Bangor University Students’ Union Trustee Board Meeting TB240919 Minutes of the meeting held on 24th September 2019 at 1:00pm, Cledwyn 3, Main Arts
Present:
Mark Barrow (MB)(Chair), Lleucu Myrddin (LlM), Harry Riley (HR), Muhammed Firdaus (MF), Henry Williams (HW), Jeremy Harvey (JH), Llinos Roberts (LlR), Ian Roberts (IR), Emma Morvan (EM), Caroline Cartmill (CC)
In attendance:
Llinos Gashe (LlG) (Minutes), Mair Rowlands (MR) (Director), Sharon Brown (SB) (Presentation of Union Accounts)
Agenda TB240919-01 Welcome
Discussion i. ii. iii.
Action MB welcomed members to the meeting, followed by individual introductions to include all in attendance. MB as chair read through the Union’s Public Benefit Statement. The following were circulated for information and guidance to all Trustees: • Annual Cycle of Business • Code of Conduct • Reminder of Responsibilities – Trustee Statement of Responsibility • Charity Commission Essential Trustee Guidance
TB240919-02 Apologies for absence
No apologies received
TB240919-03 Declaration of Interest TB240919-04 Minutes of the previous meeting TB240919-05 Matters arising from previous minutes
Jeremy Harvey’s role as NUS Wales Policy and Governance Consultant was noted. MB presented the minutes, which were accepted as a true record of the meeting held on 26th June 2019, pending the amendment of Henry Riley to Harry Riley. TB270619-06 – Draft Budget MB reported that a break even budget was presented to the University which was approved. TB270619-11 – Operational Plan MR reported that as agreed in the last meeting the format of the Operational Plan has now been amended. TB270619-12- Risk Register MR reported that arrangements have been made to transfer over to the 4Risk Programme.
TB270619-14 – Sub Committee Meetings MR reported that dates have been circulated to all Sub Committees for 19/20.
Standing Items TB240919-06 Election of Deputy Chair
TB240919-07 Management Accounts
MB reported that in line with the Union’s bye-laws the Board of Trustees requires to elect a deputy chair which must be an external trustee. Jeremy Harvey was elected as Deputy Chair. It was noted that as an employee of NUS Wales, JH would not be able to participate in any future recruitment of a Director and if there was a vote to disaffiliate from NUS, JH would have to step down as Deputy Chair. a) Period 12 Accounts SB reported that the P&L balance at the end of year demonstrates a surplus of £32,179 against a forecast deficit budget of £8,000 resulting in a favourable variance of £40,179.
TB240919-08 Director’s Update
MB reported that the allocation for Alumni funding will be changing this year. A funding allocation committee will be set up which a Sabbatical Officer will be a member. MB further reported that he will be requesting a specific fund for the SU. The next meeting will take place in November and MB will report at the next Trustee meeting in December. • Appointment of key University staff - The new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iwan Davies started at the beginning of September and the officers have met with him to outline their priorities. Over the summer, officers were also invited to be members of appointment panels for the Director of Estates (MB) and Director of Pontio (LlM), the successful candidates will be starting in their roles soon. • National Student Survey - The Union’s NSS score increased this year from 55% to 64% of our students agreeing that ‘the Students’ Union effectively represents academic interests’. This score has resulted in Undeb Bangor becoming the best Students’ Union in Wales for Higher Education Academic Representation. • Website UnionCloud – The Students’ Union’s 3-year contract with MSL came to an end in August, to stop using their platform the SU would need to give 12 months’ notice. A full demo of relevant functionality on UnionCloud has been requested.
MB to update on Alumni Fund at the next board meeting.
The information received so far is that the new pricing structure allows access to all their modules and features, and is based on our student numbers. Based on the HESA student number of 11,270 we would fall into their mid category, with an annual license fee of £5,000 + VAT on a three-year contract basis. UnionCloud customers are also eligible for a minimum 20% reward on license fees, as part of the new TOTUM incentive scheme. An update will be given at the next Board of Trustee Meeting. TB240919-09 Sabbatical Update
Further to the circulated reports it was noted: MB: Teaching and Learning Strategy – working with Students in shaping the strategy. Employability - Making sure that students are aware that getting involved in SU activities boosts their chances of getting a job and starting a career. This is in line with the new VC’s main priority. HR: Meat Free Mondays – In addition to Teras, Cegin now provides vegetarian/vegan hot food options on a Monday. This will be advertised as part of the Students’ Union internal campaign. Fossil Fuel Divestment - the University divested their portfolio in fossil fuels back in 2016. Continuing from this the Students’ Union will create social media posts based on this and will continue to pressure the University in changing their statement so they will never invest. HW: Club Equipment Purchases –Club grant application forms were scrutinising over the Summer, from which vital equipment clubs said they need was purchased with the AU club grants underspend. Equipment for around 40 clubs was purchased, so that it wasn’t necessary to give the clubs funding for the items they said they were going to buy this year. This has allowed the AU to be more efficient with grant allocation. Sports Therapy/Physio Clinic- there will be a Sports Therapy clinic available for AU members every Friday from 9:30 – 1:30 (to begin with), allowing for 8 30 minute appointments provided for students. The clinic will run weekly throughout the BUCS calendar from 11/9/19 – 13/12/19 in Semester 1. MF: Cultural Fair – Currently working on the Cultural Fair which will take place on the 7th November. Societies Fest – Similar to Varsity but for societies. This is being planned for Semester two.
