Cardiff Met SU Annual Report 2019-20

ANNUA L R EPORT 2019 - 20

WWW.CARDIFFMETSU.CO.UK

CONTENTS PAG E 2

Con te nt s

PAGE 12 - 1 7

S t ud ent Vo i ce & Rep res ent at i o n

PAG E 3

Glossa r y Of Terms

PAGE 18 - 21

S t ud ent S up p o r t

PAG E 4

Exe cu t ive Summar y

PAGE 22 - 2 8

Co nn ec ted Co m m uni t i es

PAG E 5 - 6

Sa b ba t ica l Off icers Summar y

PAGE 29 - 32

S t ud ent Exp eri en ce

PAG E 7

C hie f Exe cu tive Summar y

PAGE 33 - 35

COVID -19 S up p o r t

PAG E 8 - 9

R eview of 2018/ 19 Ac tion Plans

PAGE 36 - 37

2020/21 Ac t i o n P l ans

PAGE 38 - 45

A p p en d i ces

PAG E 1 0 - 11 Highlight s

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS Annual Repor t 2019/20 – ‘ th e repor t’ Students’ Union – ‘ SU’ (as we are writin g about our organisation we will also referen ce th e ‘ SU’ as ‘ we’ ‘us’ ‘our ’)Sabbatical Off icer – This refers to th e ‘President’ an d ‘ Vice President’ wh o are th e off icers elec ted by th e student body.

Student Representative – ‘Reps’ Quality Assuran ce Agen cy – ‘QA A’ Quality Enhan cem ent Review – ‘QER’ Postgra duate Taught – ‘PGT ’ Postgra duate Research - ‘PGR’ Associate Deans of Student En ga gem ent – ‘ADSE’ Transnational Education (TNE) Student Staff Liaison Committee’s (SSLC)

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cardiff Met Students’ Union Annual Repor t 2019/20 has been

In order to ensure this repor t is representative, the actions

created f rom student feedback collected throughout the

and recommendations have shared with the student reps

2019/20 academic year to demonstrate the work carried out

at all levels of the structure for consul tation. The SU School

by SU staff and it’s rep structure. We have utilised a range

Reps and Par t-Time Off icers were offered the oppor tunity

of formal and informal feedback mechanisms with the aim

to comment on drafts throughout the writing process and

to represent the wide variety of opinions f rom members

the f inal document has been signed off by the SU Board of

throughout the year.

Trustees (June 2020).

A non-exhaustive list of sources includes:

To action this repor t, it enters the University board and committee structures where we ask the University to

•

School Rep Repor ts

respond to the arising recommendations and work in

•

Par t-Time Off icer Repor ts

par tnership with us to create an action plan to implement

•

SU Clubs and Societies feedback

in the next academic year. The repor t is also submitted to

•

Sur vey Resul ts

the Board of Governors.

•

Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) Minutes

•

School Learning & Teaching (L&T) Minutes

•

University Board and Committee Minutes

•

Social Media

The report has been designed to highlight the most commonly arising themes f rom student feedback and in turn, these have shaped the priorities and recommendations our members would like to see actioned in the 2020/21 academic year. We also look back at the actions and recommendations f rom last academic year (as outlined in the 2018/ 19 Annual Report) to highlight where progress has or has not been made.

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Will Fuller Director of Student Engagement

SABBATICAL OFFICERS SUMMARY It has been a great oppor tunity for me to represent students

project has helped and suppor ted so many students (and

at Cardiff Met this year. Seeing how well students have

staff that come along too!).

under taken their roles as student reps has been incredibly encouraging and

brought exciting oppor tunities to the

student experience and to my role as SU President .

This year has not ended the way that I thought it would due to Covid-19, we are such an unprecedented time. But it has been such a hear t-warming and positive experience to see

The consideration of student voice in higher education

how our students have deal t with this situation. Using this

institutions is so impor tant and it’s because of the hard

time to make their voices heard, not only to raise concerns,

work of our students at Cardiff Met that I have been able

but to provide positive feedback also on how different

to deliver on my promises as SU President in the academic

cohor ts have deal t with this time together.

year 2019/20. We have worked to increase plug points, so students are able to work on campus where they feel most

As the year has progressed, we as an SU have fel t that our

comfor table. We have worked with the University, providing

relationship with the University has improved, but this

feedback on the personal tutoring system, which allows for

will need to be buil t upon and maintained going for ward

students to have a central contact point to go to with any

to ensure that we can work collaboratively together for

concerns, questions or comments on their time as a student

students to get the best experiences at Cardiff Met.

with us. We have been able to make improvements to the ser vice provided by Cardiff Bus, to make it easier and more eff icient to get to and f rom campus.

We have also worked incredibly hard on the Campus Canine initiative this year, which has been led by SU Vice President, Keira Davies. The hard work that has been put into this project this year, has allowed us to reach out to so many more students and discuss impor tant topics such as wellbeing and mental heal th and it’s great to know that this

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Amy-Louise Fox SU President

SABBATICAL OFFICERS SUMMARY When looking back on the last academic year, I see

Sabbatical Off icer life has def initely been different during

engagement, grow th and oppor tunities to adapt. When

the quarantine period this year. Al though, we have still

writing my manifesto in Februar y 2019, I wanted to create

maintained engagement with our rep team and Cardiff Met

positive change for all students, working on celebrating

students. We have been the link between the University

success, creating social spaces and ensuring university

and the student body, advising on the ‘No Detriment’ policy

facilities were accessible. I took inspiration f rom my own

and feeding back information used to inform decision

student life, and what I thought was missing, working with

making. We delivered our annual ‘Student Achievement

our teams to create changes within their schools and across

Awards’ vir tually, announcing the awards through our social

the whole University.

media channels and it was great to see such high levels of engagement, with students organising Zoom calls and

This year we have worked with the Estates team to input a

group FaceTimes to celebrate together.

number of plug sockets into Centro, enabling students to charge devices during their breaks and study effectively in

The end of this year did not go as expected, but it has given

their SU, we also pushed for the University to adopt an open

us the chance to grow and develop into an SU that is current

door policy, where students could use their student cards to

and suppor tive of our students. I am looking for ward to

access empty classrooms with the intention of using them

another year as Vice President, and the positive changes

for quiet study.

we can create in the year to come.

My favourite initiative this year was Campus Canines, purely for the joy the event created amongst students. We held two events on each campus as well as a ‘ Vir tual Campus Canines and Friends’ during the lockdown period and we were able to invite our par tner charity, Ty Hafan to two of the events. Campus Canines continues to receive high levels of engagement with students and staff alike and we are looking for ward to continuing these in 2020/21.

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Keira Davies SU Vice President

CHIEF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY At the star t of each academic year the off icers of the SU

Alongside this, since the closure in March, the Sabbatical

have the challenges of addressing the developments raised

Off icers have worked closely with the University to ensure that

in their predecessors Annual Repor t , delivering on their

the interests of our students have been effectively represented

manifesto commitments (Appendix 3 & 4) and establishing

during this pandemic, both in terms of their academic

a relationship with the University.

experience and key areas such as housing and wellbeing.

