By Julia Mullins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Bristol SU has announced that, following a review, the approval of Temporary Associate Members will cease from August 1.
An associate member is ‘a member of the public who is not a current registered student at the University of Bristol but has purchased a membership to Bristol SU.’
The change will exclude University of Bristol alumni and staff from membership to the Bristol SU and affiliated student groups. According to the Bristol SU, in 2024/25, 176 official associate memberships were purchased via the Bristol SU website. These Associate Memberships will expire on July 31 and will not be renewed. This means that anyone who currently holds a committee position and is not a registered student will need to step down ‘with immediate effect.’
Though the bylaw change will be brought to the TB1 student council for discussion, the decision won’t be voted on as it has already been approved by the Bristol SU Board of Trustees.
Bristol SU says that scrapping the AMS (associate membership scheme) was in response to complaints and the decision is the outcome of recommendations from the 2024 review of the Bristol SU Code of Conduct. The external review, conducted by Atkinson HR (a consultancy firm), identified risk concerns regarding managing the conduct of non-student members, ensuring safeguarding, and maintaining that student groups are led by University of Bristol students.
In response, an open letter to the SU has been published following a call to action posted to social media on July 3. The 10-page letter was made public last night on behalf of 33 societies and their committees.
‘most adults do not appreciate being told they are unable to associate with other adults safely and independently.’
The letter demands accessible consultations with all student groups and that each of the signed societies ‘be in agreement with any new policy before it is implemented.’ It asks the SU to empower student groups to better manage safeguarding risks and the protection of student interests. The letter also details a set of statements submitted by contributing societies detailing how the change to the AMS will affect them.
The letter addresses the concerns raised and points out that ‘both full and associate members of the union are bound by the Member Code of Conduct, and subject to the Member Disciplinary Policy and Procedure.’ Adding, ‘most adults do not appreciate being told they are unable to associate with other adults safely and independently.’
This change will impact all 350 plus societies that are affiliated with Bristol SU. All constitutions submitted at reaffiliation will be amended by members of the Student Opportunities team to remove clauses related to associate membership. According to Bristol SU, once they have updated all 350 constitutions they will ‘email Presidents and Club Captains to let them know.’ The open letter addresses this, writing that ‘our constitutions are core democratic documents for our members and will not be altered without the approval of our groups’ memberships.’
The letter accuses the SU of sharing ‘deliberately vague information’ and expresses that the review was not carried out with sufficient consultation. According to Bristol SU, the review included a ‘Student Group Leader Survey, written feedback from student groups, interviews with student group leaders, interviews with trustees, interviews with Bristol SU staff and interviews with University of Bristol staff.’
While Bristol SU are yet to comment on the letter specifically, Epigram reached out to ask for a comment on the sentiment - shared by societies online - that the review lacked sufficient consultation with societies.
A Bristol SU spokesperson told Epigram:
‘We understand that many of our affiliated groups benefit from the instruction of qualified experts to carry out their activity. We welcome the continued use of qualified experts and we’re introducing a new method of registration for these people.
‘Any groups who have concerns about this change can arrange to meet with us where we will discuss their groups particular support needs. We’ve already met with a number of groups and have had some really productive conversations.’
The SU have provided some information online for societies to register non-student coaches and instructors with the SU. However, groups will only hear more about this new method of registration in the week commencing July 28.
For current associate members who aren’t coaches or instructors, the SU writes that they will ‘work collaboratively’ with societies and encourages them to get in touch with their Development Team via email.
Featured Image: Illustration / Julia Mullins
