Student Consultation Report

Student Feedback Introduction This report has been written following consultation with students on a proposal that was presented to Undeb Bangor as part of a review of elected student officer roles, the review was conducted by an external consultant Stephen Dowson of Stand and Be Counted. The review was initiated to ensure that Undeb Bangor’s officer structure remains fit for purpose, strategically aligned, and sustainable for the future. The proposal that was presented as part of the student consultation outlines suggested changes to the roles and remits of Undeb Bangor’s Elected Student Officer Team. The purpose of this report is to capture and analyse the feedback received from students in response to the proposal.

Although students were offered in person feedback sessions, the majority of this feedback was collected using an online form. This form was advertised across Undeb Bangor social media channels, all-student e-mails and e-mails to student group committee members, and by visiting societies, volunteering leads and BUCS events.

The feedback collected during the consultation has been carefully summarised and organised, under each proposed Officer role. This structure highlights the key themes, challenges, opportunities, and most importantly the suggestions put forward by students themselves. These recommendations reflect the views and priorities expressed during the consultation process and were presented to inform further discussion and decision-making by the Undeb Bangor Board of Trustees.

General Summary Data Collection • • •

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205 responses were received for the online form from students.

Although 2 in-person drop-in sessions were offered, no students attended these.

Student staff members attended BUCS fixtures, Volunteering Leader events and large society meets to explain the changes and advertise the online feedback form, with a noticeable increase in respondents after these engagements.

Multiple all student emails were also sent to engage with those students who aren’t as involved in student groups.

The majority of feedback was of good quality, with many students sharing detailed comments.

Students Engaged With Are you involved in any of the following?

Do you identify as being part of any of the following communities?

General Overview Students were asked for their overall opinion on the proposal through the feedback form. A majority of students (75%) felt generally positive, 15% felt unsure or neutral, and 10% felt negatively. When these results were filtered just to include students who were involved in sports, volunteering and/ or societies, the percentages remained very similar with only minor changes in opinion (see full results below).

All Student Responses in feedback form How do you feel about the proposed changes overall?

Responses from only students involved in Opportunities (Sports, Volunteering, Societies) How do you feel about the proposed changes overall?

Responses from only students involved in Sports How do you feel about the proposed changes overall?

This graph was included, as when looking through student comments submitted regarding the VP Student Communities role, the large proportion of students expressing concerns were those

involved in Sports.

Responses from only students involved in Societies

Responses from only students involved in Volunteering

Students broadly support efforts to clarify and refocus Undeb Bangor’s officer roles to strengthen representation, improve visibility and ensure each position has clear and meaningful purpose. Across all proposals, students welcome clearer remits, reduced overlap between roles and a stronger emphasis on advocacy, community impact and student facing work. Consistent themes include the need for greater transparency, better communication and significantly improved officer visibility to help students understand who represents them and how.

For the President of Student Life, students strongly value the shift toward nonacademic issues such as cost of living, transport and housing, seeing this as a clearer and more relatable purpose. While the refocus helps distinguish the role from VP Education, many students still perceive a potential for overlap and emphasise the need to include wellbeing within the remit. Concerns remain about the breadth of responsibilities and the realistic impact the role can have on complex external issues.

For the Llwydd Cymraeg-UMCB, there is overwhelming support for elevating Welsh language advocacy and strengthening representation for Welsh students, though feedback is limited to a small number of respondents. Students welcome a more visible, outward facing role that engages Welsh and non-Welsh speaking students alike but there are questions regarding workload, inclusivity and how the role balances cultural promotion with meaningful advocacy.

The VP Education role received the strongest support, with students viewing it as essential to academic representation and were satisfied with its proposed structure.

While positive overall, students highlight the need for clear communication about the role’s activity and increased visibility beyond school rep networks. There is also

encouragement for the role to advocate more strongly for neurodivergent, disabled and international students.

The proposed Vice President for Student Communities generates the most divided opinions. Many students recognise the value of a role centred on belonging, inclusion and student connection, but others express deep concern that merging sports, societies and volunteering could dilute representation and overstretch one officer.