This has strengthened the working relationship between the

Alongside this, the SU also committed to contributing its own

two parties and demonstrates the benef it of a strong and

submission to the Quality Assurance Agency ’s (QA A) Quality

independent SU working collaboratively with the University to

Enhancement Review (QER) by the end of the f irst term,

represent the interests of all students at Cardiff Met.

requiring contributions f rom across the representations structure of the Union that accurately reflects how the

There

will

be

new

and

different

challenges

for

the

student body viewed the academic experience at Cardiff Met

University and the SU next year, but a commitment to work

and how the Students Union contributes to that experience.

collaboratively recognising the key role that the SU plays in being the representative body of the students, means that

The normal challenges by SU Sabbatical Off icers in their

we can face the challenges conf ident that we can deliver a

term have been put into perspective by the unprecedented

unique student experience for our members.

impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the student population with the closure of the University at a key time in the academic year and the pressure that has brought on our members both in their academic and personal lives.

It reflects on the strength of the SU rep and staff structure that we have completed the QER submission on behalf of our students, We have also completed the 2019/20 Annual Report which seeks to continue to identify how we improve the student experience at Cardiff Met for our students at the same time as delivering on the

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manifesto commitments made by the Sabbatical Off icer team.

Mike Davies Chief Executive

REVIEW OF 2018/19 ACTION PLANS ACTION

ACTION

The SU, using the information on student demographics

The SU to pilot a summer transition project, building in

identif ied in partnership with the University, to review the

an evaluation of impact which will be reported to the SU

representativeness of the rep structure and seek opportunities

Student Engagement meeting in the Autumn Term.

to engage the ‘ not yet reached’ student groups.

UPDATE

UPDATE

The SU’s Equality and Diversity Par t-Time Off icer worked

The SU Student Life Coordinator planned and delivered a

with

Equality

transition project that included a ‘ What to Know Before You

and Diversity Off icer and Business Intelligence Analyst

Go’ guide for incoming students, an SU toolkit and ‘Meet

to

rep

the SU’ sessions. The guide was well received and was sent

structure against the University ’s student data and sector

out as a digital version to new students for the 2019/20

data. In order to complete this work, the SU liaised with

academic session. The SU Toolkit was also sent to students

the University ’s Information & Data Compliance Off icer

digitally and included a pre-arrival task to be brought to

to review the current data sharing agreement and make

the SU Freshers’ Fayre which tasked members with f inding

appropriate amendments to allow access to the necessar y

out more about, and highlighting their areas of interest

levels of data. This data was presented to the Trustees and

f rom Representation, SU Spor t, SU Societies, The Cardiff

is presented later in the repor t. With the assistance of the

Met Award, SU Workshops and SU Volunteering.

the

University ’s

benchmark

the

Civic

and

International

representativeness

of

the

SU’s

University Equality and Diversity Off icer, the SU intends to take positive action to ensure that the rep structure is as representative of the student body as possible.

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REVIEW OF 2018/19 ACTION PLANS In order to track progress across the year, it is impor tant to look back at the respective action plans for both the SU and University f rom 2018/ 19 to highlight some of the key developments that have taken place to improve the student experience.

The full action plan can be seen in Appendix 1.

RECOMMENDATION

RECOMMENDATION

A clear and consistent outline of staff responsibilities for

The University to regularly seek student feedback throughout

student voice and representation to be centrally established

the academic year on the use of Learner Analy tics for data

and applied consistently across the University.

informed conversations on student engagement.

UPDATE Associate Deans for Student Engagement were recruited in the summer of 2019. These roles now work directly with Schools on all student engagement activity, working alongside QED.

UPDATE The Study Goal project was temporarily f rozen owing to Covid-19.

The Study Goal app is available and is awaiting student testers. This project has been extended by JISC to the end of the 20/21 academic year due to being unable implement the learner analytics (LA) data to its full potential and gather student feedback.

Student feedback has been sought, and or gathered and used to inform the implementation of Data Explorer twice in academic year 2019/20 via the SU. Students have also given feedback as part of the LA and coaching resources we are developing in terms of using LA to empower students to tell their own learning stories using data to help.

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HIGHLIGHTS 87

2

6

Exec u t i ve O f f i cers

S ch ool Reps

5

20

41 9

4000+

Par t Tim e Off icers

10

Met Award Recipients

16

377

Achievin g Extra Levels

So cie ty Me mbe rs

6

B U CS Tea m s

48

Met Award Experience Hours

Lea d Reps

Co u rs e Reps

71

New Met Award Registrations

Sports C l ub s

1440

SU Spo r t Me mbe rs

83

Reg i s tered S o c i et i es

160 +

Hours of student Advise & Support Provided

HIGHLIGHTS COUNTRIES IN AT TENDANCE AT THE SU PARTNER EVENT BU LG A R IA , CYPR U S , EGYPT, GREECE , IN D IA , LEBAN ON, M OROCCO, OMA N, S RI L A NKA , WA LE S

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STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION

Student voice an d representation is an integral par t of what we offer as an SU, but we do n ot deliver this alon e.

As stated by th e QA A within th e UK Quality Code “ Student en ga gem ent through par tn ership workin g is integral to th e cul ture of high er education, h owever an d wh erever provision

is

delivered

-

student

en ga gem ent

is

led

strategically, but widely own ed.�. Student en ga gem ent at Cardiff Met is a collaborative effor t an d as an SU, we are embedded within th e decision makin g process to improve student experien ce. We are proud of th e progress we have ma de over th e years within th e area of representation an d student voice, this year is n o exception.

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STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STUDENTS SU REPRESENTATION Strides have been taken this year to improve the SU’s understanding of the diversity of it’s rep structure and the people within it in order to identify the under-represented groups (Appendix 2 ). It is important to us to ensure we have a rep structure that closely matches the make up of the student body at Cardiff Met. This ensures students feel that there is someone within the SU structure they can relate to, someone who represents them and conf idently raise key student issues. Moving forward, SU School Reps will receive Equality & Diversity training f rom the University’s Equality & Diversity Off icer as part of their induction training.

Each year we conduct a review of out representational structure, including School Reps, Part-Time Off icers, Lead Reps and Course Reps to identify any areas for improvement and ensure representational effectives. Current plans for change in the 2020/21 structure include postgraduate representation. It has been identif ied that postgraduate students are currently looked after by one Rep in each school, therefore, we are looking to introduce representation for both postgraduate taught (PGT) and postgraduate research (PGR) in schools where there are a suff icient number of research students in order to effectively represent the different groups and their needs.

