Tom Stubbs – Post Graduate officer, Swansea University Students’ Union

They were the first words I said to Annual Conference 2007, the one in which I was elected to the block, and the first speech I made at that conference. Back then, I was the first post grad student in a long time, and the first person from Welsh institution, to get elected to a national position at annual conference.

This is fundamentally wrong. It’s simple fact that if you’ve come from a postgraduate background, or a Welsh institution, you’re seriously hindered from getting elected. The new structures seek to change that, and empower both people from Welsh institutions and post grads to get involved with their national union.

Recently I have been meeting with the Chair of the National Post Graduate, Matt Gayle, about how the NUS are going to incorporate post graduate students within your national union’s structure. The main aim is to have a post graduate committee, and a conference that has staff support within NUS, to enable post grad issues to be high up on the agenda. This means that it will no longer be solely up to NEC member who falls into that category to do the work.

Another key proposal concerns all NUS committees. Each committee will be able to submit motions to annual conference. So as well as doubling the amount of people that sit on the new NEC, from the various committees (such as the Liberation Groups, and Nations), the committees themselves will now have the ability to send motions.

We should be working to get more people with backgrounds like mine to get involved with the national union. These structural changes represent an almost doubling of representation for Wales, and a proper inclusion of post grads in our decision making bodies. I want people to involved and feel included in their national union. I don’t want the extreme fringes to say that we’re taking away democracy, because the only thing they are scared about is the real students having their say. The reforms embrace our democracy and enfranchise more people, to make the NUS the place they want it to be. It’s your union, it’s time to get all students involved.

Any way as usual if you have any questions or want to get in Contact please phone me 07973566325 or email me.

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