University of Northampton Students' Union could cut ties with '˜out of touch' National Union of Students

The University of Northampton Students' Union is to hold a campus referendum on whether to stay affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS) due to concerns over its recent actions.
University of Northampton Students Union President, Victor AgboolaUniversity of Northampton Students Union President, Victor Agboola
University of Northampton Students Union President, Victor Agboola

Victor Agboola, the president of the Northampton Students’ Union, has written a blog post in which he states last week’s National Conference showed NUS as an organisation “radically out of touch with the needs and wants of the university’s student membership”.

Mr Agboola said he was dismayed the conference’s main topics of discussion and debate were on international issues such as Palestine, Syria and the refugee crisis, rather than students’ concerns such as personal safety, value for money and access to support services

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The Northampton Students’ Union has written to NUS with four challenges for them to meet in advance of a referendum on campus next March.

Mr Agboola said if communication of the benefits of being part of the NUS are not forthcoming in the near future the university will “undoubtedly” disaffiliate.

He said: “The NUS provides a number of fantastic services to Students’ Unions across the country and number of functions that serve to support our financial sustainability as a charity, what we want to ensure is that the body remains representative of Northampton students and voices opinions that reflect our values.

“We believe that this can only be achieved through renewed and improved communications, an area which the NUS is already addressing through its Project 100 initiative, and we hope the challenges we’ve outlined today can help focus the areas that small unions such as ourselves see as the key issues to be resolved.”

The University of Northampton Students’ Union’s challenges to NUS can be found in their Elected Officers’ blog, which can be found on the Students’ Union website www.northamptonunion.com.