Exeter students win national award

The Participation Award recognises students’ unions that have increased the levels of involvement of their local students, through elections, democratic participation and clubs and societies.

Earlier this year, the Guild recorded a record-breaking turnout in their sabbatical elections. A total of 4776 students voted, representing 34% of the student population. This is a 7% increase on the highest turnout recorded nationally last year and is better than the 33.8% turnout for the 2008 Haltemprice & Howden by-election where David Davis was elected MP for the Conservative Party. The average turnout for students’ union elections is just 13.8%, according to the National Union of Students (NUS). The Guild also increased the number of its societies from 120 to 130 and grew the number of academic representatives from 200 to 246.

“Unlike many awards, this encompasses everything we do within the Guild and most importantly, the students we hope to help. There is no better measure for a Students’ Union’s success than how well students are involved. Exeter students have raised the benchmark for the rest of the country,” says Guild President John Cox.

The NUS Awards, held in partnership with Endsleigh Insurance, celebrate excellence and achievement in the student movement. Finalists were selected from almost 200 nominations from over 60 students’ unions across the UK.

NUS President Wes Streeting said: “The NUS Awards are a unique opportunity to demonstrate the successes of students and the valuable contribution they make to their fellow students, university or college and the wider community.”