NUCA events and activities vary considerably, depending on the president and committee, but all activities follow four main strands; Port and Policy; speaker meetings; campaigning; and social events.
Port & Policy NUCA's most popular regular event is Port & Policy, in which a political parliamentary-style debate (chaired by the President) is accompanied by a few glasses of fine
port. A typical Port & Policy debate will consist of three predetermined motions selected by the committee, each of which are debated for around 45 minutes with three short intervals. Port & Policy is normally held in The Great Hall, an impressive and historically significant part of
Trent Building. Dress code is usually
black tie, with occasional reversion to
formal wear when alternate venues are used. Port & Policy's attendance has risen sharply in recent years, with over 80 attendees in the final Port & Policy of the 2015/16 academic year and over 90 for the 2017/2018 academic year.
Speaker Meetings NUCA regularly hosts well known speakers including Cabinet Members and Members of Parliament such as
Ken Clarke and
Anna Soubry. NUCA also invites a number of speakers from Conservative think-tanks and campaign groups. Controversy occurred in 2022 when
GB News presenter
Calvin Robinson was invited by NUCA to speak. Plans to protest and occupy the Great Hall, where Robinson was due to speak, by the University of Nottingham Left Society were uncovered which led to criticism from Robinson on his Twitter accompanied by screenshots of the alleged plot. To avoid protests, the event was moved by NUCA to an unpublicised location.
Campaigning NUCA often campaigns in local and general elections in the constituency of
Nottingham South. In response to the election of the controversial figure Malia Bouattia as President of the
NUS, NUCA was heavily involved in the 2016 'No To NUS' campaign, which sought to disaffiliate
The University of Nottingham from the NUS following evidence of institutional anti-semitism, racism, and homophobia within the NUS.
Social Events Social Events often include bar and pub crawls. Traditionally, NUCA members are invited to join for formal dinners every year, notably for the Christmas Annual Dinner and the Vice-president's Annual Dinner (it is customary for the vice-president to invite a special guest to the latter). ==Notable alumni==