ANNUAL REPORT 2021-2022
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CONTENTS Contents Glossar y of Terms Executive Summar y Sabbatical Summar y Chief Execu tive Summar y SU Elec tions SU Representation SU Societies Volunteerin g Fair tra de Environm ental SU Spor t Varsity SU Awards Campaigns an d Events Communications an d Marketin g SU Advice an d Suppor t Equality, Diversity an d In clusion Fur th er Education an d Transnational Education (FE &TNE) National Student Sur vey – NSS Special Thanks Review of 2021/22 Ac tions an d Recomm en dations 2022 /23 Ac tions an d Recomm en dations
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Annual Repor t 2021/22 – ‘ th e repor t’ Associate Deans of Student En ga gem ent – ‘ADSE’ British Universities & Colleges Spor t- ‘BUCS’ Cardiff Sch ool of Ar t & Design- ‘CSAD’ Cardiff Met University – ‘CMU’ Cardiff Sch ool of Education & Social Policy- ‘CSESP ’ Cardiff Sch ool of Mana gem ent- ‘CSM’ Cardiff School of Spor t & Heal th Sciences- ‘CSSHS’. Notethe SU has one SU School Rep for each campus (Cyncoed and Llandaff ), and these are referred to throughout as the ‘CSSHS Cy SU School Rep’ and CSSHS Ll SU School Rep Cardiff Sch ool of Techn ologies- ‘CST ’ Fur th er Education- ‘FE’ Learnin g & Tea chin g Committee - ‘L &T ’ Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement Committee- ‘LTSEC’ National Student Sur vey – ‘NSS’ Postgra duate Taught – ‘PGT ’ Postgra duate Research - ‘PGR’ Quality Assuran ce Agen cy – ‘QA A’ Quality Enhan cem ent Review – ‘QER’ Sabbatical Off icer – This refers to the ‘ SU President- Affairs & Community ’ and ‘SU Vice President- Student Voice’ Student Staff Liaison Committee’s- ‘ SSLC ’
Students’ Union – ‘SU’ (as we are writing about our organisation we will also reference the ‘SU’ as ‘ we’ ‘us’ ‘our ’) Students’ Union Representative – ‘SU Reps’ or ‘reps’ Student Voice’ who are the off icers elected by the student body. Transnational Education- ‘ TNE’
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY At the completion of each academic year, Cardiff Met Students’ Union (SU) produces an Annual Repor t to reflect on the successes of the Union over the past twelve months. This year ’s SU Annual Repor t reflects on a year in which the SU has buil t back following the Covid-19 global pandemic . The repor t is shaped by the feedback gathered via the SU’s representative structures and across the spectrum of SU activity. It also highlights the huge amount of work completed by the full-time staff team and all involved within the SU. This repor t utilises a range of formal and informal feedback mechanisms and data sources in order to represent the wide variety of opinions f rom across our diverse student membership. A non-exhaustive list of sources includes: • • • • • • • • • • •
SU School Rep Repor ts SU Par t-Time Off icer Repor ts Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) Minutes School Learning & Teaching (L&T) Minutes University Sur vey resul ts University Board and Committee Minutes SU Society member feedback SU Spor t member feedback Cardiff Met Award par ticipant feedback Student intern feedback The SUr vey resul ts
Each year, the SU uses the SU Annual Repor t to make recommendations to the University on areas of work to under take, and actions for the SU to implement in the following year based on thematic feedback across the year. The repor t also reflects on the actions and recommendations f rom 2021/22. In order to ensure this repor t is representative of the membership we ser ve, the actions and recommendations have been shared with the SU Rep team and the SU staff team, SU School Reps, and SU Par t-Time Off icers have been consul ted throughout the creation of the repor t. The f inal Repor t was signed off by the SU Board of Trustees and is submitted to the University ’s Board of Governors. It is also submitted to several University level board meetings to allow stakeholders to see the recommendations that may affect their areas of work for the 2022/23 academic year.
Will Fuller Director of Student Engagement Cardiff Met Students’ Union
SABBATICAL SUMMARY Namaste. As we all know, the pandemic brought us many challenges,
in Bristol. I had spoken about oppor tunities and challenges in
especially for students and their engagement and involvement
students’ future, and careers at round table discussions organised
with us. As a Student Union President , my priority has been always
by the Wonkhe.
students’ wellbeing, safety, equality, and diversity. We star ted bringing things back to normality by doing the Diwali SU event,
As mentioned above, the SU has not stopped with Diwali. We have
having 200 students in attendance. This was the f irst cul tural
done lot of work in Spor t such as the Varsity event, volunteering
event at Cardiff Metropolitan University. It was a successful event
events, SU litter picking, Black Histor y Month, and been involved
which brought brightness to the student life. That brightness has
at the Cardiff Met Fair trade. All the work and engagement
not stopped with this event . Students were coming to SU, creating
under taken by the students has been recognised by the SU and
their own societies, and carr ying out their own events.
organising the SU Spor ts Awards and Student Achievement Awards. I was delighted to present the awards to students who
We have worked with the Estates, Librar y, and IT (Information
have given outstanding performances throughout the year despite
Technology) team, resul ting in commuter kitchen with microwaves
the pandemic .
for heating food which is just above the HUB on Llandaff Campus. In addition, all the librar y and IT ser vices will be available 24
As the Chair for the Board of Trustees at SU, I have chaired the
hours. As a student governor, as well as a leader for the students
Chief Executive Off icer recruitment panel process and f inalised
at a Cardiff Met , I have always taken stand for the students at the
the choice of our new CEO for Cardiff Met SU. Wellbeing funding
CMU board, HEFCW (Higher Education Funding Council for Wales)
has been spent for students’ wellbeing activities like a Period
institutional visits, and Welsh government. To ensure the safety
Dignity campaign giving away f ree period products, which has
of Students, I have been there as a member of the Cardiff safety
extended to next year, and introduced a new EDI network .
committee and CAP (Community Alcohol Par tnerships). It was a wonderful experience working as student governor, chair, Personal highlights were the Times Higher Education Awards 2021
external student representative f rom Cardiff Met SU.
