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We asked them to tell us about their experiences, what happened, and how the failure of the Governance motion affects us.
"It was harder work than you'd imagine! Long days, usually 9am - 10pm with an hour for lunch. Occasionally (like with the Governance Review) frustrating, but more often quite rewarding, when delegates agreed on things that will make a big difference to students."
"Fine, I got into the swing very quickly. I had been warned about the warring factions beforehand so I was ready for those!"
"Our motions will both improve things for students and students' unions across the country, so I'd say we were pretty successful for a union that's usually quiet at national level. We also got the chance to speak on the odd motion though it would've been nice to have been picked to take a few more speeches."
"It means going back to the drawing board for those responsible for drafting the motion - so York students will have to wait another year or so before they see real change in the way the NUS works and is governed. They'll still be a representative union responsible to students unions, they just might not be quite as efficient as they might have been."
"It was another beneficial experience for me both as an officer and a member of the Union, to be able to debate policy on conference floor and represent our students."
"It was a different experience, because this time round there was a big initial debate on the governance review. As this is the 3rd conference I've been to, I felt more relaxed and found it easier to take part and understand the debate, rather than having to flick through the beginners guide each time. The days were as long as ever, and there is so much policy to get through. One of the continual annoyances is how late things start - which sets the schedule back and means inevitably, things get cut."
"Great! This is the first time that York has submitted policy (perhaps ever) and a brilliant success that both of our motions (one as an amendment to a main motion) passed with flying colours. It is great to have the backing of our national union on matters which our students really care about."
"It means that we will have to go through the discussion again with regards to a different approach to the governance review, and it will take time for the national union to transform into the union that we need it to be. There are things which will need to be re-looked at and this will perhaps take time up to support our elected officers - but I hope the end result will be really beneficial to York students, and that the governance review will pass in the future."
"Overall it was an enjoyable and productive few days. Obviously conference has its is flaws and this year’s was no exception but it still gave students from all over the UK the chance to have direct input in to how our National Union runs & who runs it. Yes there were frustrating moments but I challenge any delegate to say that they went away without thinking anything had been achieved. Remember, conference is only a small part of what NUS is & does."
"It was my second time going to conference. Knowing what to expect allows you to put the frustrating elements to the back of your mind and focus on the wider picture, which I did. I urge the more critical members of the delegation to run for re-election. Your views will probably change, as mine did. More motions passed by near unanimous approval than last year, particularly in the ‘Welfare Zone’. The Welfare Zone contains the issues which really do impact on all students. Elections, as last year, were not really that eventful and the best candidates were elected (regardless of how much they spent)."
"Happy! This is a great example of how NUS is run by its member unions and not the other way round. If a small union like YUSU can jump over the various hurdles and have policy passed on two important issues (University funding & safe-drinking) then it shows that the system works. We managed to achieve strong support from the VP Welfare for our motion on responsible drinking & VP Higher Education-elect for our ethical investment motion."
"As the review only really dealt with democratic structures (and not the services & support which NUS provides) the failure shouldn’t mean that much to York students. The NUS is not on its death bed. As long as conference still allows unions like YUSU to engage successfully then we shouldn’t worry too much. Sure, conference missed out on the chance to make the NUS better at what it does at the moment but that doesn’t mean we should all become disheartened because chances for change will come again... sooner, rather than later."
On the whole, I think it was a really interesting couple of days. It opened my eyes to how some of the other unions are organised, gave us the chance to swap experiences with them, and allowed me to see some of the wider issues that face students at the moment - 'the bigger picture' if you like.
"Conference was not at all what I expected it to be! To be honest, I think I was expecting something a little more like York's system. Here if people disagree then by and large they have the good grace to be amicable about it, but at the NUS the rule book just goes out of the window! Maybe it's because they're all so passionate about it, but at times I was shocked by how personal people were (sometimes people organise themselves into groups - 'factions' in NUS lingo - and basically just berate each other!) The frustrating thing about it was that it got us nowhere, and the people that just went because they cared about students and weren't really pushing a political agenda kind of got left by the wayside."
York's input success was definitely my highlight - I think it marks a real turning point in our involvement nationally. We took two motions to conference which both passed and what's more, they both had huge amounts of success on the floor! I think this is tantamount to how relevant they were to students everywhere - and shows that at York we keep it about us, the students.
In terms of the services our Union delivers, the work and dedication of our officers, the massive amounts of participation and involvement we have and everything else YUSU provides, not a lot. Our union is strong, vibrant and (as I have already said) relevant. The governance review failing isn't going to change this. The world will not fall down around our ears (queue the collective sigh of relief...!)
However, the NUS does need reform - and it needs it badly. I hope it gets it too, but by the NUS's own logic if the motion outlining the changes failed then not enough people were happy enough with it for it to become policy. It needs a bit more work, but we'll get there in the end!
"Lots of adjectives: Interesting, enlightening sometimes, infuriating others, mainly reassuring, oh yeah and exhausting (3 days of speeches and procedural motions 9am to 11pm and averaging 4 hours sleep - took a few lie-ins to get over). On the whole though, would thoroughly recommend it."
"It was a first-time Conference experience for me. On the whole, pretty much as I expected. Quite political, but not in such an aggressive or intimidating way as I’d been led to expect. Some controversial debates and motions, as expected. But also, a lot of consensus. Consensus on what NUS should be doing, consensus on the critical issues facing students in the next few years, and consensus on committing more time to those issues faced by students in Further Education, student nurses, mature students, student parents and part-time students, all of whom make up large sections of NUS’ membership that historically have probably been over-looked."
I thought it was an especially good Conference for York. Both the motions submitted by YUSU were passed, with Anne-Marie and David making strong speeches from the platform in favour. I don’t know when the last time that York successfully got motions passed was, but the suggestion is it was a while ago.
"Well in an immediate sense, it won’t change much. Nothing is so black and white as that. NUS will continue to do campaign and provide all the services it does anyway. But I do think that, on the whole, reforms of the kind outlined in the Governance Review are needed and called for."
"I think they’d allow NUS to respond to concerns quicker and develop more effective, detailed policy on the core issues on which there is consensus. We can then debate the more controversial stuff at Conference. This should make it a more effective campaigning organisation. If similar reforms are not carried in the next few years, then in the long-term I think that could bode ill for the future of NUS and therefore students at York and everywhere else. So, yes governance reform is needed and let’s hope it will come. But no panic!"
"And I also think it’s important to say on the positive side it’s reassuring that, on key issues such as the threat of open-ended tuition fees, Conference passed sensible and hard-headed policies that will put NUS in a much stronger position to win the argument."
Matthew has blogged on his Conference experience.
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