There will be a referendum on York’s affiliation with the NUS

We’re the latest to join a growing group


The University of York is to have its own referendum on whether or not it should maintain its affiliation with the National Union of Students, according to a post published by YUSU president Ben Leatham on YUSU’s official blog.

Voting will open at 10am on the 1st June and close at 5pm on the 8th. The results will be announced on the 9th.

Since the controversial NUS Conference in Brighton last month, which saw the election of Malia Bouattia as the NUS’ new president, both Lincoln and Newcastle Universities have announced their disaffiliation from the Union. Other universities who are planning disaffiliation votes include Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Hull, Worcester, and Loughborough.

Bouattia has come under fire for allegedly making anti-Semitic comments and refusing to condemn ISIS, prompting a large number of universities to decry her leadership of the NUS.

Exeter University’s Student Union had a referendum, the result of which was that the university would remain affiliated with the NUS.

The University of York offers a referendum regarding NUS affiliation once every three years, but according to Leatham’s post the next referendum, originally scheduled for 2017, has been accelerated after a policy motion was submitted calling for students to be asked for their say about their affiliation with the NUS.

Online campaigning is set to begin today, the 23rd, followed by physical campaigning on the 31st. There will also be a debate on the 31st. Voting opens at 10am on the 1st June and closes at 5pm on the 8th. The results will be announced on the 9th.

Chris Wall, the current Student Activities Officer, is in charge of the campaign to remain affiliated, while Robin Brabham is in charge of the campaign to leave. To see Ben Leatham’s blog post and find out more information, click here.