Issue 839 University of Surrey Students' Union lOth March 1995 Situations Vacant ominations for the remaining Sabbatica! posts of be completed during the next Président's term of office. The Président and Communications Officer open next constitution will be re-drafted over the easter vacation, ready for week. These posts remained unfilled after the élection a change during next term. One of the most controversial aspects earlier this term, and a by-election has been called. of this change may be the end of a Sabbatical Ents Officer. The N new Président would have to prepare for the change to a full- un in parallel with this will be the referendum on NUS 'affiliation. time member of staff in charge of entertainments. The Univer- m sity going semesterised next year will ihrow many of the Students are being encouraged to put as much effort into the Union's activities out of their usuai pattern. Intro week for first by-election as they did into the main élection. Jonathan Bennett, years will be during everyone else's week three. Communications Officer said "it would be a shame if, after taking the time to select the team they wanted at the first élection, Nominations open Monday week 10 (i3th) and dose on Friday students took little interest in selecting the two others. These two week 1 (28th Aprii). Forms can be picked up from Pam Mill- posts are cruciai to the ninning of the Union. Students should bank. Finance Officer together with the election régulations. make sure they get what they want". If you have any queries about either post, go and see Mano] or The élections come at a time when the Union's future is being Jono, who will be glad to help. shaped. The extension to Union House will have the first phase completed over the summer vacation, and the second phase will The Jobs: Président Communications Officer Responsible for the overall running of the Union. Negotiates Responsible for ali matters of communication between the with the University on the students' behalf. Represents the Union, its members and the locai community. Represent the Union on many University committees, and on some locai Union on matters of communication and Public Relations, bodies. Be an Ambassador for students and the Students' and liase with University staff on such matters. Union. Editor of Bare Facts. Responsible for ensuring Bare Facts Chair of Club Committee, and as such responsible for the is published every week. Along with the Editorial board, running of the Union's commercial activities, including décidés the content of Bare Facts, adn responsible for Bars and catering. ensuring a balance in the contents. Responsible for the running of Union activities, and for Responsible for the production of ali Union publications. ensuring the duties of Union Officiais are fulfilled, espe- Deals with ali matters conceming the media, and ensures cially when posts are unfilled. the Union is informed of developments in communication. Nominations Open Monday week 10, and dose Friday week 1 of next term. To NUS or not to NUS? unning alongside the Sabbatical by-election will be a Is there more to the NUS than just cheap beer? Are they an referendum on NUS affiliation. Here students will have effective campaigning force, or just a bunch of politicai factions the opportunity lo decide whether or not this Union who do nothing but argue? Make sure you come and bear ali the Raffiliates to NUS next year. There will be adebate (date information, views and opinions, and make your own décision. to be announced) where speakere for and against NUS affiliation will put their points across. Students will be able to ask questions More information will be published in Bare Facts next term of the Officiais conceming NUS, and find out how NUS help the Union or otherwise. 2 Bare Facts Bank Managers Attempt Why Should We Disaffiliate ? Student Life ay I take an opportunity to explain the rationale behind the motion passed at the GM concerning wo bank managers are to swap places with two disaffiliation from NUS. The basis of proposing this undergraduates for a week to experience life on a Mmotion was to illustrate how ineffective the whole student grant of £23.10 a week. movement is for representing students on a national level. The The switch, an idea of Hull Universitys Students Union motion aimed to point out that we pay a horrendous amount of T money in affiliation fees (£27,000) to NUS and how our own President, involves two Bank Managers (one from Barclays and one from Midland). Mark Moody, Äe Union President, aims to Union could put the money to much better use. Examples could use this as part of his campaign to highlight the poor level of include a new sabbatical officer or increased budgets to clubs financial aid available to undergraduates. He stated that "Last and societies. As NUS stands at the moment the money is a year we managed to get four University Staff to live on a student complete waste and we should withdraw it until the movement grant for a week. Three cut of the four couldn't survive." decides to thoroughly reform itself. Both the Bank Managers involved have dealings with students I fully agree with the principle of a National Union of Students as their branches serve the University campus. Neither of them but this particular NUS has constantly proved to be undemo- are graduates, the Midland manager started his banking career cratic and unworkable. How accountable can the members of with six o-levels while the Barclays manager started on a YTS the National Executive Committee be with one annual con- course. ference? As External Affairs Officer in my first year, I know that the new NUS structures are nothing more than talking Mr Macadam, Barclays Manager said "I am preparing for a tour shops. The delegates who attend regional conferences and of the cheapest supermarkets. We have a full programme of national council meetings have no real power to hold the activities from lectures to helping out in the community, so I National Executive Committee (NEC) members accountable dont think it will be a 'doss'. I'll be surprised if either of us or decide policy. This therefore gives the NEC a virtual free | manages to live on the £23". hand for the whole year. Whilst the managers are enjoying lectures on fluid dynamics, This has often led to rash campaigns and demonstrations. An the two students they are replace with will be working for the example which springs to mind is the Target 70 campaign that bank, being paid up to six times their weekly grant for their was run at the 1992 General Election. The NUS literally work. targeted 70 constituencies where the Tories had marginal seats and essentially sided with the opposition parties. Unfortunately Jeff Blackham for NUS the election results could not have turned out any worse. The Tories got back into power. This disastrous policy of taking a political stance almost cost students dearly with the Phantom College places Education Bill (1993). This piece of legislation would not only discovered have completely transformed Student Unions as we know them but also would have virtually destroyed NUS (maybe not such abour was plunged into more part problems at the a bad thing). The House of Lords, the Committee of Vice- weekend, as groups linked to the party were accused of Chancellors and Principals and students persuaded the govern- running phantom college courses. Police were called in ment to drop the most damaging of the proposals only through after a college carried out spot checks on 3,000 students combined efforts. Does a Union as ours with a tradition of L independence need an NUS who only serves to antagonise the it had funded to the tune of £140,000. government of the day? The Bournville college in Birmingham, which was due to hand over £930,000 under franchise arrangements found that many It dismays me that members of the NEC will still resort to cheap of the courses had not occurred. Staff who visited addresses political stunts in order to convince the student movement that where courses were supposed to be, found that addresses did not all is well at NUS. It is true that Steve Hale (NUS National \ exist and others were private houses. The college immediately Treasurer) did stand on an independent label and holds the same froze funding when they realised the problem. views as the majority (I believe) in our Students' Union. Naturally, the NEC sent him down to speak to us for exactly A police spokesman said "We are investigating complaints of those reasons. My problem is with the NEC members who possible fraud following complaints by the college". It is unclear stand on political labels and are therefore committed to the whether the Labour party, after suspending four other Midlands toeing of a party line rather than representing student issues. constituency members last week, intend to take action against Contrary to what the National Treasurer said, the situation is the party members involved. not improving at all. Heather Stych pointed out at the GM that only about 6 of the 50 candidates standing for election to the Jeff Blackham NEC this year were standing on independent labels. Library Opening Hours The talk has to stop. While the political factions within NUS were squabbling with each other, the government was able to Easter Vacation introduce student loans, cuts in grants, reductions in funding to the Higher Education sector and student overcrowding. A Monday to Thursday 0900 - 2000 united and non-political NUS may have been able to stop these changes or at least water them down significantly.