Should Bristol SU be affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS UK)?
This year, we will be holding a referendum on Bristol SU’s affiliation to NUS UK.
Voting will open from 9am Monday 9 March until 9pm Thursday 12 March. Students won’t be able to start campaigning on the topic until voting opens.
To make sure your vote is informed, we will be running a debate on Friday 6 March in the Balloon Bar and here are some facts about our NUS UK affiliation:
NUS UK and NUS Charity are different organisations and this referendum is about affiliation to NUS UK.
View the rules
NUS UK |
NUS Charity |
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Deliver national campaigns about student experience |
SU centred provision, helping SUs to promote and build their value |
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NUS Elected Officers represent students nationally |
Undertakes social enterprise, and leverages the collective power to curate a marketplace of products and services for SU enterprise outlets at the best price (like food venues and shops) |
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Company Limited by Guarantee National Union of Students (UK), company number 08015198 |
NUS Charity is a Charitable Company Ltd by Guarantee, NUS Students’ Unions Charitable Services Ltd, company number 07509468 and charity number 1140142 |
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Membership contributions for NUS UK is 2% of block grant funding with a minimum contribution of £200 and maximum of £30,000 Bristol SU pays £30,000 for NUS UK Membership |
Membership contributions for NUS Charity are 0.5% an SU’s block grant funding, capped at £7,500 Bristol SU pays £7,500 for NUS Charity Membership |
Running a campaign
The leaders of our Yes and No Campaigns will be elected at the Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM) on Thursday 19 February, please stay behind at the end of the meeting to vote for the leader of each side. All campaign leaders must abide by the rules.
You can find out more about running a campaign at our Candidate Academy sessions online and in person. Once they’ve been elected at AMM, you’ll be able to contact them to join the campaign team!
A debate was held on Friday 6 March, with coverage led by student groups UBTV and Epigram. You can watch the debate coverage here: https://youtu.be/7Cny91RVIOg?si=b1aMk1ih-K5oIDSp
Yes Campaign |
No Campaign |
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Leader: No student has stepped forward to run the campaign. NUS UK have sent the following:
Three core points 1. The poorest Bristol students are £250k better off thanks to NUS’ work winning an increase to the maintenance loan 2. NUS campaigning on the Renters’ Rights Act has made it illegal for your landlord to charge you more than one month of rent in advance 3. NUS campaigning has also brought back the Erasmus+ Scheme, so that shortly students will be able to take funded study years in Europe
More information about their campaign can be found here @nusuk
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Leader: Aden Saeed
Three core points 1. We pay £30,000 a year for NUS UK affiliation with nothing to show for it: We’re deep into a cost of living crisis, and that money could be used for improving the wellbeing of students in Bristol, community organising, and student-led campaigns amongst many other things. 2. NUS has failed to represent its students through its weakened democratic structure, lack of support for student advocacy, targeting of student officers, and weak national campaigns whilst continuously ignoring needs that we have brought forward to them. 3. NUS has repeatedly failed to represent marginalised student communities, particularly Muslim, Palestinian, and pro-Palestine students, demonstrated by its long silence on Gaza and by its enabling of Islamophobia.
More information about their campaign can be found here: @BristolNoToNUS
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Students should not start campaigning until the voting period. If you are interested in leading or being part of a campaign team, please come along to the Annual Members’ Meeting or register your interest via email to bristolsu-elections@bristol.ac.uk
Voting opens on 9:00 on Monday 9 March and closes at 21:00 on Thursday 12 March
FAQs
What is a referendum and why are we holding one on this topic?
A referendum is a cross-campus ballot for students at the University of Bristol to decide the outcome to a ‘Yes/No’ question. It needs 5% of all students to vote for the result to be binding. We run this referendum on NUS UK affiliation every 3 years as per our byelaws
Who is the Returning Officer for this referendum?
Our Returning Officer is Sam Jones, Academic Quality Manager and staff member at the University of Bristol. The Returning Officer makes ultimate decisions on rule breaches and appropriate sanctions.
How do I vote in the referendum?
You will be automatically directed to the referendum voting portal after you have voted for roles in the SU Elections.
Who decides the question and the rules?
Democratic Standards Committee (DSC), an elected body of students, confirm the question and rules of the referendum. This is then noted by the Trustee Board.
How do I report a rules breach?
You can report a rules breach; please make sure you’re able to refer to which rule has been broken before starting your report!
