The future of AMSU
Notes on Views expressed at the plenary session held at Conference 09
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST DRAFT AND THESE NOTES ARE NOT EXACTLY HANSARD!
I DO NOT WANT TO MISREPRESENT SO PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU FEEL I HAVE.
The Trustees outlined what the Future of AMSU (parts 1 and 2) did was say that we need to ensure that professionals in SUs get the best service but that AMSU did not need to exist to do that. However the Trustees pointed out that they are not seeking to wind up AMSU either.
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU - a brief history to the collaborations work that has happened in the past 18 months:
Ø NUS suggested closer collaborations
Ø The question as to whether we have 3 organisations was debated
Ø IT looked at the shape of SUs in the future.
Ø Naturally the question arose about AMSU and if it was the right way to support professionals
Ø It started the question - what does AMSU hold dear
ANDY PARSONS, LOUGHBROUGH SU - added that you should also ask the question “why shouldn’t there an AMSU”. In the presentation by Matt Hyde on the Wave of Change document it points to a lot of change happening in SUs
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ANDY PARSONS, LOUGHBROUGH SU - said that the best organisations to deal with this period of change were small organisations that were fast moving and more agile, which is exactly what AMSU was when it was at it’s best, although admittedly AMSU is at a low ebb.
MICHAEL BARON, HERIOTT-WATT UNIVERSITY SU - stated we should look at the things we need to keep from the 3 organisations. He also pointed out that a lot of good ideas have come from AMSU when it was successful and that the NUSSL E&E committee were a model of success. However in general innovation in the past 5 years has been weak and in this review we should look at what has been stopping it.
PETER BARAN, SOAS - said we should ask again what we are here for. He also asked the question – if AMSU stops tomorrow the nature of SUs will mean something would spring up – what would spring up in its place? He suggested that we have bolted on too much on what we do as AMSU and should we go back to core services – should it just be a networking organisation.
SARAH-JANE SMITH UWE STUDENTS UNION – networking was definitely considered a jewel in the crown. The website has been very good at helping that with the fast pace of life and the way we work.
MARK MCCORMACK, BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – There is a lot of young talent coming through and there is a value to AMSU as just a conference which he views as vital for helping with that talent.
ANTONY BLACKSHAW, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – stated that there is concern about senior managers throughout the movement and the quality of development and support that they needed. He felt that AMSU couldn’t look after that work as it was too big a challenge this was not something that could be done by peer to peer networks.
There does need to be a space for staff volunteering. Networking is not a function of structure and this would happen anyhow by the nature of what SUs do.
JANE WHALEN LIVERPOOL JM SU – Moving the debate on stated that Trustees have found themselves defending the AMSU position rather than concentrating on AMSU outputs. What they would like to know is people’s opinion on carrying on with AMSU as this will give them a freedom in future discussions.
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – stated that when she first started and saw NUS undertaking training in traditional AMSU areas and felt defensive about that. However now thinks we need to look at where AMSU sits with training.
MAX MCLOUGHLIN, UNIVERSITY OF DERBY SU– brought up the analogy of Nokia starting as a tyre manufacturer and that AMSU should not be afraid of changing to radical new territory.
The issue of non-NUS affiliates was raised
ANTONY BLACKSHAW, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – we are a movement that relies on our collectivism and actually we should be fighting to support the NUS and keep people in their membership.
MORGAN HART, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SU – When you look at some of the sessions the only difference is that AMSU is staff only. Do staff need that space or would it be better to go to bigger conference which involved student officers.
ANDY PARSONS, LOUGHBROUGH SU – Antony Blackshaw, EUSA started to get to the crux of the argument in a previous comment about learning from peers. The people who didn’t come to AMSU obviously felt at some point in making the decision that they couldn’t learn from their colleagues. Is there a feeling that they can learn from professionals but not from peers.
We need to get to a point where everybody comes together to ask questions. People form strong friendships through networking, which is a great development opportunity that is not happening anywhere any more. Especially amongst senior managers.
TONY FOSTER, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – Are senior managers holding the young talent away from conference. One of the strengths is young and old talent sharing ideas and views. All levels of staff need to be considered.
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – followed up on the NUS non-affiliates as she is moving to a non affiliated union. She said that she is going to find it difficult to work for that organisation and integrate with AMSU who have such as strong link with NUS. The issue of grandfather rights needs exploring if AMSU is to move services.
CAROLYN LEWIS, BRIGHTON SU – on the issue of AMSU not being just about senior managers where is the AMSU code of conduct?
