any scare mongering – promise on behalf of the government that you will not lift the cap because it is Vice Chancellors at Imperial, and the like, asking for £11k of fees that is scare mongering – and you have the power to stop it.”

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I hope that has been an interesting insight about what I have done in the last month, there will be more to follow but until them get in touch, send an executive questions, invite me to your campuses or update me on the biggest issues for students in your college on richard.angell@nus.org.uk or call on 07966 161 444.

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