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STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION REPRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS Each year our dedicated team of student Reps and Off icers work tirelessly to raise the issues most important to students and create meaningful change at Cardiff Met. The School Reps are the f igureheads for Student Voice within the School, they act as ambassadors for the SU promoting events and campaigns and have been instrumental in our ability to provide a Covid-19 response that focused on the issues that immediately effected students during the lockdown.

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This year saw our Environmental Part-Time Off icer run a successful Environmental Market in the School of Management to promote ethical buying habits and lifestyle changes and a discount on Starbucks purchases with a reusable cup. The SU’s Equality and Diversity Part-Time Off icer created exhibitions celebrating International Women’s Day and Black History Month exhibitions, attend Pride Cymru and work with the School of Education and Social Policy Rep to petition to ‘Not Every Disability is Visible’ signage on disabled toilet doors across the two campuses. Our Global Off icer hosted a ‘Far f rom Home’ transition event for international students settling for the f irst time in Cardiff alongside the Wellbeing Part-Time Off icer who coordinated a timetable of events as part of Mental Health Awareness Week to promote Wellbeing as well as a ‘Finding Peace of Mind’ workshop. The SU’s Swyddog yr Iaith Gymraeg organised social opportunities events throughout the year for Welsh speaking students as part of the GymGym and worked with the SU’s catering team to deliver St. David’s day menu and celebration of the Welsh language.

STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY ADSE’S

METVOICE WEEK

We have seen positive developments

QED’s MetVoice week was a positive

We

with

Associate

introduction to the calendar and was

continuation and be part of the The

Deans of Student Engagement (ADSE)

delivered across the Schools on both

Student Voice Group and plans for

within

the

campuses and in the libraries. The SU

the group to become part of the

2018/ 19

School Reps played an integral part,

Quality

report that ‘a clear and consistent

collecting student feedback through

(QED)’s wider Student Engagement

outline

for

a number of different mechanisms

Programme, where Student Voice will

student voice and representation to

including: Feedback Walls, Spin the

be one the work streams. The group

be centrally established and applied

Wheel,

currently informs the work on student

consistently

across

Focus Groups. Feedback f rom over

voice

A

enhancement

this

1,600 students was collected and used

University and consists of staff f rom

see the ADSE’s

to inform the work of the School’s

Schools,

meet with the SU in a diarized and

ADSEs and Programme Directors in

the SU look to make positive change

structured meeting in order to further

each School during NSS Enhancement

collaboratively in the areas of student

develop representation, student voice,

Group meetings.

engagement and representation.

the

introduction

each

school.

recommendation of

further

staff

of

Satisfying

f rom

the

responsibilities

relationship would

the

University’. to

SU visibility and student engagement within each school.

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and

Student

Engagement

STUDENT VOICE GROUP were

pleased

to

Enhancement

and

the

Directorate

engagement

Professional

see

across

Service

the and

STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION It is vital to the student experience that all students

Frustratingly, within these surveys the SU’s question received

enrolled Cardiff Met course are given the oppor tunity to

a large proportion of ‘neutral’ responses which makes it

provide feedback on their student experience. To ensure

diff icult for us to determine which areas to focus on or where

this,

where

we could implement any positive change. A recommendation

all students f rom foundation to postgraduate level be

f rom the 2018/19 Annual Report was to use the SU rep structure

provided the oppor tunity to complete a relevant sur vey to

to help promote the surveys to their peers. We would like to

express their feedback which helps us listen to the student

reiterate this recommendation in this year ’s report to help

voice and implement positive change will. ‘ Sur vey Season’

promote visibility of the SU during survey season.

the

university

operate

a

‘ Sur vey

Season’

takes place between Januar y to April each year, during which time no additional sur veys will be administered to eliminate sur vey fatigue and stress for students. We are pleased to see the recommendation f rom a previous annual repor t implemented and continuing to be monitored each academic year through Student Voice Group.

RECOMMENDATION The University and SU work in partnership to raise awareness of Survey Season, ensuring student reps play a key role in encouraging their peers to provide feedback during this time.

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STUDENT VOICE & REPRESENTATION VISIBILITY AND UNDERSTANDING As an SU we have a number of positive relationships across the

academic

Schools,

with

collaborative

work

being

conducted between School Reps, individual members of staff and depar tments. However, visibility and staff buy in on areas such as representation and SU activity as a whole

understanding for staff and students within each school.

The 2018/ 19 recommendation remains for the upcoming year to help staff members developing understanding of the SU and how we can provide valuable additional resources and suppor t for students during their time at Cardiff Met.

varies across the institution. Often, the SU suppor t ser vices are confused for the University Student Ser vices, some staff do not know who their student reps are or understand the value of a strong student voice.

The understanding of the SU’s Sabbatical Off icers, School Rep’s and Par t-Time Off icers and their respective roles, responsibilities and remits could be better understood by many. An enhanced understanding would ensure that the

RECOMMENDATION

The University work in par tnership with the SU to develop and deliver training and resources for staff to suppor t student voice and representation

appropriate student representative was invited to University and School meetings, diversifying the representation of the SU and ensuring that the best placed person sits on each, board, committee or working group.

Therefore,

we

would

like

to

There is a huge amount of extra help f rom SU, make

the

following

recommendations that the SU’s representation structure for each School, highlighting the School Rep, Lead Rep team and courses are displayed to improve visibility and

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careers, etc . but somehow it seems separated and there is lack of knowledge about what is available and how much it could help.

NSS open comments

STUDENT SUPPORT TRANSITION PROJECT

SU WELLBEING NETWORK

During the summer period of 2019 we piloted a transition

In the academic year 2019/20 we continued to run our Student Minds project with four students acting as facilitators for peer support. They hosted ‘Positive Minds’ drop in sessions for students and provided support and activities during mental health days on campus. To advance on the support we provide for Cardiff Met students, going forward, we have decided to create a bespoke SU Wellbeing Network that plays a part in the wider University picture of supporting student wellbeing and mental health.

project as par t of the 2019/20 induction to suppor t the transition of prospective, incoming and current students into the wider Cardiff Met community. The project aimed to suppor t students to develop a sense of connectedness, resourcefulness and belonging through the creation of a ‘ What to Know Before you Go’ Guide an SU Toolkit and ‘Meet the SU’ sessions. The pilot will be fur ther developed this year with the ‘ What To Know Before You Go’ Guide being delivered as an online resource for incoming students in a collaborative project with QED. The toolkit will be merged with the SU’s Freshers Guide and the SU will be running digital ‘Meet the SU’ to sessions for the 2020 intake.

The SU Wellbeing Network, to be piloted in the 2020/21 academic year, will offer members peer-to-peer support through the training of ‘Wellbeing Activators’ for SU clubs, societies, Reps and Part-Time Off icers with those individuals influencing the wider student body. The team of Activators will increase campus awareness of wellbeing and support for students, this approach empowers students to take responsibility for their own wellbeing and that of their peers.

Activators will be trained to offer non-judgemental listening, signposting students to relevant support services within the University and promoting wellbeing activities within the SU.