Students fear losing specialist advocacy for high-participation areas such as the Athletic Union and worry that groups with distinct needs may receive uneven support depending on the elected officer’s background.

Across all roles, students highlight opportunities to improve representation structures, strengthen community building, enhance advocacy and widen participation. They emphasise the importance of maintaining specialist voices where needed, ensuring clear role boundaries, providing adequate staffing support and building transparent, well-communicated systems. Delivering these changes with clarity and realism is seen as essential to ensuring a strong, visible and inclusive student voice across Bangor’s diverse student communities.

President of Student Life Summary Overall students feel very positive about the changes outlined to the President role in the proposal. Students feel that a change is needed in the role to give it more clarity, and for students to better understand the purpose of the role. There seems to be a desire from students to make the role more visible and tangible for students. Students expressed that currently there is some mystery around what the President does, with the representative element of it not being at all clear to students, and students felt that the changes to the role in the proposal would make the role clearer and more focused.

Students supported the proposal to re-focus the President role on issues more related to student life outside of academia. Students felt that issues such as cost of living, transport and housing were very important and it would be very positive thing to have an officer role clearly focused to advocate on these issues. Students also feedback that having this focus would help students understand the President role more clearly as well as create a distinction between the VP Education role.

Challenges •

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Based on the feedback, the largest issue with the President role seems to be visibility and a lack of engagement with students. This has led to students not understanding the current role and therefore unable to properly grasp the changes set out in the proposal.

Some students worried slightly that in the proposal the scope was still fairly broad and expressed concerns about how achievable that would be.

Some students expressed concerns that the role would still overlap with that of the VP Education, expressing that regularly academic and non-academic life overlaps.

Students feedback that they thought student wellbeing had been left out and this should also form part of the President’s job description.

Students expressed concerns about what real-life impact the new President role would be able to have on issues such as housing.

Opportunities • • • •

Improve transparency and visibility of the President role and therefore increase engagement with Undeb campaigns.

Have a role focusing and campaigning on subjects that students care strongly about – this includes housing and cost of living.

There’s a strong appetite from students to make the President role more student-facing and representative.

Students said that having a role to focus on non-academic life could improve wellbeing by improving that side of the student experience.

Suggestions • • • • •

Ensure that there is clear distinction between the President and VP Education role.

Include wellbeing as a focus for the President role.

Ensure that the remit of the President role is clear and communicate the duties, responsibilities and focus with students.

Ensure that the President role has time to engage with students and make the role more visible.

Ensure that the role isn’t over subscribed, and that the President has enough time to run campaigns and engage with students.

Llywydd Cymraeg – UMCB Summary Although we only received 10 responses from participants who identified as Welsh Students, the feedback for the proposed Llywydd Cymraeg – UMCB role was overwhelmingly positive. Students were passionate about promoting the Welsh language and culture and felt it was an important part of Undeb Bangor’s role. Students also felt that it was important for Welsh students to have an officer to advocate for them. Feedback showed that many students were unaware of the current Llywydd UMCB role, and did not know about work or campaigns that they had run, and expressed a need for more visibility and engagement with the wider student body.

Although, many students expressed an interest in learning Welsh and engaging with Welsh Culture citing that it could help create a more inclusive culture. Students also overall agreed that it was important that the role engaged with students (both Welsh and non-Welsh).

Concerns •

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As with the President role, students currently did not have much awareness about the current Llywydd UMCB and its responsibilities and purpose, and therefore the feedback did not fully compare the current and proposed role.

Although we have received a good amount of feedback on the proposed role, the Trustee Board should consider that we only received feedback from 10 Welsh Students and only 2 of these considered themselves members of UMCB. Although there was a specific focus group with Welsh language students about the UMCB role and changes to the role as part of the previous consultation on the democracy review and the data from the Welsh language student experience insight report was also considered with larger participation numbers.

Some students raised that they did not understand how the current role as it was spent their time beyond organising events, with some students stating that the role didn’t seem very busy in the past. Furthermore, these students expressed that the proposal did not make it clear how the time of the Llywydd Cymraeg – UMCB would be filled and thought it seemed less busy than other roles in the proposal.

