Around this time of year we get lots of emails from excited officers and NUS delegates who have seen the National Conference Hub (www.nusconnect.org.uk/conference), checked out some of the videos and photos and want to check how they submit policy. It’s a great way of putting your union’s issues at the top of our agenda.  

Here’s our 10 step guide

1. Our policy is split into 5 areas called zones. This allows students to make more sense of the type of work we do and allows the organisation to allocate political responsibility among the vice presidents.
    
2. To help unions, the Zone Committees who were elected by you last October have already proposed 5 zone recommendations. These are in Conference Document (CD) 5 on the Conference Hub. If you want to change these recommendations you can make amendments to them.
    
 
3. If you want to submit text on a new area of work you can do that to. It’s worth checking to see if NUS has any live policy on the issue first. Policy passed at National Conference lasts for 3 years, so you’re better not passing the same motions as we are already working on. www.nusconnect.org.uk/about/policy holds all our existing policy. Although not a zone as such you can also submit policy to the AGM to change how NUS operates.

1. It is unions, not individuals who submit text to National Conference. As such you’ll have to pass your motions or amendments through a democratic structure, such as referenda, AGM or student council.

1. Each union has a word limit of 1,400 words. It’s up to you whether you have one really long motion or lots of small ones, but you cannot go over the word limit.

1. You’ll need to submit your text using a the pro-forma on www.nusconnect.org.uk/conference/info.  It is just under CD5. You’ll have to include your unique security code that was posted to your president. By including this you’re saying that the union has sanctioned these motions.
    
2. The deadline, is no later than 4.59.59pm on Friday 2^nd March. Please do not leave it to the last minute, every year the Democratic Procedures Committee (DPC) who look after the policy process have to rule out late submissions.
    
3. DPC will take the text over the weekend of 3^rd and 4^th March and bring similar issues together so they don’t get debated more than once. If there are some areas that are too controversial they may ask unions who submitted the text to come together on 25^th March.
    
4. Unions who submit unique motions will be assigned a speech for them. Motions with more than submitter will be asked to discuss who speaks for them with a recommendation from DPC.
    
5.  The final document will go online in late March when delegates will be asked to vote on the order in which motions are discussed in a priority ballot.

And then the document goes to be debated at National Conference in Sheffield.

We’ve run feedback campaigns, supported students’ union governance and changed millions of students’ lives because of the policy proposed and set by students’ unions at our conference. What are you waiting for?

More information democracy@nus.org.uk