ACTION

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The SU to develop and pilot a peer-to-peer wellbeing suppor t network in the 2020/21 academic year.

STUDENT SUPPORT ADVICE & SUPPORT At the SU we offer an independent and conf idential service that offers support to students on all aspects of University life. This includes, but is not limited to, University procedures, academic processes, housing and wellbeing. Our aim is to ensure students are fully informed of their options and signposted to the best places to seek additional support if needed. The service can be accessed by any student enrolled on a Cardiff Met course, including those at our local and internal Partner Institutions.

Year on year the service continues to grow, both in numbers of students the service and the nature of the support require becoming more complex. This year we have introduced a drop in and appointment system to allow students to access the level of support they require within a reasonable timescale. This also allows us to be transparent with students on availability of staff and timescale within which they will be able to speak to an advisor.

With the consistent increase of students accessing the ser vice continuing, the ser vice is now operating at close to capacity. In order to ensure that we maintain a high standard of advice and suppor t, an additional caseworker is needed to assist the current staff ing of the Policy and Procedural Advisor who facilitates all casework and oversees student cases f rom star t to f inish and the SU Vice President who assists in providing representation for students in meetings, committees and panels.

An additional caseworker would ensure a consistently high level of support is offered to students, with a view to improving experience

and

supporting

students

through

diff icult

University periods which can aid in supporting retention, it would also allow the Sabbatical Off icers to dedicate more time to campaigns and representation matters.

RECOMMENDATION Resource to be allocated to suppor t students by funding an Assistant Caseworker to suppor t the increasing demand on the Advice and Suppor t ser vice.

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STUDENT SUPPORT CAMPUS CANINES Campus Canines is a wellbeing initiative designed to help

So lovely! It’s such an amazing idea and really helps

students during stressful points of the academic year. Both

with stress in uni! Dogs are wonderful, please carry on!

staff and students at Cardiff Met can sign up to bring their dogs onto campus for sessions scheduled by the SU. We aim

Campus Canines attendee

to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as promoting positive wellbeing at Cardiff Met. These events are well attended with over 250 students at each event and student feedback has been extremely positive and the events have been attended by local media outlets including Cardiff TV. We have also been able to invite our par tner charity, Ty Hafan to events to raise funds f rom their upcycled dog toys, leads and cushions.

During the isolation period, we had adapted the deliver y of Campus Canines, moving to an

online ‘ Vir tual Campus

Canines and Friends’ event. Students, staff and those fur ther af ield were encouraged take par t by uploading a picture of their pet and nominating others to par ticipate using the #powerof pets hashtag. The event was held on the SU social media channels to promote the power of pets on wellbeing during isolation and received over 12,000 impressions on Twitter alone.

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It’s a really calm environment, just ups my mood!

Campus Canines attendee

STUDENT SUPPORT

QED STUDENT WORKSTREAMS This year we were pleased to see the coordination of student voice and student engagement work within the University. The Student Engagement Programme of work encompasses the University Student Engagement Strategy and the Student Engagement Policy with the SU embedded within the process. The SU Vice President operates at Programme board level and the SU’s Director of Student Engagement on the Student Voice Group, allowing us to have good oversight of all enhancement activities with a platform to add student feedback and suggestions. Fur ther work within the areas of Curriculum Transformation, EDGE and Professional Development will have positive effect on student experience and we look for ward to continuing our work within these areas.

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CONNECTED COMMUNITIES SOCIETIES The SU operates over 80 student societies covering the areas of

SU Societies are recognised as par t of the annual Student

recreational activities and hobbies, academic subjects, political

Achievement Awards which were hosted vir tually this year.

and activist, nationality, belief and charity. This year saw over

Awards for Committee/Committee Member of the Year went

377 memberships off icially registered via the SU website which

to Ellie Jacka of the Dance Society, Best New Society was

shows a noticeable increase in society activity f rom previous

awarded to the Hindu Society and Drama Society were

years. Societies and their members have spent the year raising

awarded Society of the Year.

money for charitable causes, attending national competitions, holding inter-university sporting events, volunteering in local schools, hosting open mic nights, putting on cultural events and most importantly create a sense of belonging amongst students.

Joining in with Welsh Society events in my f irst year helped me meet new f riends who spoke the language NSS open comments

This year, the Creative Society hosted Slam Poetry and Open Mic Nights in Centro whilst the Drama Society organised weekly acting sessions and held quizzes at both campuses but unfortunately had to cancel their annual performance due to Covid-19. The LGBT+ Society premiered an evening of LGBT Films, organised board game nights and organised meetup meals for members and our Filipino Society organised an Inter-Filipino Society Sports Festival against the Societies f rom UWE and Swansea. The Christian Union hosted monthly thought provoking talks in both Centro and Zen, the Hindu Society organised termly day trips with f riends f rom the Cardiff University Hindu Society, the Return to Learn Society organised regular meetups for mature students looking for support whilst studying and the Enactus Society were crowned champions of the Enactus Rookie League at the national championships.

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Lots of opportunities for sport and societies NSS open comments

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES SPORTS The 2019/20 season saw a record breaking 1440 SU Spor t members

take

to

their

respective

f ields,

cour ts

and

arenas. Covid-19 unfor tunately brought an early end to their seasons, with clubs and individuals across the board proudly competing and achieving spor ting excellence while representing Cardiff Met. SU Spor t have also delivered a range of personal development sessions to fur ther enhance the skills and conf idence of members including Mental Heal th First Aid Course in par tnership with Cardiff Met Spor t , Physical First Aid in Spor t courses and Driver Safety courses for all of our insured minibus drivers.

Our Athletics team f inished 4th in the UK at the BUCS (British University and College Spor t) Indoor Championships and Harrison Walsh threw a F44 World Record in the ambulant Shot Put event with a distance of 15m 84 cm. Chloe Perr y (5760kg) and Daniel Walsh (60-64kg) claimed gold medals at the BUCS Boxing Championships and our Gymnastics squad claimed overall team silver and ten individual medals at the BUCS Gymnastics Championships. Both Men and Women’s teams took gold at the BUCS Duathlon and Modern Biathlon event with three fur ther individual gold medals and Ruth May fought her way to silver in the BUCS Taekwondo Winter Sparring Championships.

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CONNECTED COMMUNITIES SPORTS Spor ts teams are well organised, in clusive an d fun Unfortunately, our team sports had their season cut short but not before Women’s Cricket were crowned BUCS Indoor Championship Winners, Women’s Football won the BUCS Premier

South

Championship,

Men’s

Football

reached

the cancelled BUCS Championship f inals, both Men’s and Women’s Hockey 1st teams secured promotion to the BUCS National League and Women’s Rugby 2nd team reached the cancelled BUCS Trophy f inal. Women’s Football also became the most successful Welsh club to have competed in the Champions League securing two wins and a loss in the group stages, they also reached the WPWL Cup f inal before it was cancelled.