Some students expressed concerns around inclusivity of the role and found it hard to visualise how the role would be able to balance representing Welsh students alongside being inclusive to non-Welsh students, particularly international students.

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There were also some concerns raised that the new role did not go far enough to include and represent non-Welsh students.

While students generally agreed that the role needed to be more visible and representative, some students expressed a need to get the balance right between advocacy work and organising events, as they did not want to lose this provision, and expressed a need for clear structures to ensure they still took place.

Some students felt that the proposal could do more to integrate UMCB with the Students’ Union.

Some students expressed concerns that without outreach to non-Welsh speakers as part of the role, it would be hard to engage the wider student body in the Welsh language and culture.

Opportunities •

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Students are overwhelmingly in support to improve advocacy for the Welsh language and culture, as well as Welsh students. Furthermore, non-Welsh students are enthusiastic to get involved in engaging with the Welsh language and culture.

There is a lot of feedback from students wanting to get involved in learning Welsh. From the feedback it seems to be that if the proposed role had more time to focus on these types of campaigns it would be a great way to engage with non-Welsh students and promote the Welsh language. Feedback also shows that students feel that this would improve inclusivity and a sense of national pride. There is also appetite from non-Welsh students to share their cultures and traditions as part of these events.

With the new role being more visible to the wider student body, this could boost the visibility of UMCB and help the wider student body understand it’s role.

Students feel that having a role focusing on Welsh culture would help them feel more settled in Bangor through having the opportunity to involve themselves in Welsh culture.

Some of the responses from Welsh students that we received said that they currently felt under-represented. These students said that the proposed role would potentially improve this and provide a stronger support network.

Making the role more representative would give the officer more time to collaborate and work with other officers on wider campaigns.

Some students mentioned that the Welsh student population currently felt quite small and said that the new role could help to attract more Welsh students to the University.

The role will have more time to work across university departments advocating for Welsh students and the Welsh language.

Suggestions • • • •

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Create clearer communications and promote what UMCB is and does.

Ensure that the role is involved in campaigns which affect the whole student body, not just Welsh students.

Ensure the role has enough time built in to engage with students beyond UMCB to promote the Welsh language and culture.

Ensure that there are opportunities for all students to get involved with learning Welsh and promote these – the feedback suggests that it’s something that a huge number of students want to get involved with.

Part of the role should focus on fostering integration between Welsh and nonWelsh students, to increase the sense of community and belonging, as well as to promote the Welsh language and culture. Students suggest that this could be come by promoting socials between clubs and societies (UMCB and non-UMCB) and having Welsh cultural events and sessions which are bilingual.

Students agree that the proposed role should focus more on representing Welsh-students on a higher level as well as Welsh academic issues and move away from event organisation.

Engage students with regular events that celebrate Welsh culture to improve understanding and promote a sense of belonging and community.

Have specific opportunities for international students to engage and learn about Welsh language and culture. Students think that this could help them feel more settled as well as have a better understanding of bilingualism.

Ensure any new role clearly defines what the responsibilities look like, and how the role both represents and advocates.

Ensure that the balance between outreach to non-Welsh students and representing Welsh students doesn’t leave Welsh students feeling unrepresented.

Vice President for Education Summary Feedback on the Vice President for Education was overwhelmingly positive, with most students expressing satisfaction with the current remit and agreeing with the decision to keep the role largely unchanged. Students consistently described this position as vital, effective and well-focussed, noting that education is at ‘the core of the university’

and that having a dedicated officer to represent academic issues ensures that students’ learning experiences are properly supported and acted upon.

A strong majority emphasised that the role provides a clear, stable channel for academic representation and should remain focussed on the quality of learning, teaching and assessment.

While there was little opposition to the role, a number of students commented on awareness and communication, noting that not everyone fully understands what the VP Education does day to day or how to access them. Some suggested more public updates, social media activity and encourage broader student involvement in educational feedback.