in London on 25th November. I could not be prouder to be par t of the University that received the best University of the year for 2021 as in OneCardiffMet . As an external student representative f rom Cardiff Met SU I attended
Venky Gonavaram
the Handshakes student careers 2032 event on 29th November
President Community & Affairs
CHIEF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over the last 12 months we have seen aspects of our ser vices and operations return to some sor t of normality as the Covid restrictions eased al though we still faced a challenge of having less students on campus. In November 2021 we were advised by the Welsh Government that it was providing all Students Unions in Wales with a wellbeing grant to suppor t SUs in delivering new initiatives to their members. The grant which came through in Januar y had to be spent or allocated by the end of March 2021 which in itself was a challenge, but it provided us with the oppor tunity to develop some new suppor t ser vices focussing on Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity, Drug and Alcohol Awareness campaigns and a Period Pover ty project. These will roll over into subsequent years and benef it future students and it was great to see the way in which the staff and off icers of the SU lead on these initiatives and it demonstrates how creative and proactive we could be in utilising the additional funding. As expected with the return of the BUCS and national leagues, our 1400 spor t students have been able to fully re-engage with campus life, but the re-building of our societies has been somewhat slower, but we are pleased to see that as we approach the year end we are back up to 3 active societies with 386 members registered with us. At the star t of the academic year, I made the decision that after approaching 27 years as CEO of the SU it was time
to stand down and advised the Board of Trustees of my intention to leave at the end of June 2022. Over this period, I have seen the SU grow into an organisation that is a strong representation force for its students, integrated into all the key decision-making bodies within the university and making major contributions to student life. We have an outstanding student representation structure, a vibrant club and society environment and a team of staff that are committed to ser ving our members and I am sure it will continue to grow in future years. It has been a privilege to help build the organisation into what it has become and to work with the staff and off icers who have been a massive par t of the process of these years.
Mike Davies CEO
SU REPRESENTATION As a student-led organisation, it is vital that we hear member feedback through the SU Rep structure, acting on any feedback about the SU and positively challenging the University for the betterment of students using their university specif ic feedback. Student voice is integral to the decision-making processes at all levels of the SU but student voice is also a partnership, between students, the SU and the University. Placing student voice into the heart of decision-making processes within the University is a key aim of the SU Rep structure and alongside the University student voice mechanisms and with support f rom the academic schools we aim to drive standards higher at Cardiff Met utilising the voices of our members. This academic year saw the SU adapt to a hybrid approach of representation owing to the continuing pandemic measures. Delivering training both physically and virtually, hosting rep meetings in both spaces and attending larger SSLC and Learning & Teaching meetings online. The leadership of the SU School Res within their respective schools shaped the way schools safely returned students to campus, reworked course delivery to a hybrid model and ensured the standards of delivery and engagement were regularly reported on to their schools. SU Reps continued to strengthen the relationships with the ADSE’s in their school, further embedding SU reps into school-based feedback. The work of the SU Part-Time Off icers saw campaigns around black role models for Black History Month along with an online BHM quiz, LGBTQIA+ Icons for LGBT History month
and a #BreakTheBias social media campaign on International Women’s Day. The Period Dignity campaign work continued with the SU Wellbeing Part-Time Off icer purchasing more product and creating collection points in the SU shop and outside the SU off ice. The campaign also moved forward to get University approval to administer a Period Dignity campaign in on campus bathrooms. The SU Environmental Off icer led multiple awareness campaigns throughout the year and supported the creation of a new Gardening Society and sat on the committee for the Climate Justice Society.
SU REPRESENTATION SU Rep Structure Representativeness Building on the 2019/20 Representativeness Review, we have undertaken analysis of the University data on Student Population, and our data on demographics of our SU Reps (Appendix 2). We continue to monitor these, as we want our structures to fully reflect the student population. The SU has provided all the Part-Time Off icers and SU School Reps with a remote summer training programme for the 2021/22, along with an unconscious bias training to challenge and improve the representation of their respective students. Feedback f rom the team was that this was benef icial and prepared them well for the in-person training week. The summer training programme will remain for the 2022/23 team.
SU ELECTIONS The SU sector remains to be impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was reported by several other SU’s that candidate understanding of the process of running a campaign was limited by their lack of experience in seeing previous campaigns and that voting was impacted as a result. To tackle this issue, the SU has developed a ‘Campaign to Win’ document to assist the candidates, as well as creating physical promotion of the SU election via ballot box stations on campus, utilising voting booths and equipment loaned f rom the Cardiff Council Electoral Services. The SU Elections has achieved 520 unique voters (4.3% of Student Population) casting 1,002 total votes in two categories. The analysis of the SU website shows over 2,700 page views for the SU Elections website throughout the voting week. Whilst the SU Election 2022 turnout was undoubtably disappointing, there are several actions being taken to attempt to improve the turnout and strengthen the mandate of the Elected Off icers and reflect the wider opinions of the student body. This includes reviewing the timelines, training and support available to the candidates, and SU presence during the elections, both physical and digital.
SU SOCIETIES The Covid pandemic hit societies hard, following a full review of SU Societies in the summer of 2021, the number of active student groups with leadership teams still in place had been decimated and the return of SU Societies became a key objective for the SU. During Covid, many SU Societies struggled to be effective in a digital space, unable to meet up, hold events and attract new members, and without an in-person SU Freshers’ Fayre and campus presence, they suffered. The SU have employed new dedicated Societies and Opportunities Coordinator with the aim of bringing SU Societies back to life. We now have 36 approved societies with 31 currently active and 5 in transition f rom approved to up and running with total membership now up to 386 students. During this year the societies have been very activity some of the highlights being a SU Society Ref resher’s Fayre 15th where we had 16 stalls, attracting new students to the value of becoming part of a society. Insomnia society performed a flash mob at the fayre, after continuing to practice day in day out at the Llandaff campus, in the old Santander building. LGBTQIA+ society - During LGBT history month our LGBTQIA+ society painted the steps in rainbows and have continued to put on regular events. Speech and Language Society (SALTSOC) – Organised and delivered a fantastic ball for all their members, they have met regularly, and been constantly engaging on social media, they continually maintain their students’ numbers with over 60
members of their society. Capture the flag is a brand-new society, who went on to win new society of the year. They centre around teaching and ref ining offensive hacking skills for legal use within the Cardiff Met student body. They have engaged with IT and the SU. Cardiff Met Ramblers has been a great new addition to the society family, the have been encouraging students to be outside and explore what Wales has to offer and make f riends along the way. We have begun to develop a wide range of SU Societies and look forward to the coming academic year and growing this offering to members further.