Our annual Varsity event with the University of Bath, due to take place on the 1st April, was cancelled due to Covid-19 so instead of a physical duel the competition took to social media for a virtual Varsity and with much success and engagement f rom the student population. Bath were crowned the winners in what was a very creative competition format.

Since campus has closed, we have been busy organising club handovers and preparing for the upcoming academic year.

There is clearly some uncertainty surrounding the shape of the sport delivery at this time and what it will look like in the 2020/21 season, however we continue to work on a number of contingencies and ideas are being worked on to ensure a high quality provision is delivered.

24

to be par t of.

NSS open comments

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES MET AWARD T This year we have yet again seen an increase to the Met

Par takin g in this award h as allowed me to

Award applications with a fur ther 87 students engaging

think about my employability in a different

with the Award, with 48 of those achieving their Award

way‌ Th e way th at th e award is struc tured to

level this summer. Over 4000 hours of work experience

h a s e n s u r e d t h a t while I have b e e n l e a r n i n g n e w

have been logged both voluntar y and paid experiences with

s k i l l s w i t h i n w o r k s h o p s , I h a v e a l s o b e e n a b l e to

the majority of these hours have contributed to our local

p u t t h e s e to p ra c t i c a l u s e i n my wo r k i n g l i f e a l s o.

Cardiff economy and community.

Met Award Par ticipant Our Award students have attended over 200 extra personal developmental workshops both within the SU and University provision or in the wider community. Many have boosted

Overall, the Cardiff Met Award has helped me to

their develop and embraced online webinars, Zoom &

learn more about mysel f as a person through the

Teams meetings in order to maintain their place in future

workshops, and how I have displayed resilience

employment. They have demonstrated resilience, creativity

through issues I have had.

and adaptability in challenging times.

Met Award Par ticipant Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we were unable to recognise the achievements of the Cardiff Met Award students at our award ceremony at Cardiff ’s Mansion House. In order to celebrate the work of the Award students, we hosted a vir tual award ceremony on our Twitter page, prof iling the work of the students along with congratulator y messages f rom our industr y exper ts who deliver the SU’s workshop sessions.

25

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES INTERNATIONAL PARTNER EVENT

It fel t like comin g h om e, I instantly fel t a par t of th e Cardiff Met Community… I want to study in Cardiff.”

Between February 3rd – 6th 2020 the SU hosted eleven of our Transnational Education (TNE) and UK based partner students at our annual SU Partner Event. Students f rom 10 countries undertook

personal development training opportunities

with a view to enhancing their own Union, Council or representative

structure.

Attendees

also

experienced

sessions f rom Cardiff Met departments, a Cardiff Met lecture, a session deliver by the QAA , explored Cardiff and had the opportunity to network with staff and students.

This annual event is delivered in par tnership with the Global Engagement team at the University and allows the SU help enhance the quality of student experience at our TNE par tners and share best practice. We were also asked to deliver a QA A Webinar entitled ‘ Student Perspectives on Internationalisation– a TNE Student Perspective’ to share our experiences of running the event and we look for ward to continuing to develop this fur ther next year.

I’m going to take so many suggestions and changes back to my institution.

International Visiting Student

26

International Visiting Student

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES LOCAL PARTNERS Improving relationships and working more effectively with students studying at local partners is important as we look to ensure all members are represented effectively. This year, the Director of Student Engagement visited Bridgend College and two Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) campuses to meet with key staff within the Further Education (FE) partners and the Higher Education Sabbatical Off icer at CAVC, along with the University’s Partnership Engagement Manager. Conversations were productive with a willingness to

improve

the

connection

was

evident,

sadly,

the

opportunity to implement effective change was curtailed by the Coronavirus outbreak. It is important to keep momentum within this area so it is recommended that to build on the 2018/ 19 recommendation in this area and to recognise the direction of travel, that for the 2020/21 year.

RECOMMENDATION The University and SU collaborate to promote student voice initiatives within FE Partners, gather feedback on the student experience and offer of Cardiff Met students studying at local partners an opportunity to engage more in their SU.

27

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES ACUI We are par t of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) and this year attended the 70th anniversar y Region VIII conference at the University of New Hampshire, USA .

The annual conference is an oppor tunity to learn, discuss and share ideas amongst fellow Student Union’s f rom the UK, Ireland, Canada and USA . This year, the SU Vice President and

Web

Designer

and

Communications

Coordinator

represented the SU at an event which included a preconference program of campus visits to McGill University, Champlain College, Middlebur y College, the University of Vermont, Dar tmouth College and the University of New Hampshire.

ACUI membership and subsequent events offer us an invaluable learning oppor tunity in the areas of society management, SU branding, managing student employees and using student space and has provided many ideas to discuss and incorporate to improve the SU and as we continue to suppor t and improve our campus community.

28

STUDENT EXPERIENCE OPEN DAYS This year, our SU Vice President and SU Student Life Coordinator have been involved in the delivery of open days for prospective Cardiff Met students on both the Cyncoed and Llandaff campuses. The Vice President was asked to deliver the main opening speech on the Cyncoed campus at the beginning of the day and the SU have a stand in the main fayre, as well as opening up Centro for visitors to relax and ask questions. The open day experience at Llandaff campus is vastly different with the opening speech being delivered in a different format with less time allocated to the SU and the SU building is not utilised as it has been in previous years.

Registration for Llandaff open days has previously taken place in the SU building with lunch being offered later in the day. This gave visitors an opportunity to see what their SU has to offer, as well as creating a buzz in the building. Since the registration and catering arrangements have changed, it has not been feasible to open the empty, quiet building.

As a result of this, the open day experiences of the SU for prospective students are very different. The SU recognises the plans in place before lockdown to arrange SU talks would increase awareness of the SU and improve the focus on student life which is vital during recruitment days and needs to be comparable across both campuses.

29

RECOMMENDATION The University ensure that student life and the SU is a key focus of open days with a comparable experience on both campuses.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE CAMPUS LIFE

RECOMMENDATION

The on campus experience of students is a integral par t of University life, as acknowledged by the university with the inclusion of

‘Places’

as a key pillar within the University

Strategic Plan. Time spent on campus, in School buildings, in the SU and moving between spaces should be enjoyable, inclusive and safe and buildings and spaces should help to create an aff inity towards the University and the Schools.

Over the years, there are regular pieces of feedback that are taken for ward where resolutions and improvements are diff icul t to implement, it would be remiss of the SU however to allow these issues to be dropped, only for them to regularly resurface in student feedback.

Issues such as parking for students and the availability of microwaves regularly feature in NSS feedback, Student Staff Liaison Committee’s (SSLC) and in anecdotal feedback f rom individual students. These issues will not disappear and need to be tackled in order to improve student experience of life on campus and overall student satisfaction. We recognise that there are no quick f ixes to some of these issues, the mention of them can often be met with a sigh as they ’ ve been brought up so many times before. Many positive steps have been taken within these areas but clearly if students continue to raise these issues, there is still room for improvement.

