St Andrews NUS referendum revived

Last night, the Student Representative Council (SRC) unanimously voted to call a referendum on returning to the National Union of Students (NUS).

The NUS, for those of us who couldn’t care less or don’t know, is a union which represents a confederation of over 600 student’s unions. Apparently it comes with discount cards as well as legal and financial advice for its members. It also comes with a hefty price tag: anywhere between £10,000 and £30,000 (the budget for societies is £30,000)

Before 1975, St Andrews was a member of the NUS but has since left and voted multiple times to remain independent. However, within the last decade, the NUS has seen the Universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, and Aberdeen rejoin its ranks giving it over half a million constitutes in Scotland. Glasgow, Dundee, Imperial and St Andrews remain unaffiliated.

The Referendum will be held over the 2-3 of May at the same time as internal Presidential elections for schools and will be the first time in eleven years that St Andrews has held a vote on such membership. Furthermore, an amendment to the motion also called for a referendum on NUS membership to be held every three years. In order to be valid, over 25% of students will have to vote in the referendum. Shouldn’t be a problem with our amazing turnout, the highest in the country. (52%)

Student Association President, Patrick O’Hare, who has been spotted ‘hanging out’ and showing NUS members the sites of St Andrews had this to say:

“I’m delighted that the SRC has voted unanimously to give students the chance to have their say over membership of the National Union of Students (NUS). Things have changed dramatically since St Andrews decided to disaffiliate over 30 years ago, and since the last referendum was held over 11 years ago. This has been an important year for national student politics, from RUK fees to the Governance Review, from the post-16 Education Paper to proposed UCAS reforms. I’ve worked closely with the NUS this year and look forward to playing an active role in the referendum.”

Joining the NUS, could provide St Andrews with better representation, access, and lobbying for students. However, many others have actively spoken out against NUS membership. Andrew Keenan, former Association President spoke out during Dundee’s 2010 referendum in the President’s Blog:

‘T]he lack of accuracy or fair presentation of how things really are was disconcerting, and would have been extremely misleading to students who don’t know (and shouldn’t really have to know) the intricacies of students’ union funding. If NUS – or its volunteers on the ground, anyway – falls back on completely inaccurate arguments to sway unions in their favour, even by accident, there’s something very wrong…. St Andrews students have continually voted to stay out of NUS in several referenda, usually by margins of over 90%. An NUS representative once described St Andrews as ‘morally corrupt’ for doing so; we call it the democratically stated wish of our students.’

To add to this, representation in NUS is based on student population, joining would mean a small voice for St Andrews students.

The last time it was proposed, membership to the NUS would be anywhere from 10-30,000 pounds depending introductory rates. When it was considered for Dundee in 2010, the introductory rate was set at £10,550, rising to an annual £31,484.91 by 2012.

Yes or No, St Andrews students, get out and vote.