SU SOCIETIES Key Developments Each SU Society had their own dedicated training session, this has provided them with quality time to discuss their plans and build a rapport with the SU. SU Societies were involved in a review of how the year with all chairs meeting to discuss how things have gone. They have had the support of a dedicated member of staff who has helped them start, build, and nurture their society.
VOLUNTEERING Volunteerin g offers vital h elp to people in n eed, wor thwhile causes, an d th e community, but th e ben ef its are great for th e volunteer. Volunteerin g an d h elpin g oth ers can reduce stress, combat depression, keep students m entally stimulated, an d provide a sense of purpose. This year we were able to celebrate Student Volunteerin g in Februar y due to Covid restric tions bein g eased. We did this by puttin g on stalls in th e SU to raise awaren ess about volunteerin g an d allow students to sign up for events we put on. We ran a dog walkin g event with th e local dog h om es, wh ere students could take a dog for a walk an d th en becom e a registered dog walker an d return an d walk dogs a gain at th eir own convenien ce which was ver y popular! Th e SU has continued through out th e year with a c tivities such as litter picks an d th e volunteers return tim e an d tim e a gain. With students n ot bein g on campus, th e volunteers have created a shared sense of community which we h ope to grow an d continue n ext year. An oth er key developm ent in th e volunteerin g spa ce has seen th e SU’s Societies an d Oppor tunities Coordinator becom e an a dvisor y board m ember with Student Volunteerin g Cymru (SVC) which we h ope will open up m ore oppor tunities f rom SVC for our students.
FAIRTRADE & ENVIRONMENTAL Fair tra de
Environm ental
Th e Fair tra de Steerin g group was re - establish ed followin g th e return to campus an d star ted to work towards our ren ewal a ccreditation status with th e University.
Th e SU continue to work with th e University on Sustainability an d Environm ental issues. We have a student h old th e role as Par t Tim e Environm ental Off icer.
We jointly h osted Global Gam es event on Cyn coed Campus with Global En ga gem ent team an d Spor t Cardiff. Th e Global Gam es was a mul ti-spor t competition wh ere par ticipants were able to take par t in football an d basketball competitions. Th e aim of th e Gam es was to conn ec t an d prom ote integration in th e community through spor t . Here we raise awaren ess of Fair tra de usin g Fair tra de footballs an d an information stan d at th e event . Th e competition day saw par ticipants takin g par t f rom a variety of pla ces a cross th e local community, nam ely f rom Oasis Cardiff, Cardiff Met students an d staff f rom th e Students’ Union.
Th e projec ts we have been involved this year are: -
We also h eld a Fair tra de coffee m ornin g an d quiz wh ere students learnt why Fair tra de is impor tant an d took par t in a quiz to win Fair tra de prizes. This was a great event an d allowed students to m eet oth ers as covid regulations were star tin g to becom e m ore relaxed.
In a ddition, th e SU has en ga ged in 5 different Community days, wh ere we have raised awaren ess of th e COP 26 , prom oted Fair tra de an d th e Cardiff Met Award.
We h eld Fair tra de stalls on campus wh ere m embers of th e SU team spoke to students on campus to raise awaren ess that th e SU are workin g toward th e ren ewal of our Fair tra de status an d we have n ow ha d conf irmation of successful Fair tra de application!
Th e SU are a m ember of th e Hedgeh og Frien dly Campus workin g group, wh ere in Februar y 2020 th e University sign ed up to th e Hedgeh og Frien dly Campus sch em e an d a greed to aim to make our campuses Hedgeh og Frien dly. We were awarded th e Bronze a ccreditation f rom th e Hedgeh og Frien dly Campus sch em e in Jan 2021 an d a chieved Silver in Jan 2022 . Th e SU ran a h edgeh og litter pick to raise awaren ess of th e little creatures an d to allow students to have a taste of volunteerin g.
CARDIFF MET AWARD 87 students registered on th e award with 43 completin g in th e 2021/22 a ca demic year. This year has seen th e a ddition of a ‘Creative Thinkin g’ level an d an oth er developm ent is alrea dy plann ed for 2022 /23 with th e a ddition of ‘Justice level’, design ed with suppor t of BSc L aw staff. Th e return of fa ce - to -fa ce en ga gem ent with Award students has stren gth en ed th e suppor t available to students al th ough th e offerin g of both digital an d fa ce to fa ce conta c t has been well received by students, allowin g for greater flexibility to suit th eir sch edules. Overall registration for th e Award has been good, with an in creased number of international students signin g up for th e Award. It has been pleasin g to see an in crease in th e number of student referrals f rom th e University ’s Careers Team an d th e centralisation of SU a ccounts has seen an in crease in rea ch for Cardiff Met Award prom otion. As busin esses an d venues open after th e pan demic , th ere have been in creased oppor tunities for Award students to gain work experien ce an d th e deliver y of th e Cardiff Met Award Cerem ony at Th e Sen edd has fur th er raised th e prof ile of th e Award. Th e f ree personal developm ent worksh ops are provided for all students but continue to be atten ded predominantly by Cardiff Met Award students. 16 worksh ops were delivered between November an d March, coverin g areas
such as presentation deliver y, tim e mana gem ent , usin g social m edia to improve employability, an d resilien ce an d wellbein g. 236 students reser ved a pla ce with 122 atten din g th e sessions. All sessions were delivered onlin e an d whilst this was welcom ed by students an d saw good atten dan ce, som e atten dees turn ed off microph on es an d cam eras, reducin g th e intera c tion an d en ga gem ent in sessions. Th e m eth od of worksh op deliver y will be reviewed ah ea d of th e 2022 /23 a ca demic year. Improvem ents in deliver y this year has seen better marketin g an d PR for th e award an d a return to in person deliver y of th e worksh op offerin g. We have seen better atten dan ce f rom n on-award students, likely down to th e improved awaren ess of th e worksh ops.
