NUS UK (National Union of Students). Who are they? What do they do?

NUS UK is the campaigning/political wing of NUS. It is separate from the NUS Charity which provides services and support to Student Unions. NUS UK leads on lobbying the UK government and setting the priorities for NUS’ campaign work. The outputs of national conferences are enacted through NUS UK. This particular referendum is on the question of whether we should remain a member of NUS UK, not NUS Charity.

A Referendum? Why?

We are holding a referendum following a vote at the 2020 AGM (Annual General Meeting). Due to the impact of COVID 19, we waited until this point to run it, so that it can run alongside our Brookes Union elections and be a part of our Elections Season! So in short - This your opportunity to have your say as to whether the union should continue to affiliate with NUS UK.

A referendum is?...

A referendum is a vote on a yes/no decision. In this instance, the referendum is asking you whether Brookes Union should continue affiliating to NUS UK. The question that will be put to all students in the referendum is: Should Brookes Union continue affiliating to NUS UK? Whatever the result of the referendum, Brookes Union will make sure the decision is put into effect.

Who can vote in the referendum? Can I?

Voting is open to all members of Brookes Union and when you enrolled as a student, you automatically became a member of Brookes Union - Just like that (unless you opted out of course).

How can I vote in the referendum?

When voting opens, you’ll receive a voting link via your University email, so be sure to keep an eye out in your inboxes! Can’t seem to find it? Make sure you check your spam/junk folder, as sometimes emails can creep in there!

So how does this sort of voting work?

The referendum will use a simple majority vote. So, in short - this means whichever side gets over 50% of the vote, will win. There is a minimum amount of students that must vote in order for the decision to be valid though, so it’s super important that you vote, and encourage other students to do the same!

Can I campaign in the referendum?

Absolutely, YES!If you’d like to run a campaign to persuade other students as to why you think we should remain or leave, you’ll need to register as a campaign team. This is so that we can ensure that both sides of the debate have equal access to Union platforms to communicate their view. Being part of a campaign team means you’ll have access to a campaign budget, and you’ll also be able to meet other students who share your view to work together! Any student can express their own personal view using their own private channels about whether they think Brookes Union should remain affiliated to NUS UK. You can register as a campaign team member right here:

Leave NUS Campaign Group

Join this group if you want to be a part of the campaign for Brookes Union to dissafiliate from ...

Stay in NUS Campaign Group

Join this group if you want to be a part of the campaign for Brookes union tocontinue to affili ...

Will there be a debate?

If we have campaign teams registered for both the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’ sides, then absolutely! Depending on this, we’ll facilitate a debate on Monday 22 February, where campaign teams will get the chance to explain their position, debate with the opposition and answer any questions from students. Don’t worry though, more information on this will be provided to campaign teams once registered.