Delegate training - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Delegate training

National Conference

2016Slide2

Well Done!

Well done for being elected as a National Conference Delegate

In HE you were elected by cross campus ballot – no mean featIn FE you may have been elected by cross campus ballot, student parliament or from your executive

You are elected to represent the views of your student body and students’ unionSlide3

What We’ll Cover

Your

role at conference- Policy- Elections- AccountabilityWhat you should be doing in and with your union

Reporting back to your unionSlide4

Your role at Conference

Set the Policy of NUS for the year ahead

Elect the political leaders of NUS for the year aheadElect the Trustee Board and Democratic Procedures CommitteeHold the political leadership accountable for the work done over the past

yearApprove the Estimates and AccountsSlide5

Activity

Get into groups of about 4-5 people. The following bullets are

actions for you. We are going to eat some food.Each person should tell your group about your favourite meal – one you have had or one you want. Concentrate on describing the food. Each person should spend about a minute doing this.

You aren’t going to eat alone – you have to cook for the entire group.Once you’ve finished describing the food, negotiate – without voting - with each other about what meal your group will have. Think about combining starters or mains, making things vegetarian or spicier.Slide6

Activity

Now you have your meal. Unfortunately you need to persuade another group to eat it too. Elect someone from your group to go to another group and ‘sell’ your meal to them. They have a few minutes to do

this.Now your group (with the person selling the other group’s meal) can make a number of alterations to your menu. You can change 3 things to make the proposed meal more like your original one. Slide7

Activity

The chef has said that they can only do one meal for the entire room. Two people must speak for their group’s amended meals for 1 minute.

Now we vote and whichever meal wins is what’s on the table tonight… Happy with the result?Slide8

Setting policy

Policy sets out what the NUS as an organisation believes about an issue and what it resolves to do about

itThe policy process is governed by a group of students, known as the Democratic Procedures Committee

or DPC, who are elected by delegates at National Conference If National Conference votes for a motion or amendment it will become the policy of the NUS and the officers will have to obey itEach individual policy is made up of an ideological position (Believes) and a plan on how to enact that position (Resolves)To help make sense of our policy it is split into ‘zones’ (there are 5 of these: Further Education, Higher Education, Society and Citizenship, Union Development and Welfare. Each of these zones are convened by a Vice-President, elected at National Conference)Slide9

Setting policy: Zones

Further Education

– which deals with things affecting academic provision in the FE sector. Higher Education – which deals with things affecting academic provision in the HE sector Society & Citizenship – which deals with the world in which students live Union Development – which deals with students’ unions

Welfare – which deals with student safety and wellbeingAlthough not a political zone – unions can also change the way NUS works by submitting motions to the Annual General Meeting – more on which later. Slide10

Setting Policy: Zones

Each zone has a vice-president and a committee elected by Zone Conference.

Back in October this Zone Committee started researching what sort of issues students and unions were facing at the Zone Conferences. From this research they wrote a set of recommendations, which

were published in January on the Conference Hub.Slide11

Setting Policy: Zones

Students’ unions

have a chance to submit text that either adds to or changes the existing Zone proposals (amendments) or discusses something new (ordinary motions).

The Democratic Procedures Committee (DPC) bring together these different texts into the final motions document that you have. In your earlier exercise you amended the other group’s meal proposal. You can do the same thing for the proposals from Zone Committees before 4 March 2016.Slide12

Setting policy: priority

In most cases DPC will bring text together where it is consensual or even identical to allow the debate to flow.

In some circumstances they will contact a union to come to drafting commission to resolve differences over the text.

The order in which policy is debated is decided by a priority ballot of delegates to Conference. This will be released ahead of Conference.You’ll be able to vote by email on which order the zones are discussed and which order ordinary motions are discussed within that zone.Slide13

Your first role at Conference

The policy in each zone is split into motions, each dealing with a different issue

For each motion you’ll hear some speeches, some in favour and some opposedAfter these speeches you’ll be asked to vote by raising your delegate card at the appropriate time. You can vote:

FOR if you want the motion to become policyAGAINST if you don’t want the motion to become policyABSTAIN if you don’t understand the issue or don’t believe NUS should have a stance on itSlide14

Amendments

Some motions will have amendments to them.

Conference will hear speeches and be asked to vote on amendments in the same way as the motion.Amendments then become part of the main motion. If you vote for the motion you’re also voting for the amendment. Example: At National Conference 2011 the first motion was called ‘Education Funding’ which called for a specific type of funding system and resolves to do specific things.

It had a number of amendments. Conference voted for amendment (a) then the motion became a mix of the original AND the text of amendment (a).Conference voted for the motion as a whole and NUS’ policy became both the main motion and the amendmentSlide15

Amendments example

Motion

Fibchester

University submits a motion and speaks on it at National Conference

Amendment 1

Unreal college submits an amendment to the motion and speaks for it

Fibchester

speaks against it.

National Conference votes for the amendment so it is added to the motion

Amendment 2

University of Fakeshire submit a second amendment and speak for it.

