Newcastle University to have Referendum on NUS

A petition launched by Matt Wilson-Boddy, an NUS delegate for the university, has surpassed the 300 signatures required to force a referendum within less than 24 hours of its release.

The referendum, based on whether Newcastle University Student’s Union will retain its affiliation with its national counterpart, will be held over the course of 9th-12th May. This is alongside elections for the university’s part time officers.

Following the announcement Wilson-Boddy said, “I’m thrilled to see the petition hit 300, it’s a great opportunity for students at Newcastle to have their say on how they want their union to be run.”

Other students however, were less sure.

The first out campaign has already formed. The Facebook page No to NUS: Newcastle began posting following the referendum announcement.

The potential for a referendum had been brewing for a number of days in the aftermath of a controversial NUS summit. It is said a number of universities including Hull, Oxford and Durham amongst others are considering their affiliation following election of NUS President Malia Bouattia.

The first black, Muslim woman to hold the position has divided delegates having being accused of holding anti-Semitic views and refusing to condemn ISIS. However, following her election Bouattia hit back.

Speaking in the Guardian, the NUS President elect labelled the claims as “simply not true”. She said, “Some may not agree with my politics and ideologies, but I do believe the student movement has a shared goal: to liberate education, creating and supporting access and opportunity for all. This is what I intend to focus on”.

Wilson-Body defines criticism based upon such controversy as ‘simplistic’ suggesting it ‘disguises the real problems’. He continued, “My argument stems from a disagreement with the way the organisation is run, the damage it does to the reputation of students and its complete and utter lack of real action on behalf of the majority of members.”

Bouattia, the 2015/16 Black Student officer, won the election with 50.8% of the vote over current NUS President Megan Dunn and Adil Waraich. The latter resigned his position as De Montfort union President following his suspension for publishing a video against David Cameron’s receipt of a university companionship.

The President elect won in the first round of voting by more than 50 delegates; a rare occurrence in NUS elections.