SU SPORT Th e 2021/22 season saw th e much-welcom ed return of our full SU Spor t programm e followin g th e disruption of COVID. We ha d 31 clubs ba ck to full trainin g an d en ga ged with BUCS an d oth er external National lea gues an d competitions. SU Spor t m embership has soared this year, rea chin g its high est ever f igure at 1535 m embers. This in crease is in dicative that th e thirst for a quality spor t provision at Cardiff Met is high er than ever an d a real testam ent to th e relentless commitm ent an d effor ts a cross th e board f rom n ot only our SU Spor t depar tm ent itself, but to ea ch club off icial, coa ch, an d committee m ember of th e clubs we have. SU clubs began th e a ca demic year with th e return of th e in-person Fresh er ’ Fayre in which club off icials an d current m embers were able to m eet an d welcom e n ot only f irst years into th eir environm ent , but also secon d, third an d post gra duate students wh o may have missed out on th e full experien ce of University spor t thus far. Several clubs put on performan ces an d intera c tive competitions so that in comin g students could get a true feel of what th ey could becom e a par t of. Th e SU Spor t social m edia platforms have rea ch n ew highs, with a vast in crease in en ga gem ent a cross our m embers, student body an d invested stakeh olders. We have over 4 .5k followers on our Insta gram an d Twitter a ccounts which has enabled us to communicate with an d prom ote our clubs an d m embers to an ever- expan din g
audien ce. Our n ewly appointed SU Spor t ph otograph er at th e star t of th e a ca demic year was an en orm ous success as h e captured th e a c tion at our h om e BUCS Wedn esday f ixtures a cross all spor ts an d teams an d ma de to trip to Sh eff ield for th e 3- day BUCS Nationals event to be tra ck an d poolside for th e In door Athletics an d Sh or t Course Swimmin g Championships. He worked with som e of our National Lea gue teams to be th ere at th e big events an d f inals to record th e successes an d m em ories that will stay with th em for years to com e. Som e highlights f rom our BUCS teams this year in clude National Championship Silver Medals for our In door Wom en’s Cricket an d Wh eelchair Basketball teams, th e latter of which was in th eir f irst ever season in BUCS! Our Wom en’s Football team f inish ed top of th eir BUCS Premier South Lea gue, which reflec ts th eir commitm ent a cross staff an d players to strive for outstan din g performan ces, week in, week out . Our In door an d Outdoor Athletics team f inish ed in bronze position for both overall team competitions an d hauled in an inspirin g 9 an d 15 in dividual m edals respec tively. Th e Outdoor competition m edal tally was th eir greatest total rea ch ed to date, which is a remarkable a chievem ent considerin g th e impa c t COVID ha d on number of competitive oppor tunities th e previous two seasons.
SU SPORT We proudly suppor ted an d celebrated a fur th er 7 BUCS in dividual m edals f rom our student athletes in Duathlon, Ta ekwon do, Judo, Karate an d Boxin g. Our top perform ers in th e external National Lea gues were our Wom en’s Football team, as th ey were crown ed Champions of th e Adran Lea gue Cup an d were runn ers-up in th e Adran Welsh Premier Lea gue an d FA Cup competitions. BUCS Super Rugby was bigger than ever this year an d our “Cardiff Clash” between our Men’s Rugby 1st team an d Cardiff University was n o exception. 1,000 Cardiff Met fans ma de th e trips to th e Cardiff Arms Park for th e lea gue’s f ixtures in Oc tober an d December which provided elec tric atm osph eres in an impressive settin g. We were for tunate to have a third en counter in th e BUCS National Quar ter Fi nals, an d much to our delight we were to play on h om e soil on Cyn coed Campus’ Rugby 1. Th ere was a remarkable turn out with 1,600 Cardiff Met suppor ters an d 400 Cardiff University which created a ph en om enal environm ent for a 34 -33 win to take us into th e semi-f inals. En glan d National team h ea d coa ch, Eddie Jon es has been quoted as sayin g; “Cardiff Met is a popular breedin g grown for test match rugby players.” High praise in deed an d ver y much deser ved for th e work that goes into th e programm e an d player developm ent f rom th e club lea dership.
SU SPORT Social Spor t has really taken off this year an d rea ch ed n ew h eights. Lea din g this was our n etball club wh o have been able to f ield an d provide playin g oppor tunities for 6 social teams (in a ddition to th e 7 competitive BUCS teams th ey alrea dy have), comprisin g of 72 female athletes. Our Men’s Football programm e buil t on th e success of th e 2020 -21 season by runnin g th e “Cyn coed Cup” a gain, which gave a fur th er 100 students an oppor tunity to play, coa ch, comm entate, off iciate an d repor t on organise f ixtures that ran through out term two. Fi nally, th e Touch Rugby Cyn coed Cup, on e off event , was an oth er example of students comin g togeth er to create a fantastic occasion which saw 60 students take par t an d raised £250 for th e Cardiff Min d charity. Th e Cardiff Met representation at th e Birmin gham 2022 Comm onweal th Gam es is on ce a gain set to be impressive as current students, alumni an d staff a cross a ran ge of spor ts in cludin g athletics, karate, basketball, weightliftin g, n etball, boxin g, h ockey, judo, rugby sevens, triathlon an d wh eelchair basketball fly th eir countr y fla g. Not only will th ere be high numbers of athletes am on gst th ese spor ts but also coa ch es an d oth er suppor t staff roles, a fur th er example of th e roun ded spor ts experien ce ha d with us. In oth er areas, SU Spor t organised an d saw 60 student club
off icials put through an d gain cer tif icates for completin g a First Aid in Spor t courses which enabled th em to go ba ck to th eir respec tive clubs an d ensure th eir m embers were able to train an d compete kn owin g th ey ha d a qualif ied f irst aider to conf idently assist th em if th e situation arose. A fur th er, 59 club off icials received safer drivin g trainin g to enable th em to drive our SU vehicles an d th ose we hire in, safely an d with a greater un derstan din g.
