what is nus scotland? 2010-12

What is NUS?

2010_What is NUS_Scotland_print:Layout 1 copy 12/08/2010 16:42

NUS Scotland willchange students,

lives by:•Promoting, defending and

extending the rights of

students

•Developing and championing

strong students, associations


Do you care about:• Whether you pay tuition fees or not?

• How much in student loans and grants you get in yourpocket?

• The quality of your course or degree?

• How your landlord treats you?

• Where you’re allowed to live?

• Whether you pay council tax?

• Whether you can drink alcohol under the age of 21?

• How to have a positive impact on the environment?

• How much health and welfare support you receive?

If so, you need to care about NUS Scotland.


Left-to-right: Jennifer Cádiz, Depute President; Kelley Temple, W

NUS Scotland,s full-time

officers are three of 5OO,OOO

students across Scotland who

make up the membership of NUS.

The full-time officers are

elected by students each year.


e, Women’s Officer; Liam Burns, President, NUS Scotland


Winning for studentsLast year, NUS Scotland

,s campaigns

resulted in:• An extra £1,200 for the poorest mature students through a

new independent students’ bursary.

• An additional £600 in loans and grants for the poorestyoung students.

• Government agreement to introduce a mandatory tenancy deposit scheme to stop rogue landlords stealingyour money.

• An extra £2m for student parents.

• Parliament voting down legislation to raise the drinkingage to 21.

• £600,000 of external funding for students’ associations.

• Parliament and government agreeing to not impose tuition fees.


“NUS Scotland continues to play a

significant role in promoting the

voice of students. This is why I have

been delighted to work closely with

them as they help guide our students

both during their studies and in

developing their futures.”Mike Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education

Liam Burns, President of NUSScotland, and Mike Russell,

Cabinet Secretary for Education


Education: Not Free,Not FairFighting for a fairer funding

system for students.

Students in Scotland pay fortheir education every singleday. The maximum a Scottishstudent can access in loansand grants is £5,852,

significantly below the official poverty line. Forced to worklong hours in low paid jobs, students are increasingly turningto credit cards, overdrafts, and commercial loans, often atvery high interest rates.

Worst of all, many talented people who want to study don’teven make it through the doors of college or university.

Scotland has one of the worst records in the UK for gettingstudents from disadvantaged communities into highereducation. Those very same communities are paying forfurther and higher education through taxes but are left out of many of the direct benefits.

Suddenly, education doesn’t sound very free or fair, does it?


What can you do?

• Sign up to the Education – Not free, not fair campaignby joining our Facebook grouphttp://bit.ly/NotFreeNotFair and following us on twitter@NotFreeNotFair

• Attend a local Day of Action this October

• Attend the Fund our Future: Stop Education Cuts

national demo in London on 10 November 2010

• Make your voice heard by registering to vote for nextMay’s Scottish Parliament election at http://bit.ly/m9ylp

• Volunteer with your students’ association to help itsEducation – Not Free, Not Fair campaign.

For more information, contact:[email protected]


Shape your education

It,s crucial that you receive a

high quality learning experience

in the classroom - one that is

responsive to your needs.

NUS Scotland works on issues such as improved feedbackon assessments and exams, greater contact hours withyour tutor and increasing opportunities to study abroad inorder that students get the best possible education.

Two areas NUS Scotland focuses on are:

• Class representative training

Having lobbied and won fundingfor the creation of a dedicated training agency for classreps, NUS Scotland works together with StudentParticipation in Quality Scotland (sparqs) to ensure thatstudent reps for courses have the support they need toimprove and shape their class’s education experience.

• Student-led learning and teaching awards

NUS Scotland has received funding to develop student-led learning and teaching awards, allowing students toreward quality teaching and celebrate educationalexcellence.


What can you do?

• Stand as a class rep and improve learning andteaching for you and your peers

• Check out sparqs (www.sparqs.ac.uk) for informationon class rep support and training

• Contact NUS Scotland for details on how to get involvedin your institution’s student-led learning and teachingawards event, or help in starting one at your college oruniversity.