National Conference votes against the amendment and it disappears

National Conference votes for the motion as amended and it becomes NUS policySlide16

In your Union

Some unions will mandate their delegation to vote in a certain way on some or all policy

debatesIf your union wishes to do this how will it set the mandate? How will they ensure delegates vote that way?Slide17

Policy Lapse, Ratification & Adoption

Policy lasts for 3 years at which point it lapses. Lapsed policy no longer becomes something officers need to work on

A policy lapse document is available on the conference Hub. If you don’t want something to lapse then you need to see DPC before the second day of Conference for it to be debatedPolicy that changes the constitution needs to be ratified and will be discussed as the first item at conference

Policy passed by other bodies will come to National Conference to be adopted and become part of NUS’ policySlide18

Elections

The people you elect will be your political leaders for the next year.

The elections process is governed by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO)You’ll hear speeches from candidates for each position before having to make a decision.

After all the speeches you’ll be able to vote in the ballot boxes as you leave conference hall. Slide19

Elections

Conference

Document (CD) 11 has all the information you need to stand for election including the deadline for nominationsAfter the close of nominations for Full Time (February 24) and NEC members (March

23) Nominations for the Trustee Board will close ahead of Conference on April 6Democratic Procedures Committee Nominations will Open and Close at National ConferenceNUS will put the candidate manifestos and other information online: www.nusconnect.org.uk/conference Your union may mandate your delegates to vote for certain candidates at conferenceSlide20

Your 2

nd role - Voting

Voting Elections are decided using a system of transferable vote. You choose candidates in order of preference by putting a ‘1’ by your first choice, a ‘2’ by your second, and so on. This allows you to say who should be elected if your first, second, or even third and fourth choices do not attract a lot of support.Slide21

Your 2

nd role - Voting

Delegates each have a unique book of ballot papers.To vote, number your choices on the ballotTear off at the top perforation. This is to prevent fraud. Place your ballot in the box. Your number will be removed from your ballot before counting.

VP Ballot example

COLE Cheryl

SHEARER Alan

STING Mr

007

007Slide22

Election Results

Full Time Officer election results will be announced on Conference Floor. Other positions will be counted within 1 week of Conference and announced online. Slide23

Reports

NUS National Conference will receive a number of reports to be accepted. These are

On the work done by the Vice-presidents and Zone Committees On the work done on the Priority CampaignOn the work done by the NEC, Trustee Board, Democratic Procedures Committee, Nominations Committee & Chief Returning Officer

The Accounts for the past year and Estimates for the year aheadSlide24

Your 3

rd role - Accountability

You should read each report – they’ll be online for at least 2 weeks and copies are available for each delegate. Presentations will be given at Conference

You can ask questions about each report by submitting them to DPC (or the CRO for DPC’s report)You can vote to accept the report or reject itIf you don’t like the work done you can try to refer it back.If you don’t like the actions or behaviours of an individual you can censure themSlide25

Your 3

rd role - Accountability

To censure someone, go and see DPC and explain the action you want to undertake before the report section begins. There chair will ask to see 100 delegates to hear the case for the censure or reference back.If they see 100 delegates you’ll be asked to do a speech for the action, and there will then be a speech in defence.

After the speeches there will be a vote. If a majority wish to censure or refer work back then this action will pass. Slide26

Accountability and the AGM

The Trustee, DPC, NEC and CRO reports will all be discussed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM

)The amount NUS plans to spend in each area is outlined in the Estimates and approved here

The estimates will include a proposal about the affiliation fee unions pay to NUS for membershipMotions that change how NUS’ internal processes are administered are voted for here tooDPC will propose the formula to calculate how many delegates are sent to National ConferenceSlide27

Conference timetable

The agenda (order paper) for conference will only be set a few days before the event as it depends on the number of motions and candidates at the event. This is a rough day by day guide based on our expectations

Day One – Registration, opening speakers, approval of the order paper, approval of minutes, ratifications. The first two of the five policy zone debates, two fringe breaks and presidential hustingsDay Two – The last three policy zone debates, the elections for President and the vice presidents, the adoptions, two fringe

breaksDay Three – The AGM, election of the national executive councillors and democratic procedures committee, closing speechesSlide28

That was… Your role at National Conference

Set the Policy of NUS for the year ahead

Elect the political leaders of NUS for the year aheadElect the Trustee Board and Democratic Procedures CommitteeHold the political leadership accountable for the work done over the past yearNot a role as such – but please see the Fringe events and meet lots of new peopleSlide29

Your delegation at Conference

Keep your voting card, ballot booklet and wristband safe.

The Fringes often include food so use them over lunchThere are plenty of stalls to look around and people after your vote – so enjoy the atmosphere and look around

There is time to work, socialise & rest – but do all in the right amounts – not just the first two!Slide30

In your Union – at Conference

How will your union report back on what they did at conference? How they voted, what they spoke on and the ideas they want to bring

backFill in the evaluation form that NUS send you. Feedback is the breakfast of championsSlide31

Questions

For issues relating to the administration of conference, including registration, access needs, room bookings and stalls contact the Events Team through

events@nus.org.ukFor issues about delegate entitlement, zone committees, reports and policy, amendments to zone policy proposals & Cross Campus Ballots contact the Chair of the Democratic Procedures Committee through

executiveoffice@nus.org.ukFor issues about elections contact Chief Returning Office through executiveoffice@nus.org.uk