Available onlineThe first decade 1972-1982
(page 4 of 4)Written by the Open University Students Association
| Image : | OU Students Association Conference 1980 |
| Date: | 1980 |
| Image : | A warning to OUSA leaders letter |
| Date: | 1973 |
Introduction to Conference and the abolition of membership fees
The first Students Association Conference was held in Liverpool, February 1973. Known then as the ‘National Conference of Branch Delegates’, it was the only body which was entitled to make amends to Association policies, orders and the student leadership team.
During the National Conference weekend, members of the Association were encouraged to bring proposals for discussion after seeking support from their local branch. In 1972, as many as forty Association branches existed in twelve regions, many of which had a membership of hundreds.
Any motions passed during Conference were to be implemented by the student leadership team, who at the time were known as the National Executive Committee (NEC). Unlike Conference today, it was proposed that the elected representatives from the 1973 elections would take office at the National Conference.
Also, around this time members of the Association were charged a voluntary membership fee of £1 per academic year. Some students were dissatisfied that they had been asked to contribute this fee and expressed their feelings in letters addressed to OUSA leaders, as seen in media item two. This subscription scheme was later abolished in 1977 as the Association adopted ‘Model B’, when the Students Association became centrally funded by The Open University.
