Democracy
The NUS holds national conferences once a year. National Conference is the sovereign body of NUS, and is where NUS policy is decided. Other conferences, such as Regional Conferences, Women's Conference, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans Students' Conference (changed as of 2004), Disabled Students' Conference, Black Students' Conference, Mature and Part-Time Students' Conference and the International Students' Conference (created in 2004) are run to enhance the representation of the specific members they include.
Most of these conferences, and in particular the elections held at them, are contested by factions including Conservative Future, Education Not for Sale, Labour Students, Liberal Youth, National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, the Organised Independents, Socialist Students, Socialist Workers' Student Society, Student RESPECT and Student Broad Left. In addition to these political factions, interest groups such as the Federation of Student Islamic Societies and the Union of Jewish Students are deeply involved in the internal democratic processes of NUS.
On 17 January 2011, the website www.theyworkforstudents.co.uk was launched by a group of independent students, to act as a "hub of information on the NUS, helping to increase scrutiny, openness and accountability". The website includes contact details for the National Executive Council, committee meeting minutes, and information on how NUS works and how to get involved. Through the campaigning of the website, more of this information is now being published on the NUS membership website, NUSConnect.
Read more about this topic: National Union Of Students (United Kingdom)
Famous quotes containing the word democracy:
“In a democracy dissent is an act if faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but its effects.”
—J. William Fulbright (1905–19)
“The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens and greater sphere of country over which the latter may be extended.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“Unless democracy is to commit suicide by consenting to its own destruction, it will have to find some formidable answer to those who come to it saying: “I demand from you in the name of your principles the rights which I shall deny to you later in the name of my principles.””
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)