You may be aware of allegations relating to the conduct of two delegates at NUS Active Political Leadership (APL) training course in August.

A process has been underway to investigate the formal complaints received and NUS is now able to report on the results of the two investigations that ensued.

The first investigation related to a question asked during a plenary session. The investigation found that, while the precise words used by the delegate could not be established, the question had linked the agenda of widening participation in higher education with the issue of violent crime, and the premise of the question was therefore inappropriate. However, it was noted that the delegate stated that they were not aware of any specific briefing which referred to the demographic composition of the local population of the fictional university which was the subject of the training session.

The investigation noted that the delegate had cooperated with the investigation, accepted that the delegate had not intended to cause offence, and found that the question had not been motivated by any racist agenda. The investigation therefore found that there was a breach of NUS’ Equal Opportunities Policy, but the complaint of racism was not upheld. However, the investigation did recommended that the individual should attend training relating to the “widening participation” agenda, to ensure that they are fully aware of its implications in the context of our Equal Opportunities Policy. They will need to demonstrate that this training has been undertaken before attending any further NUS non-democratic events.

The second investigation related to a sign held up during the same plenary session. In this case the investigation did find that there had been a serious breach of NUS' Equal Opportunities Policy and the complaint was upheld. The individual will not be able to attend any further NUS non-democratic events, and the matter has been referred to the students' union at which they are an elected officer. This is the maximum penalty that can be levied under the policy, and the recommendation was upheld by an appeal committee.

NUS is resolutely opposed to racism and we do not tolerate it in any form. We have a rigorous investigation process relating to accusations of racism and as a result the organisation has been unable to comment directly on these incidents before now.

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