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| National Union of Students (Italy) | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Union of Students (Italy) |
| Native name | Unione Nazionale degli Studenti |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Headquarters | Rome |
| Membership | Student unions, student associations |
| Leader title | President |
National Union of Students (Italy) The National Union of Students (Italy) is a national student organization active in Italian higher education and secondary schools, engaging with institutions such as the Sapienza University of Rome, University of Bologna, University of Milan, University of Padua, and Politecnico di Torino. It has interacted with political entities like Democrazia Cristiana, Partito Comunista Italiano, Partito Socialista Italiano, Forza Italia, and Movimento 5 Stelle, and has organized activities in public spaces such as Piazza Navona, Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, Piazza del Popolo and on campuses including Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
Founded amid postwar student mobilization, the organization engaged with events such as rallies connected to the 1968 protests in Italy, the Hot Autumn (Italy), and demonstrations parallel to the Years of Lead. It intersected with cultural movements around figures like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Umberto Eco, Sergio Mattarella as a student leader era contemporary, and institutions such as the Italian Communist Youth Federation and Italian Socialist Youth Federation. The union navigated policy shifts linked to laws such as the Bassanini reforms and moments like the Tangentopoli period, participating in debates overlapping with Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro and Confindustria stances on labor and education. During European developments including the Treaty of Maastricht and the Schengen Agreement, it engaged with international counterparts like the European Students' Union and the International Union of Students.
The union's internal governance has mirrored models used by student bodies at institutions such as the University of Florence and the University of Naples Federico II, with elected offices akin to presidencies seen in bodies like the Council of Europe student delegations and committees resembling those within the National Research Council (Italy). Regional branches coordinate activity across cities including Turin, Genoa, Trieste, Bari, Palermo, and Verona, while liaison roles connect to entities such as the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy) and municipal administrations like the Comune di Roma. The structure has included assemblies, national boards, and thematic commissions addressing issues raised at venues like the European Parliament and within networks such as the Union of European Students.
Membership draws from students enrolled at institutions including the Bocconi University, University of Pisa, University of Trento, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and technical schools like the Politecnico di Milano. The union has represented cohorts studying in faculties present at the University of Turin and University of Palermo and has engaged interculturally with groups linked to the Italian Association for Cultural Studies, immigrant student organizations in cities like Milan and Rome, and international students from programs run by the Erasmus Programme and exchanges with universities such as Sorbonne University and Humboldt University of Berlin. Demographics have shifted during periods when enrollment trends at the National Institute of Statistics (Italy) and reforms in regions like Lombardy and Sicily altered student numbers.
The union has taken positions on legislation debated in the Chamber of Deputies (Italy) and the Senate of the Republic (Italy), engaging with ministers from cabinets led by figures such as Giulio Andreotti, Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Renzi. It has lobbied on funding and autonomy issues involving entities like the European Commission and responded to policies tied to the Bologna Process and directives from the Council of the European Union. Its stances have intersected with campaigns by organizations such as Libera (organization), Emergency (organization), and ANPI on civil rights, and it has debated alliances similar to those of the Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana and the Youth of the European People's Party.
The union coordinated mobilizations in solidarity with movements such as the No Global demonstrations and aligned actions during events like the G8 Summit of 2001 in Genoa and protests that invoked the memory of incidents like the Irpinia earthquake relief efforts. It organized campus occupations and demonstrations at locations including Piazza della Libertà (Florence), supported sit-ins at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), and staged rallies in conjunction with trade unions such as the Italian General Confederation of Labour. Campaign themes ranged from opposition to austerity measures linked to debates at the European Central Bank to advocacy for student housing reminiscent of initiatives by Caritas Italiana.
Relations have involved negotiations with administrations at universities such as University of Catania and University of Salerno, coordination with rectors' conferences like the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), and dialogue with policymakers in the offices of figures like Giovanni Malagò in civic contexts. The union has submitted proposals referenced by parliamentary committees in the Italian Parliament and engaged in consultations with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Italy) and regional education departments in Emilia-Romagna and Lazio. At times it has clashed with policing bodies like the Polizia di Stato during demonstrations and sought mediation through ombudsmen comparable to those in the European Court of Human Rights framework.
Prominent alumni and leaders have included student activists who later associated with public figures and institutions such as Giorgio Napolitano, Massimo D'Alema, Walter Veltroni, Emma Bonino, Enrico Letta, Matteo Salvini, Beppe Grillo, Rosy Bindi, Pier Luigi Bersani, Nicola Zingaretti, Laura Boldrini, Paolo Gentiloni, Luigi Di Maio, Alessandro Natta, Piero Fassino, Antonio Di Pietro, Emma Marcegaglia, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Sergio Mattarella, Antonio Tajani, Federica Mogherini, Raffaele Cantone, Mario Monti, Giuliano Amato, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Umberto Bossi, Gianfranco Fini, Francesco Rutelli, Gianluca Vago, Marta Cartabia, Giorgia Meloni, Alessandro Zan, Olivia Di Biasi, Stefano Rodotà, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Luciano Violante, Pietro Grasso, Giulio Tremonti, Antonio Polito, Corradino Mineo, Emma Bonino, and Luigi Berlinguer.
Category:Student organizations in Italy