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STUDENTS DESCEND ON BLACKPOOL FOR NUS CONFERENCE

The time is almost here for the 2008 NUS Conference, to be held at the Winter Gardens hotel in Blackpool. This year, perhaps the most important in NUS’s history, sees the debate of the new governance proposals, which if passed, modernise the NUS into an affective campaigning organisation, able to deliver results for its students (particulary important ahead of next year’s review on Higher Education Funding). Between Tuesday 1st April and Thursday 3rd April, around 1400 students from across the country are expected to attend.

As well as the key debate on NUS governance and higher education funding, students will be discussing subjects such as support for student nurses, hidden course costs and student rights at work.

NUS President Gemma Tumelty said “This year’s Annual Conference is a historic moment in the history of our union. Students will have crucial choices to make - apart from the important task of electing their new President, they will have to decide whether to modernise the NUS’s outdated structure, and they will also have to decide on a practical means of tackling the Government’s unfair and unworkable policy of variable top up fees in next year’s review.”

The planned governance structures have not been without their critics. Ruqayyah Collector, a candidate for President in this year’s election, is fighting against the review. She is one of many students who feel the proposals will lead to far less opportunities for grass root students to get involved within the NUS and instead leave all decisions to a minority on the National Executive Committee.

In a recent statement, she claims that “It is clear that the NUS leadership is seeking to limit debate on this issue at conference itself. At NUS compositing a presidential ruling was used to prevent motions opposed to the new constitution being discussed alongside the proposal itself. No speeches were allocated against the proposed constitution allowing the supporters of the changes to determine who and how many delegates are allowed to speak. The NUS leadership have also expended a large amount of time and resources misleading students as to the nature of their proposals.”

With the proposals needing a 2/3 majority to be accepted as the new constitution, it is unclear whether enough support is there for it to pass.

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