SU34: Exploring pressures on our core purpose An exercise to get you thinking

How does this work? Sit in small groups with flipchart paper. Draw the axes. In each situation, discuss the core purpose of your SU. What is the aim of everything you do put together? What kind of accountability? What kind of membership organisation? What kind of engagement? Put an X where you are today. Put a Y where you would like to be in 20 years’ time. (Avoid the middle if you can!) What direction are market forces pushing your students’ union? And what about existing regulation (94 act, 06 charities act, lobby act)? And what about current/future political agenda? How do you get where you want to be? How does NUS help?

SU34 – Pulls and Pushes, situation 1 In which relationships do we invest most time and resource currently as students’ unions? Students Other Regulators Society Institution Different ways of asking a similar question: Faced with a tough decision, who do we least want to upset? Who are we accountable to?

SU34 – Pulls and Pushes Representation Consumer Partner What kind of membership organisation are you now? Where would you like to be? Representation Consumer rights champion e.g. Which? Partnership advocacy e.g. Trade Union Consumer Partner Demand-led service provider e.g. Coffee Shop Co-operative partnership e.g. Co-op stores Commercial Activities

Side-note Daniel Palmer, Chief Exec off of Cardiff Uni SU, has challenged whether it’s even possible to reject commercial activities in favour of representational ones, when thinking about SU’s core purpose.   He explained that you can’t start to imagine a future for students’ unions without commercial activities: “the need for students’ unions to create and sustain other forms of income other than block grants is vital to the future success and independence of unions”. Although he did point out that bars and coffee shops weren’t available to everyone: “where your SU cannot be the social hub of campus, grants and service contracts need to be explored.” Is there a model of students’ unions you can think of which eschews commercial activities as we know them? What benefits and costs would it bring? Get in touch, SU34@nus.org.uk

SU34 – Pulls and Pushes Deep Engagement Self Interest Common Interest What level of member engagement do you aim for? Why? How far do we represent students as individuals versus the collective? Deep Engagement e.g. Social movement e.g. Trade union “In it together for better pay” Self Interest Common Interest e.g. Consumer rights champion “Join the organisation for access to reviews of washing machines” e.g. Traditional charity “Pay £1-a-month to end poverty” Shallow Engagement

Bonus activity Position yourself on a sliding scale Q1. To what extent is your students’ union in a genuine partnership with the institution? What evidence do you have for your decision? Is it sustainable and culturally-embedded or is it about the current personalities involved? Q2. To what extent is the core purpose of your students’ union understood by the institution? What evidence do you have for your decision? If you are someone different on the scale, how does that dynamic affect the future of your students’ union?

Genuine partnership? The sliding scale… 100% - We have a genuine partnership with our institution 50% - We have a satisfactory level of partnership with our institution 0% - Partnership is non-existent with our institution

Understanding? The sliding scale… 100% - Our institution fully understands the purpose of the students’ union and why we exist 50% - Our institution understand some aspects of our purpose as a students’ union 0% - Our institution doesn’t understand the purpose of the students’ union

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