National Union of Students of the United Kingdom
The National Union of Students is a representative body for the student unions that exist inside the United Kingdom. Although NUS is the central organisation for all affiliated unions in the UK, there also exist the regional bodies NUS Scotland, UCMC/NUS Wales and NUS-USI in Northern Ireland.
History
The NUS was formed in 1922 from the merging of the Inter-Varsity Association and the International Students Bureau. Founding members included the unions of Imperial College (who first left in 1923 and have subsequently rejoined and left again twice - the last time being in the 1970s) and Bristol University (whose AGM voted to leave in 2004). The NUS now has over 700 constinuent members (the unions of either higher education or further education establishments) and through which it represents approximately 5 million UK students. However, a number of high profile educational institutions are not members.
Democracy
The NUS holds national conferences once a year. National Conference is the sovereign body of NUS, and is where NUS policy is decided. Other conferences, such as Regional Conferences, Women's Conference, Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Conference, Students With Disabilities Conference, Black Students' Conference and the International Students' Conference (created in 2003) are run to enhance the representation of the specific members they include.
Most of these conferences, and in particular the elections held at them, are hotly contested by factions including Labour Students, the Campaign for Free Education, the Organised Independents, Student Broad Left, SWSS, the Union of Jewish Students, Conservative Future and Liberal Democrat Youth and Students.
Most UK university unions are members of the NUS, although a number (primarily Imperial College and the University of St Andrews) have historically chosen for political or economic reasons not to be members. In recent years NUS membership has become a controversial issue with some unions seeing AGM motions and referendums on the membership issue.
The NUS have in the past received criticism for spending significant amounts of time and money in running pro-affiliation campaigns at universities to ensure that they win referendums. The NUS hasn't lost a disaffiliation referendum in over a decade, but on February 5, 2004 the University of Bristol decided to leave following a AGM motion on dissaffiliation. However a subsequent referendum vote overturned the decision. Recent leavers of the NUS have included UMIST, University of Sunderland and the University of Southampton. See also Results of referendums on NUS membershipMembership
All UK students' unions are able to join the NUS (providing they are not controlled by their parent institution and they admission is approved by National Conference). To become a constituent member, unions must pay an affiliation fee to NUS, which is based upon the number of students in the union, and the money received by the union from its parent institution.
| Office | Name | Union | Faction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004- | Kat Fletcher | Sheffield College and Leeds University | CfE |
| 2002-04 | Mandy Telford | Strathclyde University | NOLS |
| 2000-02 | Owain James | Warwick University | Organised Independent |
| 1998-00 | Andrew Pakes | Hull University | NOLS |
| 1996-98 | Douglas Trainer | Strathclyde University | NOLS |
| 1994-96 | Jim Murphy | Strathclyde University | NOLS |
| 1992-94 | Lorna Fitzsimons | Loughborough College | NOLS |
| 1990-92 | Stephen Twigg | Oxford University | NOLS |
| 1988-90 | Maeve Sherlock | Liverpool University | NOLS |
| 1986-88 | Vicky Phillips | University of East Anglia | NOLS |
| 1984-86 | Phil Woolas | Manchester University | NOLS |
| 1982-84 | Neil Stewart | Aberdeen University | Broad Left |
| 1980-82 | David Aaronovitch | Manchester University | Broad Left |
| 1978-80 | Trevor Phillips | Imperial College, London | Broad Left |
| 1977-78 | Sue Slipman | University of Wales Lampeter | Broad Left |
| 1975-77 | Charles Clarke | Cambridge University | Broad Left |
| 1973-75 | John Randall | University of York | Broad Left |
| 1971-73 | Digby Jacks | London University | Left Caucus |
| 1969-71 | Jack Straw | Leeds University | Radical Student Alliance |
| 1968-69 | Trevor A Fisk | London University | |
| 1966-68 | T Geoff Martin | Queens, Belfast University | |
| 1964-66 | T William Savage | Queens, Belfast University | |
| 1962-64 | A R Hughes | Aberystwyth University | |
| 1960-62 | J Gwyn Morgan | Aberystwyth University | |
| 1958-60 | Dennis J Grennan | Southampton University | |
| 1956-58 | Roland Freeman | London University | |
| 1954-56 | Frank H Copplestone | Nottingham University | |
| 1952-54 | Fred Jarvis | Oxford University | |
| 1951-52 | John M Thompson | Manchester University | |
| 1949-51 | Stanley K Jenkins | Cardiff University | |
| 1947-49 | W Bonney Rust | London University | |
| 1946-47 | G Mcleavy | Leeds University | |
| 1944-46 | A T James | London University | |
| 1942-44 | Jack T Allanson | Manchester University | |
| 1941-42 | S G Checkland | Birmingham University | |
| 1940-41 | P A H Rivett | Leeds University | |
| 1939-40 | Brian Simon | Cambridge University and London University | |
| 1938-39 | R R S Ward | Sheffield University | |
| 1936-38 | F Fraser Milne | London University | |
| 1934-36 | F Lincoln Ralphs | Sheffield University | |
| 1933-34 | Charles G Gilmore | London University | |
| 1931-33 | Denis Follows | London University and Nottingham University | |
| 1930-31 | H Trevor Lloyd | Bristol University | |
| 1929-30 | Sam Cohen | Cardiff University | |
| 1927-29 | F O Darvall | Reading University | |
| 1926-27 | J E Meredith | Bangor University | |
| 1925-26 | W J Langford | Reading University | |
| 1924-25 | F G G Carr | Cambridge University | |
| 1923-24 | Ralph Nunn May | Birmingham University | |
| 1922-23 | A Gordon Bagnall | Oxford University | |
| 1922 | Ivason S Macadam | London University |