CUSU will remain affiliated to the NUS (for now)

Affilation will be discussed again before the budget for 2017-18 is released

affliation CUSU CUSU Council fees Malia Bouattia NUS refendum

Each year CUSU Council has to vote on affliation to external institutions. Normally this is an uncontroversial procedure, however in light of recent news that CUSU affilation fees have increased by 2200%, from £250 to around £5,700, there was controversy to do with remaining affiliated. 

The relationship with the NUS has been tenuous for some time over the past year, however. In May there was an affilaiton referndum triggered by alleged anti-semitism from NUS president Malia Bouattia. Remain won with a narrow margin, but after today’s CUSU Council it is clear that this may be under threat again.

The one who caused all the trouble

Amatey began by saying “What I’m proposing we do is not have a final vote on NUS affilation”. The motion was to remain affiliated for now, and then discuss affilation once more after the General Meeting but before a budget was set at the end of Easter term.

Amatey clarified that at the time of the referendum in Easter last year, it was communicated to CUSU that affilation would be £250, and this would have lead to just under £2000 profit for CUSU from the sale of NUS cards.

Making profit from your Pizza Express

The room voted to remain affilated for now, and make the decision after the national conference after budgeting had been discussed with the NUS. This was mainly because Amatey argued that “everything is very unclear right now” and to have a referendum based on limited information that is still up in the air would be problematic.

However, if discussions at the national assemly fail, it is likely that affilation to the NUS will be signficantly called into question next term ahead of the budgeting for the year 2017-2018.