Former NUS Delegate Matt Bedding tells Tony Costin why a student might want to become an NUS Delegate.
In April next year representatives from students' unions all over the country will descend on Brighton for the annual NUS national conference where they can have their voices heard. While that may seem like an age away, five months in fact, the search for Staffs' delegates has already begun.
The conference allows NUS-affiliated unions, which make up 95% of all higher and further education unions in the UK, to have their say when it comes to the NUS's policies for the next year.
Nominations for delegates from Staffordshire University are now open until midnight on Monday 19th October so don't miss your chance to change the face of education nationally.
Matt Bedding, the Students' Union's Student Engagement Manager, was an NUS delegate in 2010 and attended the conference in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
"I was told about being a delegate by an elected officer when I was an undergraduate. I was interested in doing more for my students' union but I didn't have an awful lot of time because of society commitments. But it's a very time-flexible opportunity because you run in the election and then it's just these three – four days in April so it was recommended to me and I nominated myself," he said.
"I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. You got all the papers through in advance, because so much was being discussed. NUS represents seven million students and there's so many different priorities for different unions and different people. We had a meeting beforehand to outline what we were doing and how it was going to work and then we just jumped into it."
The conference can become a little tough to understand so Staffs makes sure all its delegates receive comprehensive training, explaining how everything works. Plus there's a good chance at least one of the five may be an officer that has had experience of an NUS conference before, so they can show you the ropes and introduce you to the right people.
"The social side of the conference itself is great," Matt added. "There's usually parties on both of the evenings. All the accommodation and board is paid for and all your food is covered.
"One highlight I will always recount to people is one guy who was really cross at something staged a one-man walk out at this conference of 1000–2000 people. He declared to everyone he was walking out and asked everyone to join him. Nobody did."
Every Union affiliated with the NUS pays an annual fee, Staffs' being in the region of £35,000 a year. For this figure the Union is given access to training, resources and an active say in what NUS's policies are. The Union exercises this right by sending five students to the annual conference to vote on the Union's behalf on key national policies that affect millions of students.
"It's low commitment in terms of the role itself. Don't be put off by an election, anyone can win an election. It's just about having a chat to people and being as relevant to other students as possible," Matt said.
"If you're interested in politics, if you're interested in representing Staffs students and if you're interested in getting involved in the students' union but you don't know how, it's certainly something I can recommend."
Interested in nominating yourself or someone you know? Apply here: www.staffsunion.com/nusdelegate. For a handy guide of everything you need to know, click here: http://www.staffsunion.com/pageassets/nusdelegate/NUS-delegate-rules.docx