VARSITY Th e much-anticipated return of Varsity saw us travel to th e University of Bath on th e 6th of April. Th e SU Spor t contin gent in cluded over 250 athletes f rom 17 teams a cross 11 different spor ts an d 13 buses with over 750 spec tators an d 20 m edia personn el. Th e atm osph ere was secon d to n on e an d gave th e athletes an d spec tators a unique oppor tunity to celebrate bein g a Cardiff Met Arch er alon gside th eir club, course, an d h ousemates in what was a an extrem ely successful event despite th e University of Bath winnin g overall. An oth er positive f rom this event was th e raisin g of £ 767 for our SU charity, Cardiff Min d, through ticket sales.
SU AWARD SEASON Spor ts Awards Our Spor ts Awards event on 4 th May which brought togeth er 45 0 SU Spor t m embers to a ckn owledge an d recognise th e a chievem ents of our clubs, athletes, coa ch es, an d suppor t staff. Th e presentation an d three course m eal ran ver y sm oothly, an d a lively an d enjoyable tim e was ha d by th ose that atten ded. Our par tn ership with th e Spor t Broa dcast MSc course enabled us to really brin g colour an d life to what was a fantastic year of spor t with th eir video produc tions through out th e presentation. A par tn ership we are ver y grateful for, an d which ben ef its our m embers’ experien ces imm ensely. Our h ea dlin e awards went to: BUCS Team of th e Year – Wh eelchair Basketball; National Lea gue Team of th e Year – Wom en’s Football; Coa ch of th e Year – Emma Godman, Wom en’s Cricket; Spor ts Personalities of th e Year – Hannah Brier, Athletics an d Emlyn Lewis, Men’s Football.
SU AWARD SEASON Student Led Tea chin g Awards Th e SU took th e Student Led Tea chin g Awards for ward this year, 691 n ominations for 261 staff with 32 sh or tlisted staff a cross th e eight award categories. Awards were given for Sch ool Lec turer of th e Year (on e per sch ool), Th e Personal Tutor Award, Inspirin g Staff Member, an d th e Exceptional Suppor t Award. Th e SLTA winn ers were invited to receive th eir awards at th e Student Achievem ent Awards night in Centro, with all 32 n omin ees receivin g prize boxes through th e internal mail system an d all 691 n omin ees receivin g lanyards, pins an d th eir f ree text n omination comm ents too. Staff comm ented on h ow nice it was to receive recognition f rom students durin g what ha d been a challen ge year.
SU AWARD SEASON Student Achievem ent Awards May saw th e return of th e Student Achievem ent Awards as an in person followin g two years of vir tual cerem onies. Th e Awards were h eld in Centro on Cyn coed Campus an d th e SU were delighted to welcom e both students an d staff to an evenin g celebratin g th e successes of SU Reps, SU Societies, student volunteers an d th e wider student body. This year we expan ded th e award categories an d recognised th e work of an in creased f ield of award winn ers, with awards for SU Course Rep of th e Year, SU Lea d Rep of th e Year, Volunteer of th e Year, Social In clusion Award, Social Media Award, Sustainability Champion, Society Collaboration of th e Year, Society Member of th e Year, New Society of th e Year, Society of th e Year, Event/Projec t of th e Year, an d th e SU Impa c t Award.
CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS Period Dignity Th e SU have implem ented th e ‘Dignity. Period.’ sch em e a cross th e wh ole University. Th e sch em e prom otes a ccess to period care, m enstrual education, sustainable an d ethical resources to h elp th e plan et an d to n ormalise period talk . Cardiff Met SU created a sur vey regardin g th e campaign. Th e campaign revealed that staff an d students ha d missed in person university lec tures due to period related issues (as repor ted in th e SU 20/21 Digni ty. Period Sur vey). Th e campaign has ensured ever yon e wh o n eeds th em has a ccess to period produc ts, protec tin g anyon e at risk of period pover ty. Cardiff Met SU an d Cardiff Met stron gly suppor t th e developm ent of a cul ture wh ere th ere are positive conversations aroun d periods, period pover ty an d m en opause. We have seen success with this campaign through communication campaigns such as signa ge to prom ote th e campaign to all students at Cardiff Met . Fur th er orders have been requested to TOTM due to th e success of th e campaign, an d we plan to continue th e campaign to n ext year.
CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS Fresh ers
Night Tim e
Diwali
With a return to in person an d fa ce to fa ce events post pan demic , we were able to h old our annual Fresh ers’ Fayre on th e Cyn coed Campus. Th e event was successfully run-in lin e with all Covid-19 restric tions that were in pla ce as of September 2021. Th e event was atten ded by close to 4000 students an d featured over 200 stalls, featurin g all SU Spor ts teams an d SU societies.
With th e reopenin g of h ospitality venues, in cludin g nightclubs, we were able to successfully deliver ; in par tn ership with Move Togeth er, a n ew night tim e events company, a successful two -week Fresh ers wristban d programm e, en compassin g 14 different night club events set a cross three city centre venues. Th e Students Union’ continues to work with Move Togeth er to deliver a highly successful weekly spor ts th em ed night atten ded by aroun d 1000 students per week .
On November 24 th 2021 we h eld an in door/outdoor event on th e Llan daff campus to celebrate Diwali. Th e event was atten ded by 200 students, mainly of In dian h erita ge an d featured a Pooja (prayer session) given by th e SU president , tra ditional dress fashion sh ow, dan cin g an d tra ditional In dian m eal. Th e event was ver y well received by students an d staff alike an d will becom e an annual event .
CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS International Student Welcom e Transition into university for international students can be a par ticularly challen gin g on m ental h eal th an d well-bein g. In deed, ta cklin g initial isolation an d lon elin ess over th e f irst six weeks is crucial to student success an d retention. Cardiff Met SU contributed positively to th e Cardiff Met in duc tion programm e for international students. Cardiff Met ha d a diverse student body, an d this is reflec ted in our ran ge of Cardiff Met SU Societies. Th e SU Societies Fayre was delivered to make our international students feel a sense of belon gin g to th e Cardiff Met community. Th e rationale behin d th e Fayre was to invite students to en ga ge with likemin ded people by en coura gin g th em to join societies that were alrea dy in pla ce. Moreover, students were en coura ged to create societies for th ose that may n ot be represented within th e student community. Consequently, a ran ge of societies such as Christian Union, Islamic Society, Hin du Society, Omani Society, Pan-Af rican Society, Spanish Society, Filipin o Society, Welsh Society, Omani Society are n ow a c tive student societies. Th ey m eet on an d off campus. This reflec ts th e diverse, global student body at Cardiff Met . Cardiff Met SU also organised an international student’s night in collaboration with Revolution Cardiff. Th e
international student’s night featured a mixture of different variations of music . Th ese were played by a bespoke international DJ. Music such as Desi, Bhan gra, an d Af robeat genres were played for Cardiff Met students. Th e night was a success, with plans for future events, specif ically for our international students bein g considered in future in duc tions.
CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS Wellbein g Th e SU en ga ged in a University wide review of wellbein g lea din g to th e creation of th e stepped care m odel. This created def in ed roles an d responsibilities for wellbein g an d m ental h eal th at Cardiff Met , improvin g th e un derstan din g of han dover points between th e SU an d University Wellbein g Team. SU a c tivity within tiers on e an d two of th e stepped care m odel play an impor tant rol e in suppor tin g th e dayto - day wellbein g of students an d th e SU will continue to develop th ese ser vices over th e comin g years. Th e SU was also a par tn er in th e creation of th e South Wales Mental Heal th Par tn ership alon gside th e oth er Cardiff based SU’s an d Universities. Th e par tn ership m odel is a referral ser vice that looks to supp or t students wh o are too unwell for University but may be missed by NHS provision. Th e NHS ba cked ser vice was created through a period of consul tation an d has alrea dy begun to receive an d suppor t students.
COMMS AND MARKETING This year has seen a focus on th e SU’s communications an d marketin g, aided by th e recruitm ent of two Communications an d Marketin g student interns. Th e student team h elped to in crease th e volum e an d quality of content , focussin g on mana gin g th e social, creatin g video content an d creatin g inn ovative n ew ways of en ga gin g with m embers. A n ew communications an d marketin g strategy has been implem ented an d th e SU’s social m edia has been streamlin ed in to two a ccounts, @CardiffMetSU an d @CMetSUSpor t a cross all main social platforms. A social m edia sch edule is n ow available to all staff to input to, an d a SU TikTok a ccount has been created. Th ese have been implem ented to improve th e overall mana gem ent , unif y th e ton e of content , improve internal staff communications, an d fur th er prom ote SU a c tivity. Insta gram has been a focal point of th e year, prioritisin g postin g both stor y an d grid content , over takin g Twitter as our main social m edia in order to rea ch th e student body on th eir preferred platform. Th ere has also been a focus on th e type of content that is posted. We have reduced th e number of graphics posted an d prioritised pic tures an d vi deos which have proven to provide better en ga gem ent . Sin ce May 2021 we have gain ed over 1, 200 followers which is a 46% in crease on th e platform.
Utilisin g an improved data driven approa ch to communicat ions an d marketin g has been ben ef icial this year. Identif yin g high an d low en ga gem ent periods durin g th e a ca demic year has resul ted in targeted communication focussed on providin g quality content an d runnin g campaigns durin g low periods to retain followers. This year we ran a giveaway durin g th e low en ga gem ent point followin g th e Christmas h oliday, gainin g an d retainin g over 400 followers. Despite switchin g our primar y focus to Insta gram, we still ma de sure to maintain a focus on Twitter, wh ere we received over 42 ,000 prof ile visits sin ce Januar y 1st , currently sittin g at 8 ,796 followers. Fa cebook continues to be our lowest en ga gin g platform an d has been declinin g for a few years. We currently have 7,758 followers an d avera ge aroun d 2 ,000 post intera c tions per m onth, despite havin g an avera ge of 6 , 300 insights per day. We continue to develop th e SU website an d tra ck th e analy tics an d th e SU website has ha d over 222 ,000 visits this year. Th e top three viewed webpa ges were SU Spor t , SU Societies, an d th e SU Jobsh op with users visitin g th e website via a desktop 69.1% of th e tim e an d a m obile 30.4% of th e tim e This data will be used to make fur th er improvem ents in th e 2022 /23 a ca demic year.
SU ADVICE AND SUPPORT Th e SU Advice an d Suppor t is an in depen dent an d conf idential a dvice ser vice offered to all students enrolled on a Cardiff Met course, this also covers all students enrolled with our local par tn ers an d international par tn er organisations. Offerin g guidan ce on all aspec ts o f university life in cludin g university procedures, a ca demic procedures, h ousin g an d student wellbein g. Our aim is to ensure that all students are fully inform ed of th eir options, are suppor ted to make decisions an d signposted to ser vices an d a dditional suppor t wh en n eeded. This year, we have ben ef ited f rom havin g n ot on e but two m embers of staff workin g to suppor t students an d deliver th e a dvice an d suppor t ser vice. We have seen th e developm ent of onlin e web pa ges that clearly outlin e processes an d procedures givin g students th e oppor tunity to develop th eir own un derstan din g of th e ser vices available. 2021/22 has seen a slow return to campus an d th e deman d for th e a dvice an d suppor t ser vice continuin g to grow. With an in crease in wellbein g cases an d h ousin g as th e impa c t of th e pan demic continues to affec t students. Durin g 2021/22 over 231 h ours of staff tim e has been dedicated to student’s m eetin gs, casework , an d representation.