Challenges •

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Awareness and Visibility – although satisfaction levels were high, a recurring theme was some students are not fully aware of the role’s remit or the outcomes it achieves. Several respondents stated that they ‘didn’t know this role existed’ or had not seen much activity linked to it, despite recognising its importance.

Improving communication and visibility, particularly outside of school representative networks was highlighted as a key development area.

Communication with Students – a few students noted that communication can still feel top down and formal. They suggested that the VP Education could help bridge the gap between students and lecturers, encouraging open discussion around teaching methods, assessment styles and course design. This would make it easier for students to provide honest feedback and feel that their views directly shape their education.

Outreach and inclusivity – some students asked for a strong focus on neurodivergent and disabled students, those with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or ADHD and International Students. While this feedback was not critical of the current role, it highlighted opportunities for the VP Education to advocate more visibly for accessible learning and targeted academic support.

Opportunities •

Strengthening academic voice and partnership – there was a clear consensus that this role is essential in maintaining a strong partnership between students and staff. Many felt that the VP Education helps ensure that student feedback leads to real improvements in teaching quality, assessment practices and learning environments. Building on this partnership through more visible campaigns, surveys and course level initiatives could further enhance its impact.

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Enhancing communication and engagement – students saw an opportunity to make the role’s work more visible to the wider student body, particularly through joint campaigns with the President and other officers, updates on social media and regular reporting on academic changes achieved through student feedback.

Expanding advocacy areas – several students called for more areas that the VP Education could make a difference. This included promoting inclusive teaching for neurodivergent students, advocating or improved feedback and grading transparency, encouraging more accessible study spaces and library hours and supporting international and postgraduate students in adapting to academic expectations.

Suggestions •

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Maintain continuity and stability – the strong support for this role that trustees should retain its current structure and remit, ensuring it remains a cornerstone of academic representation.

Increase visibility – introduce regular updates through social media, newsletters and academic forums to highlight the role’s achievement and encourage engagement from students who are less aware of its function.

Enhance outreach to underrepresented groups – work more closely with accessibility services and student communities like the FAB group to ensure that academic support and inclusive teaching practices are well promoted and responsive to diverse needs.

Encourage open dialogue – create more opportunities for informal conversations between students and academic staff, supported by the VP Education, to improve mutual understanding and transparency around academic issues.

Continue working with the University on assessment patterns, exam support and study environments to help students balance their workloads and maintain healthy academic engagement.

Vice President for Student Communities Overall Student Comment Sentiment for VP Communities

Overall sentiment of comments were positive in this area. However, it should be noted that the negative comments were significantly longer and more detailed which could possibly suggest stronger feeling from those that are concerned with the proposal. The positive feedback focused on values, inclusion, wellbeing and diversity while the negative feedback was focused heavily on workload and some strong views on governance. The neutral comments of this nature sat in the middle commenting that if resourcing and representation concerns are addressed, then this role could work. Appendix 1 shows all comments received from students on the VP Student Communities role.

Summary Feedback on the proposed Vice President for Student Communities was extensive, with a clear divide between those who strongly supported its focus on belonging, inclusion and connection and those who expressed concern about the lack of representation for sports, societies and volunteering projects. Some students called for a review in a year’s time to assess the impact of this new role.

Many students expressed enthusiasm for the idea, describing it as inclusive, modern and well-aligned with current priorities around wellbeing, diversity and student connection, recognising loneliness and disengagement. Students that supported the role felt that a single role centred on community could create a more joined-up approach to extra-curricular activities, helping students who might otherwise feel isolated from participation.

However, other students raised significant reservations, focusing primarily on the loss of VP for Sports and VP for Societies and Volunteering. Many felt that the introduction of this new role would reduce representation, dilute advocacy, overstretch one officer and risk neglecting specific groups depending on the elected officer’s background or

interests. A smaller number also perceived the proposal as a move towards centralisation and reduced student influence rather than genuine reform.

While opinions varied, there was some agreement on the importance of community, inclusion and representation as central elements to the student experience. Many students expressed satisfaction in their existing student experience, while also highlighting that visibility, engagement and fairness between sports and societies remains ongoing issues.

