State of the Unions: Napier Students' Association "feels homeless now"

While students' unions almost invariably fight an uphill battle for student engagement, Napier Students' Association has suffered especially badly in recent years from a general lack of interest in the union among its members. Although the association's off-campus building remains open as a point of contact between students and their representatives, the closure of the union bar earlier this year came as a blow to many Napierites: despite many feeling that the bar had been sub-standard before its closure, one student nonetheless commented that "the union feels homeless now."

NSA's problems with student engagement were thrown into stark relief at last year's elections, with a number of key positions on the union executive left vacant as students made their voices heard — or rather, not heard. There is currently no postgraduate students officer; nor is there a mature students officer. Phil Kearns, a fourth-year civil engineering student at Napier, told The Journal that he did not participate in last year's elections. "I've never had any urge to engage with the union, so why would I vote? It doesn’t interest me, as I can’t see that they have any major relevance. I’m certain a lot of my classmates would echo that sentiment.”

Mr Kearns' comments seem to be indicative of a certain suspicion of the union's efforts among Napier students. He went on to express concern about the deal between NSA and George Street nightclub Opal Lounge, which agreed to host a weekly night specifically for Napier students as a substitute for a union-run venue. He suggested that there might be a financial windfall for union president Tom Zanelli, given his professional background as a PR and club promoter. 

Responding to these allegations, however, Mr Zanelli stated that he does not make any money from the arrangement with Opal Lounge — aware that doing so would be illegal given NSA's charitable status. He also explained that prior to starting his bid for the presidency he liquidated his profitable PR company, Taboo Promotions, to avoid a conflict of interest. Montpellier, the nightlife consortium that owns Opal Lounge and several other Edinburgh venues, has confirmed that Mr Zanelli makes no monetary gain from the deal. The proceeds from the Napier night at Opal Lounge are split, with the money from the door going to NSA and the venue keeping the drinks proceeds. The club is now also the main sponsor of all Napier societies and sports teams. "For the first time ever the union is making a substantial profit from a Napier society night," said Mr Zanelli. "The money helps support societies' campaigns and bigger events and initiatives."

Asked about the absence of a dedicated union bar, Mr Zanelli said that he understood students' frustration with the lack of social space on Napier's campuses. He told The Journal that he is currently working on a petition of around 5,000 names of students past and present “to show that they would use a new modern union bar within the new accommodation being built at Fountainbridge.” But he's facing resistance from senior university officials, he says: "It seems I have to prove to everyone at Napier that a union bar is needed. If it's done right, it can be successful."

But problems at the union are not confined to the lack of a bar or other social spaces. Some members of smaller sports clubs — essentially, all except football and rugby — have butted heads with NSA's management in recent months. Eoin Greensmyth, for example, was president of the jujitsu club last year. He told The Journal that he received little or no support from NSA during his tenure, and ended up in a funding dispute with NSA managers that left him heavily out of pocket. "We had an amount of funding promised to us last year, which is used for the rent of our dojo [training space]," Mr Greensmyth said. "The NSA paid for the first half, and refused to pay the rest due to paid-up NSA member cards being short. After trying to resolve the issue before the deadline set by NSA, I was told by the manager that I wasn't allowed to resolve it and they wouldn't pay the other half of the rent previously promised — which was already due. I, a Napier student, had to pay over £700 to cover the club shortfall caused by this decision."

According to Mr Zanelli, however, this year has already seen a significant turnaround in the moods of societies and clubs. There have been record numbers of students participating in clubs and societies at the union — close to 1,000, he says — and the Freshers' week programme is widely considered to have been a success.

“This year was the most successful Fresher’s week in terms of money, numbers and feedback," he said. "We made a record profit which all went back into the union, and can sustain a variety of things over the year.

"When I was a fresher, I never thought there was any pride or spirit among the students. I want to get Napier feeling proud again. This year is the first time I’ve seen a Team Napier spirit among freshers.”

But the task facing the president and his executive is a difficult one, especially given frequent and unhelpful comparisons with Edinburgh University Students' Association, generally considered one of the most active and successful unions in the UK. But Mr Zanelli is both proud and optimistic about his presidency and the future for the union. “Napier students have different interests to students at other universities. We are not Edinburgh, we are not Heriot-Watt, we are Napier."