A guest piece on the NUS Referendum from the Leave campaign. Find all NUS Referendum coverage here.
On Thursday 26th we encourage you to vote to leave the NUS.
There is nothing that we, the Loughborough students, take pride in more than our university. Loughborough Students’ Union is Number 1 and we do not need to be in the NUS to succeed. Our exec body is elected by, and works tirelessly for, thousands of Loughborough students, providing an experience that is unforgettable and unrivalled.
Being from such a successful and influential university, we have a large presence and have led the way in many areas for many years, the NUS has done little if anything to further this. #LSLeave have outlined the three main points on why we should disaffiliate and lead a new and more prosperous future for LSU and unions across the nation.
Discounts
NUS targets students by stating they are able to give them a range of discounts. However this is misleading, all NUS discounts are done through UNIdays a company whom LSU will still be able to work with if we disaffiliate. Under the current scheme, students are still able to attain student discounts through NUS extrea cards even if the student in question attends a non-affiliated NUS University.
Finance and Fees
Our NUS membership costs us over £43,000 each year. LSU is obliged to buy alcohol through the NUS and this has a direct effect on you, the student. With nights out being a key player in the student experience, LSU can’t negotiate cheaper orders and this means your drinks are only going to get more expensive. The NUS has always maintained plans to increase the cost of drinks in unions and LSU is powerless to prevent this. Is it really worth the membership fees, heightened drink prices and unfair deals for the negligible affects NUS has around the campus?
Unrepresentative and Undemocratic
Malia Bouattia was elected with 372 votes as the new NUS president. That’s less than 1% of the membership of the NUS, and thousands of votes less than that of the LSU Exec elections this year. This is because the NUS rejected the “one member one vote” voting, is this a fair and representative group?
The NUS has become too politicised and self-interested, and those at the top care not for the students of Loughborough, or any university but only for their own political gains. Loughborough isn’t represented by these people, we are a strong and influential student group, and the NUS doesn’t impact the Loughborough experience, it only restricts it. Loughborough life is already unrivalled, imagine where we could be if we were independent.
NUS Doesn’t Support Our Students
Our welfare and diversity team run more programs than the NUS and our societies section ensures that there is something for everyone. Diversity is both encouraged and celebrated here, with events across the year ensuring everyone is represented. Leaving the NUS would have no noticeable impact in Loughborough, but we could be the trendsetters for new ideas across the country. Our Athletic Union is second to none, and student satisfaction is constantly rising. The NUS training courses have little impact and we can access much better training outside of the NUS. At Loughborough our LSU and Voice teams work tirelessly around the clock to try give a range of support to students, we are able to do this ourselves without NUS interference.
Being in the NUS is not value for money, it does not provide valuable services at Loughborough, and it does not represent Loughborough students.
Vote online #LSLeave on the 26th and 27th May for a fairer and more prosperous Loughborough experience.
-A campaign piece from the LSLeave Campaign group