Challenges •

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Workload and capacity – this was the most common concern. Students repeatedly questioned whether one full time officer could effectively represent and manage the needs of sports clubs, societies and volunteering projects simultaneously. Many noted that the existing roles are already demanding, requiring considerable time and effort to support their respective communities, attend events, oversee committees and run campaigns. Some felt that the new role description is ‘unrealistic’ and ‘overwhelming,’ risking overwork and burnout for the officer, reduced visibility and approachability within student communities, fewer tailored campaigns and events for individual groups and reliance on unpaid student volunteers to fill gaps in delivery.

Representation imbalance – another recurring theme was fear of bias or uneven representation depending on who holds the role. Several respondents described a cultural divide between sports and societies and worried that the new role could deepen frustrations around perceived inequalities in funding attention and support. Several respondents noted that volunteering is already underrepresented and would possibly lose further focus with the new proposed role.

Loss of specialist knowledge and relationships – the existing structure allows officers to develop deep understanding and strong personal connections with their respective communities. Many felt this relational strength would be weakened. It was also highlighted that clubs, societies and volunteering projects all have different challenges, cultures and operational requirements and there’s a risk that with the new role, these would be missed.

Perceived reduction in student democracy – these comments came from a smaller number of students, but they were significant. They viewed the reduction in elected officer numbers as a loss of democratic representation within Undeb Bangor. Some comments linked this change to a perceived shift in power away from elected student leaders towards staff, arguing that it could reduce transparency and student influence in key decisions. Phrases such as

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‘reduction, not reform’ and ‘students deserve far better than to be treated as an afterthought’ were used.

Logistical and Communication concerns – several students expressed uncertainty about how the role would function in practice. There were questions about how events and funding would be managed, whether the officer would have a team or committee for support and how it differs from those leading clubs and societies already. The lack of clarity and general feeling that this section of the proposal was vague was noted as a potential barrier to confidence in the proposal.

Opportunities •

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Promoting inclusion, belonging and wellbeing – supporters of the proposal emphasised that fostering a sense of belonging is fundamental to the student experience. Many felt that this role could play a key part in addressing loneliness, social anxiety and disengagement. This is especially important for students who do not feel represented by traditional sports or social activities.

Students referenced the potential benefits for neurodivergent students, commuters and international students and those who ‘haven’t found where they fit in yet.’ Several comments linked this role to improved mental health outcomes, suggesting that a greater focus on connection and inclusivity would support student wellbeing and retention.

Bridging divides and building collaboration – some respondents noted longstanding separation between sports, societies and volunteering groups, with perception that the Athletic Union receives more attention and funding. They see the new role as an opportunity to bridge these divides and promote a shared culture of unity and fairness. A combined approach could create more collaboration, joint events and visibility for all student led activities.

Raising the profile of smaller or underrepresented groups – the new role was seen by many as a chance to give smaller or newer groups (particularly volunteering projects and niche societies) more recognition and support. A focus on communities rather than categorising students could encourage students to get involved based on interests and values, rather than existing structures.

Strengthening Bangor’s identity and culture – several comments emphasised the cultural importance of student communities to Bangor University’s identity.

Societies, sports and volunteering were described as the ‘reason people stay,’ ‘what makes Bangor special’ and ‘key to university life.’ Strengthening these communities was seen as vital to improving the overall student experience and Bangor’s reputation as an inclusive and connected campus.

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Innovation and Modernisation – a smaller number of respondents felt that the restructure was necessary to modernise the Union’s leadership model, bringing it in line with other institutions while maintaining Bangor’s unique cultural elements such as UMCB. They viewed the VP Student Communities as an innovative, forward-thinking role that better reflects the evolving needs of the student body.

Suggestions •

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Retain or modify current officer structure proposal – many students commented on the need to keep the roles VP for Sports and VP for Societies and Volunteering. Others suggested a shared leadership model where two officers jointly cover the Communities, allowing for a balanced focus and manageable workloads.