Aca demic year (September to August) Total cases suppor ted 2014 / 15 2015/ 16 2016 / 17 2017/ 18 2018/ 19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 (*cases up until 14 th Jun e 2022)
14 8 153 200 247 309 229 252 373*
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION In 2021 th e SU laun ch ed its Equality, Diversity an d In clusion strategy an d with th e suppor t of students an d staff we have continued to work togeth er to challen ge in equity, build in clusivity an d above all listen to what m embers want . 2022 /23 will see us laun ch a student led equality n etwork , h ostin g events an d providin g a ba ckdrop to student life that celebrates our diversity, builds in clusive communities an d suppor ts our students. This year we ran events for Bla ck Histor y Month, LGBT Histor y Month, International Wom en’s Day an d oth er events to celebrate an d value our diverse ba ckgroun ds. On e event was th e h ostin g of a live onlin e events with th e Holocaust Educational Trust wh ere Holocaust sur vivor Ziggi Shipper an d his daughter Mich elle provided a powerful a ccount of Ziggi’s life. We will continue to develop our Staff an d SU Reps trainin g to un derstan d th e impor tan ce of valuin g in clusion. Good sexual h eal th is an area President Venky wanted to focus on an d our par tn ership with th e Terren ce Higgins Trust (THT) saw th em on campuses providin g a dvice to students. We have suppor ted th e PrEP campaign an d will continue to work with th em over th e n ext year.
FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION FE Par tn ers
TNE Par tn ers
Our en ga gem ent with Cardiff Met’s FE par tn ers has grown in recent year, lea din g to th e developm ent of a three -point en ga gem ent plan for th e SU with FE par tn ers. Th e three point plan sees th e SU team visitin g FE par tn ers to deliver a welcom e presentation an d invite all learn ers to th e SU Fresh ers’ Fayre in term on e, atten dan ce of FE student representatives at th e annual SU Par tn er Event in term two an d quality assuran ce ch eck ins in term three.
To align our par tn ership work , TNE par tn ers also have a dedicated three -point en ga gem ent plan. An onlin e information event in Oc tober, coordinated a cross th e tim e zon es of different par tn ers, welcom es students to th e SU an d informs th em of what is on offer. On e student representative f rom ea ch TNE par tn er is selec ted by th e institution to atten d th e annual SU Par tn er Event in term two an d onlin e quality assuran ce ch eck ins with student reps take pla ce in term three.
Th e completion of this plan early in th e 2021/22 a ca demic year led to th e beginnin g of th e implem entation of this n ew way of workin g, star tin g with site visits to FE par tn ers to introduce th e SU an d to present to learn ers. FE student reps were invited to th e onlin e version of th e SU Par tn er Event in term two. Due to staff chan ges, th e term three quality assuran ce ch ecks were n ot completed but th e SU is lookin g to use NSS data f rom FE par tn ers to investigate th e experien ces of students at FE par tn ers. Movin g for ward, pen din g successful recruitm ent , th e implem entation of th e three -point plan will be resurrec ted for 2022 /23.
Th e live onlin e welcom e session took pla ce in Oc tober an d over 350 students in 15 countries join ed th e call to learn about th e offerin g f rom th eir SU. Unfor tunately, th e pan demic saw th e postpon em ent of th e in-person SU Par tn er Event but a compreh ensive f ive - day onlin e sch edule was created, rea chin g into mul tiple areas of th e SU an d University. This year, we were delighted to h ost 105 atten dees over th e week , makin g it our m ost atten ded SU Par tn er Event to date. Alon gs ide th e event , th e SU were present at mul tiple in duc tion sessions for TNE students, introducin g th e SU students f rom th e star t of th eir student journ ey.
NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY – NSS Th e NSS m easures th e experien ce received by Un dergra duate students through out th eir wh ole degree, an d gets completed in th e f inal sem ester of your f inal year. This year, th e University has seen a decrease in mul tiple categories through out th e questionnaire. Th e areas m ost signif icantly below th e ben chmark in cluded ‘ Tea chin g on th e Course’, ‘Aca demic Suppor t’, ‘Organisation an d Mana gem ent’, ‘ Student Voice’ an d ‘Overall Satisfa c tion’. This has been a disappointin g resul t , but th e University an d th e SU are takin g a c tive steps in identif yin g an d resolvin g th e issues which did arise f rom th e NSS . We will ta ckle th e NSS usin g our representative struc tures, th e Sch ool Reps, th e Elec ted Off icers, an d suppo r ted by th e SU staff in order to a chieve better experien ce for our m embers goin g for ward. We inten d on updatin g our m embers on th e NSS outcom es an d a c tions to both ourself an d th e University in th e future years via m ore detailed analysis within th e annual repor t . Th e NSS is set to un dergo number of chan ges in wordin g of th e questions, an d th e scales which students can use wh en answerin g th ese. Most n otably, th e n eutral option of “ n eith er a gree n or disa gree” is likely to be rem oved in tim e for th e 2023 NSS .
All areas of responses within Cardiff Met’s NSS have at least 10% usin g th e n eutral option, with th e Student Union question receivin g a 35% n eutral response. Th ese chan ges are likely to chan ge our 2023 NSS data drastically, in a way which may n ot be comparable to this year ’s data.
SPECIAL THANKS This edition of th e SU’s annual repor t also marks th e en d of an era for th e SU as Chief Executive Off icer, Mike Davies retires. Mike has gon e above an d beyon d for students, staff, an d Cardiff Met SU for th e last 26 year, makin g an outstan din g contribution to student life for over n early three deca des. Mike’s premiership has seen signif icant an d sustain ed grow th an d developm ent of th e SU, its ser vices, fa cilities, clubs, societies, f inan ces, an d th e overall sense of belon gin g fel t by students an d staff at th e SU. Durin g his tim e, Mike secured signif icant investm ent into th e SU an d led on major developm ents, n ot least th e buildin g of a purpose -buil t fa cility at Cyn coed for th e SU. Th ere were also diff icul t tim es for th e SU in cludin g th e attempted m erger which saw th e SU chan ge f rom UWIC SU to Cardiff Met SU an d m ore recently, steerin g th e organisation through a global pan demic . Through all of this, Mike’s unwaverin g commitm ent to th e role an d always ensured that th e interests of SU m embers an d th e organisation were protec ted. Mike m oves on with th e best wish es of all at Cardiff Met SU, m ovin g into th e n ext chapter to spen d som e well- earn ed tim e with family.
