This week the students of Cardiff have the chance to vote on whether they remain members of the National Union of Students (NUS).
You will hear all sorts of arguments for voting yes or no this week, and as two people very close to this debate we wanted to explain a few reasons why we will think Cardiff SU should stay in NUS and why students should vote yes.
As the Presidents of Cardiff Students’ Union and NUS Wales we see the power of students, students’ unions and NUS working together across the whole of Wales and the UK every day. Over the past few years we have seen big changes in our education system and every step of the way NUS has been supporting students’ unions to make the case for students locally, as well as speaking up on a national level; whether tacking legal action to save students from deportation, saving EMA in Wales, or ensuring that no student from Wales will pay more than £3,000 no matter where they study in the UK, it has been a collective effort and a coherent and organised message across Wales and the UK that has made these things possible. No students’ union on their own would have the time and resource to be able to make these things happen, this is why we need a national union fighting for us whilst Cardiff SU can spend their time making sure Cardiff has the best student experience in the UK.
At no point during this debate are we going to pretend that NUS is perfect, neither is any students’ union, we wouldn’t be here if they were. This argument goes to the core of what students’ unions are about - collectivism. Whilst every student is different, just as every students’ union is, it is our belief that we have a much better chance of tackling our common challenges if we work together.
You can vote at www.cardiffstudents.com/vote. Voting closes at 12noon on Thursday 18th April
Steph Lloyd (NUS Wales President)
&
Harry Newman (Cardiff Students' Union President)