30

The University provide microwaves for student use in all school and SU buildings with adequate safety and cleaning protocols implemented.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENT WEEK

QUALITY ENHANCEMENT REVIEW (QER)

In 2018/19, we recommended “The University adopt a top

The SU worked closely with the University in joint preparation for

down approach to the organisation and communication of

the QAA’s QER visit with regular meetings taking place between

Enhancement Week. Plans should take into account the move

the University, SU staff and Lead Student Representatives

towards semesterisation whilst being mindful of student needs

throughout the process. Through membership on the University’s

at different points in the student life cycle.” In recent years,

Quality Assurance Action Group (QAAG), the SU have been

Enhancement Week has lacked coordination and members are

kept informed of the University’s methods and progress for

not aware of the opportunities available to them. Enhancement

preparation and we were involved in the processes of identifying

Week is seen as an extra week of holiday after the Christmas

the Areas of Focus and Development for the review, as well as

break and members are losing out on opportunities to engage

offering insights and student opinion to select these areas.

in meaningful extracurricular activity.

As well as supporting the University preparations, we opted to Enhancement Week has the potential to create a real sense of

develop and submit a separate Student Submission and based

belonging amongst students, promote employability skills,

on the same broad areas and headings as outlined in the QER

wellbeing, resiliency and to reinvigorate and reenergise

Handbook, with consideration of the revised UK Quality Code for

students

academic

Higher Education. After producing a Student Submission for review

calendar to ensure members are benef itting f rom a proper

in 2014 the SU has gone on to produce Annual Reports and worked

Enhancement Week.

with the University to undertake a number of enhancements f rom

if

strategically

placed

within

the

the arising action plans. This submission reflects on the SU Annual Reports and the enhancements made f rom the arising action plans since the last review in 2014 whilst drawing f rom a range

RECOMMENDATION

committees and surveys conducted both internally and externally.

The University to take a f resh approach to the timetabling

Several SU staff and student representatives contributed to the

and coordination of Enhancement Week with a focus on

Student Submission in collecting student feedback and evidence

improving student belonging and wellbeing in addition to the graduate outcomes.

31

of student feedback sources including the student rep structure,

and writing sections of the report. Drafts of the submission were reviewed by the team of senior Reps and Off icers with the f inal document being approved by the SU Board of Trustees.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE SUSTAINABILITY This

year

has

seen

the

SU

continue

its

focus

on

our

environmental impact with several initiatives implemented that were suggested by members as well as through the work of the SU Environmental Part-Time Off icer. At the f reshers fayre we handed out reusable bags to students to reduce the number of single use bags used to collect f ree gifts and throughout the year we have been promoting responsible waste management by giving away recycling and food caddy bags f rom our SU off ices.

In both of our venues we run ‘We provide the water, you provide the cup’ campaigns aimed at reducing the number of single use plastic cups for water in favour of ref illable vessels. The M2 and M3 Met Rider services were moved to earlier arrivals and later departures f rom campus to allow more students to travel in a sustainable manner and the SU Environmental Part-Time Off icer organised an Environmental Market to promote ethical buying habits and lifestyle changes. At the SU Starbucks outlets, we now offer a 25p saving on any drink purchased with a reusable cup and sell reusable cups at the till.

32

COVID-19 SUPPORT SU RESPONSE The Covid-19 outbreak has shaped the academic year in a way that no one could have predicted but we have worked tirelessly

to

protect

the

experience

of

our

members.

Whether that be moving quickly to implement advanced hygiene routines within our off ices and venues, donating food f rom our commercial outlets to students remaining on campus during lockdown or by spreading messages of positivity on our social media channels.

During this time, we have been working closely with the

University

to

release

communications

to

students

highlighting the suppor t that is in place for Covid-19, including

information

relating

to

assessments,

exams,

wellbeing and mitigating circumstances. We continue to provide suppor t and one-to-one representation to students vir tually, this takes place through email and the University ’s Teams platform including instant messaging, calls and video chat. This method of suppor t will continue until social distancing measures have been lifted. By allowing students to access an advisor vir tually we hope to provide a parity of experience as we would in an in person meeting.

As the situations developed within the lockdown period, we reacted to suppor t students with a large amount of work on private sector housing and rental contracts. Working with the Presidents of Cardiff University Students’ Union, Royal

33

COVID-19 SUPPORT Welsh College of Music and Drama Students’ Union and

A key objective during the lockdown was to continue to keep

University of South Wales Students’ Union, we wrote to over

our student communities connected, to bring normality to

60 lettings agencies in Cardiff and the surrounding areas

the year where possible and to be available for our members.

requesting information on how they intended to manage

Many of our annual events were cancelled due to the lockdown

student contracts during the Covid-19 outbreak. We also

including Varsity against Bath, Student Achievement Awards

created a letter co-signed by the SU President and Vice-

and the Cardiff Met Award ceremony. We adapted the delivery

President that members could send to their own landlord

of these events, working with The SU Bath to deliver Virtual

asking for landlords to be considerate when making decisions

Varsity to prof ile the SU Sport teams in a series of social

that could have a disadvantageous impact on members.

media challenges and we hosted the Student Achievement Awards on our Twitter with a series of videos to celebrate the work of our reps and society members and to announce the winners of the various awards. The Cardiff Met Award ceremony was also delivered online to celebrate the work of students throughout the year, many of who have stepped up to assist in local Covid-19 support initiatives, working extra hours in retail, health and social care support.

Our student communities have proved their incredible resilience and togetherness during this period with many societies and clubs continuing to meet virtually with Zoom calls and online social events. At this time of year, we support our societies to organise their committee elections and handovers and this has continued to happen remotely. Societies have been creating handover information packs and organising online meetings to discuss the running and transition of the societies whilst SU Sport clubs have hosted team training sessions to maintain conditioning as well as virtual social nights.

34

COVID-19 SUPPORT UNIVERSITY RESPONSE The Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent campus closures forced the University to move quickly and take decisions in areas such as learning and teaching, policy and procedures and student accommodation. We feel that the University were proactive in making decisions that protected the experience of students and attempted to include student feedback

where

appropriate.

The

inclusion

of

the

SU

President in the Covid-19 Planning and Response Group ensured that the SU and student voice had an input into any of the decisions being made during the pandemic .

These meetings took place prior to the campus closures and continued via Microsoft Teams once social distancing provisions had been put into place.

As

expected,

assessments,

students exams

and

quickly resul ts

have been clearly communicated throughout their creation with School Reps having an oppor tunity to check drafts of the documents ahead of their sign off. These policies ensure that students studying at home during a time that is not only unprecedented, but incredibly stressful, are protected and we are proud to have worked with the University on these. In addition to this, the decision to waive third term payments for campus residents and securely store students belongings not only eased the f inancial burden on many of our members but gave peace of mind to many who returned home quickly during lockdown.