For more information, contact: [email protected]


Building a strongcommunity

Students are often criticised for

not contributing to their local

community, but we know better.

Students across Scotland take on thousands ofvolunteering roles every year.

Joining a society or sports club while you are studying, orvolunteering time with a community organisation is not onlybeneficial because it helps others and makes a difference –it’s also the easiest way to make new friends with peoplewho share your values and interests.

NUS Scotland provides support and direction for studentswho want to get involved in activities outside of the lecturehall. Examples include:

Think Positive

• This project trains students torecognise and assist friends andthe students around them withmental ill health.


Students Without Borders

• The Students Without Borders projectaims to overcome the barriersof studying abroad throughEuropean roadshows whichbring students together withstudy abroad veterans. It alsoworks with internationalstudents to improve theirstudent experience in Scotland.

And it’s not all about other people! With an incrediblycompetitive graduate market, the experience gained bygetting involved in outside-the-classroom activities maymark you out from other applicants and get you the jobyou’re looking for.

What can you do?

• Join a society, club or voluntary organisation. Contactyour students’ association to find out what’s out there.

• Widen your horizons by taking part in a study abroadsociety such as Erasmus or get involved with one of yourcollege or university’s international students societies.

For more information, contact: [email protected]


Whether you’ re passionate about

education, equality, student

welfare or the environment, you

have a powerful role to play; youare now part of a union.

This means there will always be someone there to standup for you and always someone for you to stand up with.NUS is your union, and you are NUS.

You have a powerfulrole to play


Equality work

Equality issues span all areas

of our work - from education and

welfare to sports clubs and

societies.

NUS Scotland’s liberation campaigns have a long history ofcampaigning for equality in Scotland, and they continue thefight every day on campus and in the Scottish Parliamentto address prejudice and discrimination.

Disabled studentsThe Disabled Students’ Campaign ensures disabledstudents have equal access to support, resources andopportunities. One of the projects we’ll be working on thisyear is the ‘Think Positive’ mental health project. For moreinformation contact Disabled Students’ [email protected]

LGBT studentsThe Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender students’Campaign provides support and training for LGBT studentsacross Scotland, empowering them to engage withgovernment, media and educational institutions. This year


the campaign will focus on sexual and mental health issues.For more information, contact LGBT Students’ [email protected]

Black students The NUS Scotland Black Students' Campaign includesstudents of African, Arabian, Asian, Caribbean descent andthose who self-identify as Black. The campaign aims toimprove the prospects of Black students’ learning experiencesand standing up for students who face discrimination. Formore information contact Black Students’ [email protected]

Women students The NUS Scotland Women’s Campaign exists to representwomen students and to combat sexism in all its forms Thisyear we will be empowering women through our WomenLeader Days and fighting for a fairer funding system forstudent parents. For more information contact Women’sOfficer [email protected]

Mature studentsThe Mature Students’ Campaign defends and extends therights of mature students by tackling the barriers and stigmasthey face in education. For further details contact MatureStudents’ Officer [email protected]


NUS Extra

We can save you money!

NUS Extra is the definitive student discount card with arange of exclusive discounts, offers and competitionsdesigned to make student life more exciting, morememorable and more rewarding. Enjoy savings fromcompanies such as: Topshop/Topman, Amazon, OdeonCinemas, Pizza Hut, Ticketmaster, Blockbuster Video, andmany, many more.

NUS Extra costs just £11, not bad forsomething that’s going to saveyou a whole load of cashthroughout the year.

Even better, £4.50 of thefee goes back into yourstudents’ association!

For more information, visitwww.nus.org.uk/NUS-Extra


National Union of Students Scotland

29 Forth StreetEdinburgh EH1 3LE

Tel: 0131 5566598

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.nus.org.uk/scotland

FB: www.facebook.com/nusScotland

Twitter: @nusScotland


what is nus scotland? 2010-12

Documents

wnus scotland

scotland whomake

membership of nus

championingstrong students

students associations

thevoice of students

poorestyoung students

poorest mature students