Round-table Discussion
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One of the main points of discussion is whether the NUS represents students well enough, while another issue highlighted by those opposed to the NUS is the rejection of the one member one vote motion.
After an engaging twenty minutes, we felt that the opinions of the three individuals were diverse enough to give us more perspective of the matter at hand. Engaging in a macro as well as micro level of discussion, each participant was able to form coherent and sound arguments for both sides, which many of the campaign slogans, posters and social media accounts did not stress on enough. The level of discussion also proved the intellectual acumen of the students and their ability to think before making a decision that will affect many of their university lives going forward, displaying that if not the referendum itself, a dialogue for the Universities relationship with the NUS needed to be addressed.
The Participants
Sam Cooke
1st Year, Linguistics Running for Student Chair |
Craig Johnson
Politics, PhD |
Max George
2nd Year, Politics Vice-President of the Conservative Society, Newcastle University |
The NUSU Perspective
We sat down with Editor of the Student Newspaper (The Courier), Victoria Armstrong, and got her views on the referendum, as a member of the four-person sabbatical officer team
-By Ritwik Sarkar and Yuchen Gu
-By Ritwik Sarkar and Yuchen Gu
The NUS is filled with people who are trying to lift their own political careers off the ground, instead of caring for the issues of the students. |
-Ritwik Sarkar
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Students Perspective
-Scott Trotter and Yuchen Gu
Students for Leave
We spoke to second year student and head of the leave campaign, Matt Wilson-Body. He talks largely about the need for students to vote and get more for their money, which he feels is not adequately ploughed back into the University. He does however advocate for stronger representation at conferences, in the chance that they stay |
Students for Remain
Third-year media student, Jaime Shepherd, talks about why the university is better off staying with the NUS While recognizing the need to have stronger dialogue with the NUS over larger issues, he does stress that a large part of their job is getting students to realize the petty issues which the leave campaign seem to be stressing on. The NUS, according to him still does more good for social welfare-a fact that he feels should be emphasized more notably. |
Student Survey
The NUS referendum was in many respects an era defining vote for the Newcastle University and its students. The NUS has been a nationwide body that has historically run much needed social campaigns all across the universities that are affiliated with it.
Recently however, there’s been a disagreement between many universities as to how much the NUS really contributes towards student life. This shift in perception had forced a handful of notable universities across Britain, to reject the NUS, with The University of Exeter holding a referendum, where 70% of the students came out to vote.
Our survey showed however, that the enthusiasm towards the referendum was far less than those of other institutes that had done the same.
Students whom answered our survey were divided equally on the issue of whether the NUS contributes anything worthwhile to their student experience. A large number of people felt the only visible sign of the nus, was in their NUS discount card.
Despite this, only 11% of the student population actually turned out to vote, with 75% of our survey takers unaware as to who the NUS delegates from the university even are, let alone the delegates at the head of the union.
-Ritwik Sarkar and Scott Trotter
Recently however, there’s been a disagreement between many universities as to how much the NUS really contributes towards student life. This shift in perception had forced a handful of notable universities across Britain, to reject the NUS, with The University of Exeter holding a referendum, where 70% of the students came out to vote.
Our survey showed however, that the enthusiasm towards the referendum was far less than those of other institutes that had done the same.
Students whom answered our survey were divided equally on the issue of whether the NUS contributes anything worthwhile to their student experience. A large number of people felt the only visible sign of the nus, was in their NUS discount card.
Despite this, only 11% of the student population actually turned out to vote, with 75% of our survey takers unaware as to who the NUS delegates from the university even are, let alone the delegates at the head of the union.
-Ritwik Sarkar and Scott Trotter