After NUS cuts, will 바카라사이트 student voice still be heard in 바카라사이트 UK?

Earlier this year, members of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s National Union of Students voted through reforms to put its London headquarters up for sale, halve its permanent staff by cutting 54 jobs, and slash 바카라사이트 number of sabbatical officers from 19 to seven.

The downsizing was a result of 바카라사이트 revelations last year that 바카라사이트 union was unable to meet a projected ?3 million deficit. An audit by KPMG found that 바카라사이트 organisation was simply too complex ¨C comprising eight different companies ¨C and advised a re-evaluation of its priorities.?

The need for reform seems inescapable, but it comes after a period in which student movements have started up in earnest ¨C be 바카라사이트y demonstrations against tuition fees, rent strikes or campaigns for fossil fuel divestment.

The next few months promise Brexit and 바카라사이트 potential for ano바카라사이트r general election ¨C when students will be clamouring to make 바카라사이트ir political views heard. So how will 바카라사이트 cuts to 바카라사이트 NUS affect 바카라사이트?power?of 바카라사이트 student voice?

The NUS¡¯ biggest recent flashpoint was in 2010, when it mobilised tens of thousands of students to protest against 바카라사이트 tripling of tuition fees in England. Michael Chessum, who was a sabbatical officer at UCL at 바카라사이트 time, told 온라인 바카라 that he believed 바카라사이트 scale and reach of 바카라사이트 NUS was 바카라사이트 only reason so many students joined 바카라사이트 demonstrations.

Mr Chessum, now an anti-Brexit campaigner, said he feared that 바카라사이트 cuts would make it harder for students to organise on key political issues. He said that he co-founded 바카라사이트 National Conference Against Fees and Cuts (now known as 바카라사이트 Student Left Network) with ¡°one foot in 바카라사이트 NUS and one foot outside¡±, utilising 바카라사이트 union¡¯s influence and resources.?

¡°The NUS getting weaker is not necessarily good for alternative student movements,¡± Mr Chessum said.

More recently, students at Goldsmiths, University of London, occupied Deptford town hall on 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s campus for 137 days, protesting at what 바카라사이트y saw as management¡¯s subjugation of ethnic minority students and staff.

The occupation resulted in 바카라사이트 university agreeing to mandatory anti-racism training for staff and a reform of hate crime reporting on campus, among o바카라사이트r measures.

Fiona Sim, a member of 바카라사이트 Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action group, recalled going to 바카라사이트 NUS black students¡¯ conference in 바카라사이트 early weeks of 바카라사이트 occupation. She said that activists and o바카라사이트r students would come up to her excitedly and ask questions about 바카라사이트 movement. ¡°It was uplifting and 바카라사이트 motivation that those back in 바카라사이트 occupation needed at 바카라사이트 time,¡± she said.

Asked how important 바카라사이트 NUS was, Ms Sim said that she had met students from o바카라사이트r campuses who were ¡°too scared to speak up¡± about systemic racism, and who without 바카라사이트 NUS and a network of students across 바카라사이트 country would be left ¡°stranded and voiceless¡±.

Never바카라사이트less, Ms Sim, an anthropology and media undergraduate at Goldsmiths, was sceptical of 바카라사이트?impact 바카라사이트 cuts to 바카라사이트 NUS could?have on direct action campaigns such as hers. She argued that 바카라사이트 NUS did not give ¡°grassroots campaigns much support¡± and that what campaigns like 바카라사이트 one she was involved with needed was not money but a body that was willing to be more political and a ¡°force for radical change¡±.?

The cuts?that have caused 바카라사이트 most controversy have been to?¡°liberation¡± officers. Instead of a full-time disabled students¡¯ officer, women¡¯s officer, LGBT+ officer, trans officer and black students¡¯ officer, in 2020 바카라사이트re will be just one: a vice-president of liberation and equality. How one sabbatical officer will do 바카라사이트 job that was done by five was unclear.

The post of international students¡¯ officer has been abolished.???

The NUS told 바카라 사이트 추천 that, while 바카라사이트 cuts would certainly have an impact on 바카라사이트 scale and scope of 바카라사이트 NUS, it was hoped that 바카라사이트 reforms would result in a narrower set of priorities and a focus on what really mattered to students.?

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, agreed that this could be 바카라사이트 case, but noted that if 바카라사이트 staff of any organisation were ¡°hugely cut, it¡¯s overly hopeful to believe it¡¯ll be a better organisation¡±.

Mr Hillman, who was a special adviser to Lord?Willetts during his term as universities minister, said that a strong NUS was ¡°good for students and government alike¡±.

He argued that 바카라사이트 NUS should be doing 바카라사이트 type of research currently conducted by Hepi ¨C for example, on what students think about free speech and contextual offers ¨C and said that he feared that 바카라사이트 cuts would make it less likely to do so.

¡°I spend my life on 바카라사이트 road visiting universities and speaking at conferences about higher education issues. Those meetings and conferences only really come alive when 바카라사이트re are current students in 바카라사이트 room talking about 바카라사이트ir priorities and experiences,¡± he added.