Ensure appropriate resourcing and support – if the proposal goes ahead, students strongly recommended expanding the staff and student executive teams supporting the role. This could include separate subcommittees for sports, societies and volunteering or dedicated officers for specific community types.

Communicate clearly and transparently – several students expressed confusion about how the new role would operate and look. They recommended clearer communication outlining the specific responsibilities for the role, how the change could improve representation rather than reduce it and also explicitly explain what support systems will be in place to ensure fairness and sustainability.

Emphasis inclusivity and access – students welcomed the focus on inclusivity and belonging and encouraged Undeb Bangor to promote non-drinking and accessible events, improve advertising of local and community events beyond campus and provide more tailored support for mature, postgraduate and distance learning students.

Protect the student voice – a number of comments urged Undeb Bangor to continue prioritising democratic representation, student led decision making and visible accountability. Event among those who supported the restructure stated that they had clear expectations that changes should not diminish student power or influence.

Strengthening Student Communities Summary Feedback on the proposal to strengthen student communities through enhanced structures, executive committees and part-time officer roles was largely positive, with many respondents describing it as an ‘excellent’ or ‘important step’ towards empowering students and improving representation across sports, societies and volunteering.

Students welcomed the opportunity for more leadership positions, clearer communication channels and increased involvement in Undeb Bangor decision making. Many saw this as a way to build strong, more inclusive communities that reflect the diversity of the student body. The focus on creating part-time opportunities was also praised as beneficial for both employability and engagement.

However, the feedback also questioned how the new roles would be resourced, whether they would be paid (there was a strong feeling from students that any representative position should be paid in some way), and how smaller or less visible clubs would be supported under the new revised structure. There were repeated calls for clarity, transparency and communication in how the new model would operate.

Overall, it indicated broad support for the principle of strengthening student communities, balanced by desire for more practical detail and assurances around the implementation.

Challenges •

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Workload and capacity – many respondents expressed concern about the new role without sufficient staffing or support. There was fear that it could overburden individuals, reduce visibility and unintentionally weaken the representation of specific groups.

Clarity of structure – several comments requested clearer information about how the proposed executive and part-time officer roles would work in practice.

This included recruitment, responsibilities, pay or volunteer status and reporting lines. Without this clarity, some worried the system could become confusing or overcomplicated.

Resourcing and staff support – a number of students questioned whether there was enough staff resource to support an expanded student leadership network.

Others raised concerns about fair pay, transparency in role allocation and potential biases in representation, particularly for smaller societies and clubs.

Communication and Engagement – students frequently mentioned that they sometimes feel disconnected from Undeb Bangor decision making processes.

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They emphasised that stronger communication between officers, committees and members is essential if the structure is to work effectively.

Inclusivity and representation – several responses pointed out that certain student groups (like international students, smaller societies and non-sporting communities) may feel underrepresented in current systems. Strengthening communities must ensure that all voices are equally valued and supported.

Opportunities •

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Enhanced leadership and employability – many students recognised that new or redefined roles would provide valuable leadership and professional development opportunities. They say these as a way to gain transferable skills, enhance CVs and build confident while contributing to campus life.

Stronger student voice and feedback structures – formalised executive committees and introducing new roles can make feedback more structured, transparent and action oriented. Students valued the chance to have a clearer route for raising concerns or suggestions, especially regarding funding, facilities and club management Community cohesion and collaboration – students felt that stronger cross society and cross sport structures could encourage collaboration, reduce competition for resources and create a more unified student community.

Better support for smaller and underrepresented groups – a recurring theme was the opportunity to use this restructure to elevate smaller societies and clubs that often feel overlooked. Students urged Undeb Bangor to design the system so that resources and recognition are more evenly distributed.

Creation of paid or structured opportunities – many welcomed the mention of job creation and emphasised the value of paid roles where possible. This was seen as an opportunity for students to gain relevant experience, earn income and contribute meaningfully to Undeb Bangor operations.

Suggestions •

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Clarify structure and scope – provide clear outlines of each proposed role, whether they are paid or voluntary and explain how they link to the VP Student Communities.

