Socially Democratic

Ep. 303: State of the Student Union with Ashlyn Horton

Stephen Donnelly Episode 303

Between 😷Covid, 💸cost of living pressures and the 🤖 proliferation of AI, life as a university student looks a lot different than it did even six years ago.  

✊ The National Union of Students [NUS] is the peak body representing around 1 million students in Australia in all areas of education, policy, and student welfare. It’s also a training ground for the future leaders of Australia. 

☀️ NUS President Ashlyn Horton joins Stephen Donnelly to discuss the organisation’s biggest concerns, the necessity of student consultation in university governance, and a few time-honoured traditions which take Stephen down memory lane.

📸 Stay updated with the National Union of Students by following their Instagram @nationalunionofstudents

Mentioned in the episode:

NUS EdCon 2025 (https://tr.ee/RuB0lh)


CHAPTERS:

03:10 Introducing Ashlyn

09:49 Campus Life Pre and Post Covid

12:53 Impact of the Voluntary Student Union

25:29 Current Campaigns

30:09 The Fight for Student Consultation 

36:03 EdCon 2025

42:30 NUS Traditions


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