SARAH-JANE SMITH, UWE STUDENTS UNION – it is available on the website but more could be done to push it.
The Trustees moved onto part 2 of the document
JIM DICKINSON, NUS – AMSU has helped my career personally but I do want to push Matt Hyde’s article in Agenda. We don’t want to govern through annual conference as that is doomed to fail and actually we need to look at a clubs/societies model with a strong centre and lots of activities happening around that.
JANE WHALEN, LIVERPOOL JM SU – The feedback that we have had about the vision statement is that it is not a vision for AMSU but we feel it is important to have a bigger vision for students’ unions in general.
Most changes will come to AMSU 2010 and this document is to stimulate debate.
MICHAEL BARON, HERIOTT-WATT UNIVERSITY SU – Found the process confusing as this is what we should be looking at in 2010 rather than some interim process.
SARAH-JANE SMITH UWE STUDENTS UNION – stated that the paper was helping the Trustees to engage with many members as possible by having something to discuss and the process was not a 5 minute job so this paper helps us get it right.
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – said that the paper helps us know what we held dear. The trustees inherited a process of strategic planning and by presenting this new paper the hope is to stop that process and put in an interim structure and strategy so that AMSU can be good for the 12 months before it receives the final report.
MICHAEL BARON, HERIOTT-WATT UNIVERSITY SU – said we need to focus on: What are we doing and How are we doing it and that he didn’t see how this report helps that. We need to get managers in a room to explore those questions.
SARAH-JANE SMITH UWE STUDENTS UNION – this report is about soliciting opinions, as we can’t get everyone in a room all of the time. We need to enable different methods of engaging.
IMOGEN WILTSHIRE, UCL – The report states that peer to peer delivery is one of the values – does stating this not exclude getting a lot of external opinion.
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – this was more about embracing what actually happened in that most of the work was through peer to peer, but it does not exclude external views.
ANDY PARSONS, LOUGHBROUGH SU – in a previous version of AMSUs role was to bring in modern management techniques into the movement and disseminate this learning.
OM – I was an officer last year and now a new member of staff. These conversations seem geared towards people who actually know what AMSU is.
JANE WHALEN LIVERPOOL JM SU – the view of people new to AMSU is very important
HA – Everyone here in this session is obviously very interested in AMSU but how are we going to get the opinions of those people who don’t think AMSU is applicable?
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – Obviously there has to be a wider consultation. However we have a dream on the Trustee board to get more people on the team. One of the things we have discussed is to split up the people who didn’t attend conference and just talk to them about AMSU.
HA – suggested recruiting AMSU Ambassadors who would contact 4 different institutions.
The trustees then moved onto the section on governance.
SARAH-JANE SMITH UWE STUDENTS UNION explained that Coordinating committee had been disbanded and replaced with 3 Trustees. This wasn’t totally constitutional and was a bit “flaky”. The Trustees would like to go to 5 trustees and asked the room if they saw that as a problem.
Everyone in the room seemed happy with this interim measure. AMSU’s status as a unincorporated association was confirmed and Trustees did have legal status.
The trustees then moved onto the staffing models
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – outlined the 2 models and explained these models were proposed to help solicit views so they could be incorporated into the planning
ANTONY BLACKSHAW, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – stated it was very difficult to have a discussion about a staff structure for a stand alone AMSU
JAKI BOOTH BIRMINGHAM CITY SU – This is just if AMSU exists we need to get things in place to make it exist
TONY FOSTER, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – With regards to affiliation fees, volunteers can move things along quickly but AMSU does need more support. However rather than paying through an affiliation fee can people “pay as you go” paying more for specific services if they want to use them.
SARAH-JANE SMITH UWE STUDENTS UNION – we do need to be brutal with the truth and be clear on budget/sustainability and fitness for purpose
TONY FOSTER, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SA – I would favour option 2 with a more pro-active staff team
MAL EDGSON, BUCKS SU – proposed a different model where for things like conference you use a different business model. With lower costs more would attend – at the moment cost is a huge barrier. Would rather have a higher affiliation fee but that includes one free place at conference.
ANDY PARSONS, LOUGHBROUGH SU – AMSU at the moment is partly funded by conference from a fee and from not having to pay for certain AMSU places.
At that moment time defeated the session and it was closed by Danny O Sullivan informing people there were no changes to the sessions to note and the bus for Annual Dinner left at 6.15pm prompt.