Increase staff and operational support – ensure administrative capacity is available, especially for things like sports kit, room booking and funding oversight.

Prioritise wellbeing – embed wellbeing and community support explicitly in the strengthen structures by setting realistic expectations for the positions.

Appendices Appendix 1 – Original Proposal shared with Stakeholders

Elected Student Officer Review Officers are elected to represent, advocate for and campaign with students to create change. Their roles are political by nature, based on the ideas and promises that they make in their manifestos at the point of being elected. However, over time, these roles have shifted towards more operational tasks like organising events or handling admin, which at times has taken focus away from their core purpose, standing up for students and driving change.

Why Are the Roles Being Reviewed?

The review aims to realign officer roles with the current needs and expectations of the student body. The goal is to establish a structure that is focused, strategic, and student led. Undeb Bangor is seeking to ensure that elected officers are empowered to lead campaigns, influence decisions, and represent students effectively, while operational delivery is supported by staff and student volunteers.

Key Issues Identified •

Officer Roles are Unclear – This is especially true of the President role (who is also Chair of Trustees) and Llywydd UMCB (who balances events and representation).

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UMCB Feels Disconnected – Some Welsh-speaking students, particularly those less involved in UMCB’s social activities, have expressed that they don't feel fully included or well represented.

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Officer Roles are Overly Operational– over time these roles have shifted towards more operational tasks like organising events or handling admin. As a result, they have been taken away from their core purpose of standing up for students, campaigning and driving change.

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Too Many Officer Roles – Compared to similar-sized universities, Undeb Bangor has more officers (5 Clarifying Officer Role currently which are – President, Llywydd UMCB, VP Education, VP for Sports, VP for Societies & Volunteering), which affects focus and support. See table below – Undeb Bangor have a higherthan-average amount of Officers in comparison to the student body size.

Please note: This benchmarking table does not capture all factors, such as the number of student groups, activities, and staff per Students’ Union. It’s also important to consider the unique context of Bangor University, where the Welsh language plays a central role in student life. Both Aberystwyth and Bangor have a designated Welsh Language Officer, highlighting the importance of Welsh language representation. This cultural and linguistic element is a key consideration for students to be aware of when responding to the consultation.

The review therefore proposes a new officer structure that reflects the evolving nature of student life and the changing needs of the student body.

Proposals Restructure the Officer Team to focus on what students really need: •

President (Student Life) – This role builds on the existing President position, with a clearer focus on non-academic issues such as housing, rent, cost of living, and transport. The officer would lead campaigns aimed at improving everyday student life, and will continue to be the key liaison with the University.

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Llywydd Cymraeg - UMCB – This role is being refocused to strengthen its core purpose: representing and campaigning for Welsh-speaking students. While advocacy has always been part of the role, the emphasis on events has

sometimes taken priority. The revised role would also promote Welsh language and culture across the whole student body, with the UMCB Committee taking a greater lead on social activities.

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Vice President for Education – This role would remain largely unchanged, continuing to lead on academic representation, learning, and teaching. The focus is on ensuring students’ academic experiences are heard and acted upon.

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Vice President for Student Communities – This newly defined role focuses on helping students feel a sense of belonging and build connections. It supports and champions student-led groups and activities, encouraging students to find their community through societies, sports, and volunteering. The role promotes inclusive events and campaigns that celebrate diversity, encourage integration, and strengthen community ties. It advocates for underrepresented groups and those who may face barriers to participation, ensuring that every student feels included, represented, and empowered to lead.

Strengthening Student Opportunities Structures - Strengthen athletic union, societies and volunteering structures, such as Executive committees and elected roles, so that students can effectively feedback on these areas of SU activity and work with the VP Communities on issues which matter to them. More formalised roles for students could be explored within these structures such as part-time officers and execs to create leadership opportunities within the Union.

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Final Thoughts The proposed changes aim to: • • •

Make Undeb Bangor more accessible, responsive and student led Clarify Officer responsibilities and improve accountability Build a Union that is focused on issues that matter most to students

Appendix 2 – Questions asked to students via the online feedback form