So as I indicated at the end of my last blog, August really got underway with the first of the two courses which I have a direct hand in – Action Through Advocacy.

The course, aimed primarily at education and welfare officers, had been totally restructured and, having attended the course last year, I think with positive effect. It was held from Tuesday 31 July to Friday 3 August in Lancaster and Ama, Scott, Katie Morgan, Ruqayyah and I really enjoyed the experience. Sadly, that was not the end of my NUS week as I spent the weekend at a residential for sabbatical officers who are members of Labour Students, consulting on – and drafting – Labour Students’ response to the NUS Governance Review.

During the following week (w/c 6 August), I was interviewed by Price Waterhouse Coopers as part of a project it is doing to prepare for the second phase of the Prime Minister’s initiative for international education in the UK (known as PMI2). My main contribution was around the concerns we have about the quality of the experience international students receive: the cost of their fees, barriers within the immigration system, integration and banking. I also focused on the need to internationalise UK Higher Education, promoting greater opportunities for home students to study abroad and internationalising the curriculum.

Later that week, I was fortunate to attend the second round of the active political leadership course, where I was able to reprise some of roles in the Fibchester exercise from the year before. I love role plays, so I had a great time at the event. I also met Derfel Owen, Development Officer at the Quality Assurance Agency, and at the end of a very busy week went up to Keele for the National Postgraduate Committee AGM on Saturday 11. I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Duncan Connors on his election as General Secretary, thank Simon Felton for his great contribution in the role previously and encourage students’ unions to think seriously about the quality of their postgraduate representation and the benefits of affiliating to NPC.

Monday 13 began with a catch up over coffee with Jessica Shepherd from The Guardian. We discussed a number of issues that she might like to pursue in print, but in particular I was really pleased to raise with her the changing focus of students’ unions and the growth of juice bars, healthy living campaigns and study space – all recognising the increasing diversity of the student population and patterns of student engagement. I put her in contact with Dave Lewis and a number of student officers from across the country and was really proud to see a huge article in the Education Guardian during the following week as a result. Congratulations to all those who came across really well in print!

Later that day, I had lunch with one of my predecessors Lee Findell, followed by a meeting of the NEC. At time of writing this blog it seems like so long ago that I’ve forgotten what happened… must find time to write more regularly.

On Tuesday 14, Beth and I had the pleasure of interviewing candidates for the new role of education and quality team leader. The standard of applications was excellent and I am delighted to announce that Alex Bols will be starting his new role in late August. Alex joins us from Universities UK where he is currently the campaigns and events officer. He is a former student union sabbatical officer and was secretary-general of the European Students’ Union.

Having spent the day chairing the interview panel, I found myself being interviewed at the end of the day by the Hansard Society. They are doing a research project on the accessibility of the legislative process to citizens and campaigning organisations and I was nominated for interview by UKCISA and UUK for my work on the Immigration, Nationality and Asylum Act a couple of years ago, where I led campaigning work on the new points system and visa charge regulations. We also touched on my experience campaigning as a grassroots activist on the 2004 Higher Education Act. It was an interesting discussion and I look forward to seeing the outcome.

On Thursday 16, I attended a meeting of the Quality Assurance Framework Review Group chaired by Dame Sandra Burslem. My main contribution was to push for student members of institutional audit panels. I think we’re gaining serious ground here, primarily because the board of the QAA have shown a real determination to make this happen. My week ended on Friday 17 with a meeting of the NEC Higher Education sub-committee, which I convene.

The penultimate week of August was taken up with the second round of Action Through Advocacy in London. I was also interviewed and photographed by the Daily Telegraph for a feature on student debt.

The final week in August was one of the best weeks of my time at NUS. Not because the Higher Education Quality Steering Group meeting on the 28 was so positive (which it was) or because we had a very productive meeting with Lord Triesman on 30, where we had a breakthrough with a new project I can’t mention yet (which we have). It was also not because the Aldwych Group meeting on Friday 31 was the best I’ve attended so far (which it was).

On Wednesday 29, I had the great pleasure of watching the unveiling of Nelson Mandela’s statue in Parliament Square and receiving a phonecall from HSBC telling me that the bank was prepared to back down on changes to their graduate account!

It’s not really possible to equate the two great events of that day. One was about finally recognising the great role that one man played in the liberation of an entire people from their oppressors and the beacon of hope which Nelson Mandela continue to offer humanity. I was immensely proud of the role that London's Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone played in ensuring this tribute to one of history’s greatest leaders, but simultaneously appalled that he had to fight to get it there in the first place. The other was the result of a campaign that had mobilised more than 7,000 people in a matter of weeks to force the world’s largest bank to reverse a policy that would have cost graduates around £25m per year. Sufficed to say that Ama and I were ecstatic when my phone rang that afternoon.

What an August!

Wes

wes.streeting@nus.org.uk

07738 477 353

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