We believe that our relationship with the University has

raised and

concerns online

over

learning

provisions. Our representatives, SU staff and Sabbatical Off icers worked with the University to ensure that their voices were being heard and that the right decisions were being made in collaboration with one another. We are grateful for many of the decisions made that combined government guidelines with Cardiff Met values to ensure student experience was protected during this time.

35

The creation of the No Detriment and Safety Net Policies

improved during this challenging period, the value of a strong SU and student voice has been demonstrated and allowed many decisions to be made effectively and eff iciently. The relationship is ever evolving and will need to be buil t upon and maintained going for ward to ensure that we can work collaboratively with the interest of students at the hear t of all decisions to ensure students get the best experiences at Cardiff Met.

2020/21 ACTION PLANS RECOMMENDATION

RECOMMENDATION

ADSE’s to meet with the SU in structured diarised meetings

University and SU to work on identifying student Reps in order

to coordinate par tnership work and improve the visibility of

for them to continue in Rep roles when arriving at Cardiff Met

SU within Schools

RECOMMENDATION

RECOMMENDATION The University to take a f resh approach to the timetabling

In school structures to be displayed to improve visibility of

and coordination of Enhancement Week with a focus on

the SU’s Representation for each School

improving student belonging and wellbeing in addition to the graduate outcomes

RECOMMENDATION The University and SU to work in partnership to raise awareness

RECOMMENDATION

of Survey Season, ensuring student reps play a key role in

The University provide microwaves for student use in all

encouraging their peers to provide feedback during this time.

school and SU buildings with adequate safety and cleaning protocols implemented.

RECOMMENDATION The University and SU collaborate on the promotion of student

RECOMMENDATION

voice initiatives within FE Partners and Cardiff Met students

The University use the post lockdown period to reconsider

studying at local partners an opportunity to engage in their SU.

student parking on both campuses with a view to implanting an improved arrangement in 2020.

36

2020/21 ACTION PLANS RECOMMENDATION The University ensure that student life and the SU is a key focus

The SU to take positive action to ensure that the Rep structure

of open days with a comparable experience on both campuses.

is as representative of the student body as possible.

RECOMMENDATION The University work in par tnership with the SU to develop

ACTION

and deliver training and resources for staff to suppor t

The SU to diversify postgraduate representation to include

student voice and representation.

PGT and PGR reps in schools where numbers allow.

RECOMMENDATION The University to allocate resource to suppor t students by

ACTION

funding an Assistant Caseworker to suppor t the increasing

The SU to develop and pilot a peer-to-peer wellbeing

demand on the Advice and Suppor t ser vice.

suppor t network in the 2020/21 academic year.

RECOMMENDATION The University use the post lockdown period to reconsider student parking on both campuses with a view to implanting an improved arrangement in 2020.

37

ACTION

APPENDICES APPENDIX 1

38

RECOMMENDATION

UPDATE

Following approval f rom Learning Teaching Student Engagement Committee to continue the PALs scheme, the QED and SU should ensure the prof ile of PALs is raised to involve more programmes and to share best practice across the University.

The pilot continued for the 2019/20 academic year with a lower uptake of programmes than anticipated. Those programmes that did engage with the scheme had a high turnout of participants. Due to Covid-19 and the uncertainty of the future of students on campus, it was agreed that PALS would be paused for the academic year 2020/21. Although PALS is in the Strategic Plan, these are also being reviewed due to Covid-19.

The University and SU to work collaboratively to identify student groups which are underrepresented in higher education and their proportions within the Cardiff Met community, review the current data sharing agreement and make any appropriate amendments to allow access to appropriate levels of data.

The Data Sharing Agreement was reviewed and amended by the University Information & Data Compliance Off icer and signed off by the SU.

A clear and consistent outline of staff responsibilities for student voice and representation to be centrally established and applied consistently across the University.

Associate Deans for Student Engagement were recruited in the summer of 2019. These roles now work directly with Schools on all student engagement activity.

The University work in par tnership with the SU to develop and deliver training and resources for staff to suppor t student voice and representation.

An introduction to the Students’ Union and the importance of working in partnership without our students was introduced to Academic Induction. QED’s summer series of webinars and training sessions will include a session similar to academic induction to reach the wider academic community.

QED and the SU continue to work in par tnership to develop the Student Voice module on Moodle. This module should be developed to provide an example of best practice for Moodle use and should be well communicated to staff and students as a key resource.

The Student Voice module was reviewed in the summer of 2019. Discussions are currently taking place to review whether the student voice module is best placed for sharing this information rather than a webpage.

APPENDICES APPENDIX 1

39

The University and SU work in partnership to raise awareness of Survey Season, ensuring student reps play a key role in encouraging their peers to provide feedback during this time.

Due to Covid-19, there were limited oppor tunities for the promotion of sur vey season however the SU Reps were not consistently used to promote the sur veys during the time available before campus closures were implemented.

The University to regularly seek student feedback throughout the academic year on the use of Learner Analy tics for data informed conversations on student engagement .

The Study Goal project was temporarily f rozen due to Covid-19.

The Study Goal app is available and is now waiting for student testing. As a result, the project has been extended. Student feedback has been gathered and used to inform the implementation of Data Explorer twice in Academic Year 2019/20 via the SU.

Implementation of the Student Communications Policy to include evaluation of the benef its, using in-year student feedback, over and above the measurements outlined in the project brief.

Discussions around the creation of a new 0.5 position to be established within the Marketing team took place with the potential to look at replicating the success of staff InSite with a student platform. The SU have been consul ted and are looking to complete an audit of student communications as par t of this planning process.

A schedule of meetings must be established for the 2019/20 academic year, with the f irst to take place in early September. These meetings will be between the Off icers and senior staff of the SU and the Vice Chancellor and Executive.

A schedule of meeting was implemented with meetings taking place throughout the year.

The Relationship Agreement is to be reviewed and will include an appendix providing a more detailed structure of the working arrangements, this will be submitted jointly, signed by the SU President and Vice Chancellor, to the f irst Board of Governors of the academic year.

The Relationship Agreement was signed by the SU President and Vice Chancellor and submitted to the Board of Governors.

The University to integrate the Student Engagement in APR process into APR training and guidance enhancing the process based on feedback gathered in the initial pilot .

After an unsuccessful pilot, a new approach to the APR process for 2020/21 has been proposed which includes student representation in all meetings.

APPENDICES APPENDIX 1

40

Implement a whole university approach to tackling mental health, with Student Minds as a key service prof iled and supported by both the University and SU.

The University has developed a Heal thy Universities Strategy which addresses the University approach to Mental Heal th.

The SU has operated Student Minds to suppor t this during 2019/20 and will be developing a new peer to peer Wellbeing Network to develop our suppor t fur ther during 2020/21.