Th e role of SU Chief Executive Off icer will n ow be taken for ward by Will Fuller. A form er Cardiff Met student an d SU m ember, Will has worked in alm ost all areas of th e SU alon g th e way to this position, in cludin g two years as a Sabbatical Off icer of th e SU. Will plans to drive th e SU for ward followin g th e pan demic , with a focus on voice an d dem ocra cy as well as growin g par ticipation in all m embership ser vices areas th e SU.
2021/22 ACTIONS FOR THE SU Ac tion
Update
Th e SU to continue th e centralised prom otion of SU Elec tions to fur th er en ga ge m embers in th e elec toral process.
Th e SU centralised SU Elec tions prom otion to ensure clarity an d consisten cy of m essa gin g about th e process, roles an d can didate information. In digital spa ces in par ticular, th e use of th e SU website an d social m edia chann els was in creased with on campus marketin g durin g th e n ominations an d votin g periods. A n ew approa ch to creatin g an on- campus presen ce was taken, with ballot stations on both sites an d a comm ercial par tn ership with Frankie & Bennies utilized on laun ch day.
Th e SU to review arran gem ents to a ddress variability in par tn er student en ga gem ent , th e trainin g of par tn er student reps an d th eir atten dan ce at th e SU par tn er event .
Th e SU has taken great strides this year to in crease improve en ga gem ent with m embers at FE an d TNE par tn ers, visitin g UK based par tn ers an d dialin g in with TNE par tn ers. More on this can be rea d in th e FE & TNE Developm ents sec tion of th e repor t . SU Rep trainin g for par tn ers is bein g developed for th e 2022 /23 a ca demic year as th e n ext phase of this a c tion an d will be an a c tion for th e SU within this repor t .
The SU to continue the summer training programme for incoming SU School Rep and SU Part-Time Off icers ahead of the SU Training Week.
Th e SU utilized a rem ote summ er trainin g programm e for th e 2021/22 SU Rep an d Par tTim e Off icer teams. Feedba ck f rom th e team was that this was ben ef icial an d prepared th em well for th e in-person trainin g week . Th e summ er trainin g programm e will remain for th e 2022 /23 team.
The SU to develop a second tier of SU Rep training for SU Reps entering their second or third year within he role.
Capa city within th e team m eant that this a c tion was n ot completed an d will be carried for ward for completion.
2021/22 ACTIONS FOR THE SU Ac tion
Update
Th e SU to f inalise an d laun ch th e SU Equality & Diversity In clusion Strategy.
Th e SU laun ch ed th e ‘Equality Diversity & In clusion Strategy 2021 /2023’ with a six-par t vision “ To provide th e voice for students through out th eir journ ey creatin g an in clusive learnin g environm ent for all”. Th e SU has begun work to create a SU EDI Network with a laun ch plann ed for Oc tober 2022 . More information on th e work in this area can be foun d in th e EDI Developm ent sec tion of th e repor t .
Th e Student s’ Union to deliver a vir tual Fresh ers’ Fayre alon gside th e tra dition physical Fayre in 2021/22 .
Th e SU delivered a vir tual Fresh ers’ Fayre alon gside th e physical Fayre in September 2021. With n early 4000 students en ga gin g with th e reintroduced in-person Fayre, visits to th e vir tual Fayre were much reduced. Th e decision has been ma de n ot to deliver a vir tual Fayre in September 2022 .
2021/22 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY Recomm en dation
Update
Th e University to embed #NotAnExcu se campaign into th e in duc tion period for in comin g students.
This a c tion is bein g taken for ward, an d th e campaign is bein g embedded into th e 2022 /23 in duc tion.
Th e University to continue th e developm ent of th e Ra ce Equality Char ter through par tn ership projec t work with th e Stu dents’ Union.
Th e University has taken for ward th e work on Ra ce Equality Char ter, with scopin g exercise followed by mul tiple workstreams a ddressin g issues such as Grievan ces policies, Equal Pay, Recruitm ent , Progression an d much m ore.
The University to work with the Students’ Union on a series of summer transition activities targeted at supporting the transition of groups with high suspension and withdrawal rates.
Unfor tunately, continued Covid-19 restric tions m eant that this a c tion could n ot be completed. Th ere are enhan ced Welcom e Week plans for th e 2022 intake which are targeted at improvin g th e sense of conn ec tedn ess, resourcefuln ess am on gst th e student body an d it is h oped that th ese plans have th e desired effec t that this a c tion was inten ded to.
The University to support the Students’ Union to deliver a virtual induction for TNE and Partner students in the 2021/22 academic year.
With suppor t f rom th e Global En ga gem ent team, th e SU were in atten dan ce at th e vir tual in duc tions of TNE par tn er students This allowed th e SU to improve relationships with m embers at TNE par tn ers, better informin g th em of th e offerin g f rom th eir SU. More on this can be rea d in th e FE & TNE Developm ents sec tion of th e repor t .
2022/23 ACTIONS FOR THE SU Ac tion Th e SU to develop a bespoke SU Rep recruitm ent an d trainin g process for FE an d TNE par tn er reps
Th e SU to review elec tion processes to boost turn out , suppor t th e can didates an d raise th e un derstan din g of elec tions.
Th e SU to formalise th e in clusion of a Postgra duate Student Rep to better represent th e voice of PGR students.
Th e SU to fur th er prom ote th e SU Sch ool Reps within th eir respec tive sch o ols an d th e sch ool-based SU Rep system to raise awaren ess o f student voice.
Th e SU to continue th e grow th of SU Societies a cross both campuses to improve th e sense of student community
2022/23 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY Recomm en dation Th e University to continue to embed #NotAnExcuse campaign into student life, sharin g th e campaign a cross th e a ca demic year.
Th e University to develop spa ces within both campuses for social a c tivity wh ere SU Society, volunteerin g an d oth er student led a c tivity can take pla ce.
Th e University to work with th e Students’ Union on a series of in-person summ er transition a c tivities targeted at suppor tin g th e transition of groups with high suspension an d with drawal rates.
Update
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