ACTION

UPDATE

The SU and University will together seek to identif y key contacts within FE Par tners in order for the SU to offer par tner students oppor tunities to engage in their Union.

The SU have worked with University staff to identify key contacts at both FE Par tners including CAVC ’s HE Sabbatical Off icer. The SU have visited both par tners to discuss suppor ting students at the colleges along with the Par tnership Engagement Manager and the CAVC HE Sabbatical Off icer attended the SU’s Par tner Event.

The SU, using the information on student demographics identif ied in par tnership with the University, to review the representativeness of the rep structure and seek oppor tunities to engage the ‘ not yet reached’ student groups.

This information was presented to trustees and within the 2020 Annual Repor t. The repor t will be created yearly in order to monitor progress.

The SU to pilot a summer transition project , building in an evaluation of impact which will be repor ted to the SU Student Engagement meeting in the Autumn Term.

The SU delivered a transition project that included a ‘ What to Know Before You Go’ guide for incoming students, an SU toolkit and ‘Meet the SU’ sessions. The SU Toolkit was also sent to students digitally and included a pre-arrival task to be brought to the SU Freshers’ Fayre which tasked members with f inding out more about, and highlighting their areas of interest f rom Representation, SU Spor t, SU Societies, The Cardiff Met Award, SU Workshops and SU Volunteering.

The SU annual evaluation process of student representation to be repor ted at the f inal SU Board of Trustees of the year.

The evaluation was presented to trustees for discussion with suggestions on diversifying postgraduate representation being a key focus.

APPENDICES APPENDIX 2

41

APPENDICES APPENDIX 2

42

APPENDICES APPENDIX 2

43

APPENDICES APPENDIX 3

#AmyForPresident

#AmyForPresident

Hello! My name is Amy and I am currently a third year student and part of the

Hello! My name is Amy and I am currently a third year student and part of the

representation team at CardiffMet and I am running to be your Students’ Union

representation team at CardiffMet and I am running to be your Students’ Union

President! I am campaigning for President to make changes to improve the student

President! I am campaigning for President to make changes to improve the student

experience at CardiffMet and to make the changes that students want to see.

experience at CardiffMet and to make the changes that students want to see.

Improve student health and wellbeing!

Improve student health and wellbeing!

1. Create more space for students to be able to take breaks throughout the day.

This will allow students to take a break from studying and rest when they need it.

This will allow students to take a break from studying and rest when they need it.

2. As you’ve probably seen, there have been a number of campus canine events

2. As you’ve probably seen, there have been a number of campus canine events

taking place across both campuses. I want to increase the number of these

taking place across both campuses. I want to increase the number of these

events last year, especially during stressful times for students.

3. Exercise is an important part of helping your health and wellbeing! Currently, the

events last year, especially during stressful times for students.

3. Exercise is an important part of helping your health and wellbeing! Currently, the

university gyms are only payable yearly or on a day-by-day basis. I am aiming for

university gyms are only payable yearly or on a day-by-day basis. I am aiming for

students to be able to pay monthly for gym membership on campus making it a

students to be able to pay monthly for gym membership on campus making it a

more manageable cost!

more manageable cost!

4. I want to make it faster and simpler for students to get the help and support they

4. I want to make it faster and simpler for students to get the help and support they

need and make it easier for students to find out information, quickly if they need

need and make it easier for students to find out information, quickly if they need

it!

it!

Make day-to-day student life simpler!

Make day-to-day student life simpler!

1. Lots of students need to print as part of their course, but it can be so expensive! I

1. Lots of students need to print as part of their course, but it can be so expensive! I

would like for students who need to print as a requirement of their course, to

would like for students who need to print as a requirement of their course, to

have a printing allowance and for students who don’t have printing as a

have a printing allowance and for students who don’t have printing as a

requirement, for cheaper printing costs!

requirement, for cheaper printing costs!

2. Ever find your laptop running low on battery but there’s not plug point around to

2. Ever find your laptop running low on battery but there’s not plug point around to

charge it? I want to change this! My aim is to increase the number of plug points

charge it? I want to change this! My aim is to increase the number of plug points

across both campuses, making it easier for students to work wherever they feel

across both campuses, making it easier for students to work wherever they feel

most comfortable!

most comfortable!

3. Most students find that there are a number of times throughout the year when

3. Most students find that there are a number of times throughout the year when

you have a crazy week of assessments! It’s stressful, chaotic and it doesn’t seem

you have a crazy week of assessments! It’s stressful, chaotic and it doesn’t seem

necessary. I want to change this to create a better balance of assessment

necessary. I want to change this to create a better balance of assessment

throughout the year an no bunching!

throughout the year an no bunching!

@VoteAmyFox

44

1. Create more space for students to be able to take breaks throughout the day.

@VoteAmyFox

APPENDICES APPENDIX 4 #VoteKeiraforVP Hello! My name is Keira and I am third year Sports Performance Analysis student. I have been a part of your Student Union’s representation team for the past two years and I am running to be your Student Union’s Vice President for the next academic cycle. I am campaigning for Vice President to help provide a world class student experience and to make changes that new and current students need.

Improve access to university facilities I would like to open up the amazing facilities that this university offers even further, to ensure that all students have the pleasure of using them. As students here at Cardiff Met, you should be able to make the most of what our institution offers, whether this be the sports facilities, conference rooms, dance studios or simply the use of empty classrooms when needed. All of our students should be able to make the most of their university life have the freedom to use everything that both campuses can offer them.

Increase recognition of student achievements We are an extremely diverse and successful institution that should work to recognise the wonderful individuals that study and work here. We hear a lot about sporting fixtures and international representation in the sport world, however we have some brilliant success stories from both campuses, all year groups and all schools. This could include students who have their work published or displayed in exhibitions, securing placements overseas and even once they leave as alumni they deserve to have the recognition that they deserve.

Improve student experience for all students As a university, our consumers are the students, and this is what we need to remember. Every decision that is made for students should come from the student body itself. As a student’s union and university as a whole, we need to take on board what students would like to see happening, as we are the ones living it. This includes events, workshops, changes in menus, facility opening times, the list is endless. As well as working on making the experience as fulfilling as possible for new, first years; it is equally, if not even more essential that the bar should be raised for returning students, 2nd year and above. This ensures the high retention levels and consistent student satisfaction.

Increase chill out spaces As a student myself, I understand how important it is to have some time where students can take a break, especially when it comes close to deadlines or even when courses have long breaks during the days. This could include the possibility of storage space where commuting students can keep their belongings, especially if there is equipment/kit they only need for a certain part of the day.

This could also be an area for comfier chairs or beanbags and more plug sockets so devices can be charged up and ready to go for your next lectures. This will benefit all students, as it keeps study areas less cramped with social groups and provides an opportunity for student to de- stress, promoting positive health and wellbeing.

Thanks for reading my manifesto! I hope you decide to support me in my campaign to be your next Vice President!

@VoteKeiraDavies

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