LlM:
Welsh Language – Worked on ensuring the Welsh Language was more visual during Welcome Week. A PowerPoint slide was created that could be added to any welcome talk outlining rights, and a 'checklist' of things to keep in mind during the week, such as having Welsh students and staff involved in the welcome talks and that Welsh staff wear a lanyard or language badge at all times. UMCB Book - UMCB will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, work has started on the project of ensuring that a book about the Union's history is prepared by that milestone. A meeting has taken place with the Welsh Books Council to better understand the process of how to apply for publishing grants, and have started discussions with a publishing company about the next steps that need to be taken.
TB240919-10 Sub Committee Updates
The following points were noted: a) Executive Committee i. Sabb decided to show support for the People’s Vote. ii. Discussions will take place with the University’s Housing department with regards to developing a Housing Charter. b) Governance Sub Committee i. Changes to the Data Sharing agreement were approved to be presented at the University’s Compliance Task Group. ii. The Delegation of Authority has been amended and will be circulated to all members of the board. iii. Rhys Dart was approved as Elections Returning Officer. c) Finance Sub Committee i. A sub committee will be set up to look at contracts. ii. Clubs and Societies will be reminded that all fundraising must be done through RAG.
TB240919-11 Health and Safety Sub-Committee Membership
In line with the terms and reference, the Health and Safety sub-committee requires a Student Trustee as a member. Emma Morvan volunteered to sit on the Committee, which the Board approved.
TB240919-12 Risk Register
TB240919-13 Operational Plan TB240918-14 Annual Statement of Legal Compliance
MR reported that following the approval in the last Board of Trustees meeting to transfer over to the University’s 4Risk system, she, along with two of the Managers attended an information and training session on how the 4risk system works. The next step will be to transfer all the information over to the new system. The Risk Register will then be monitored by the Executive Committee. Interim Operational Plan circulated for information only. MB asked if individual staff names could be removed and replaced with job titles. MR reported that the Annual Statement of Legal Compliance is presented to the Board annually. The report assures trustees that legal and reputational risk are being considered and controlled. Concerns were raised with regards to GDPR and the personal information collected by clubs and societies during Serendipity and how that information is used. It was reported that session on GDPR have been provided in the Student Leadership Conference in the past. MR to discuss with Opportunities Manager what the current process is and if there is a need for more training and to enquire with the University Data Protection Officer what we could in place for the next academic year.
TB240919-15 Strategic Plan Development Process
MR to remove staff names and replace with job titles.
MR reported that the Interim operational plan has been developed, and was presented to the Board of Trustees in the June 2019 meeting. Some changes to the operational plan have been made over the summer to ensure that the Sabbatical officer priorities have been incorporated. The University have appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, who started at the beginning of September, the University’s Strategy is ending in 2020, and they will be developing a new strategy during this academic year. It is important that the Students’ Union’s strategy is designed to also contribute to the key university strategies. The new Bangor Students’ Union Strategic Plan should be distinctive and relevant to the students’ union, but there should also be clear and defined synergy with that of the university, so that the students’ union can demonstrate where it can add most value. Currently awaiting confirmation on what the timeline for developing the University’s strategy will be.
MR to look in to our current arrangements and training on GDPR
TB240910-16 Board Objectives
The paper provided for discussion included an update on the process and a framework to moving forward with the union’s strategic planning process for consideration by the Board. MR agreed to look at the deliverables on the Strategic Plan and to contact external strategy consultants to provide support to the SU during the process. After receiving proposals, a discussion will need to take place in the Finance sub-committee on allocation of funds. MR reported that as part of the recent trustee training session, members of the board conducted a self- evaluation exercise and considered BUSU against each of the eight areas of new code. The action plan circulated sets out areas of improvement and progress made to date. It was noted that the area which scored lower again this year was Diversity. To improve the Diversity of the Board the following areas will be looked at: • • • • •
TB240919-17 Update on External Trustees Recruitment Items for Discussion and Approval TB240919-18 Health and Safety Policies
TB240919-19 Student Experience Report 20182019
Recruitment of additional trustee to fill skills gap. Strive to reflect the diversity of the students' union’s membership. Board to establish this as a priority area in recruitment of student and external trustees. Officer elections need to have targeted messages to attract diverse candidates. Establish Board Diversity Plan/Policy. Regular review of diversity of the board.
In addition to the circulated paper MR will circulate the Governance Code and Wheel. MR reported that an advertisement for External Trustees has been e-mailed to all Alumni through the Alumni Office, a few responses have been received to date. In addition, a joint advertisement with other SU’s in Wales has been placed in the Western Mail and Fish4Jobs. Applications close on the 9th October. MR reported that the format of SU Health and Safety Policy and Risk Assessment have been amended in line with the University format. Amendments have been highlighted in green. The Board approved the Policy and Risk Assessments. MR to sign and date the policy. Presentation was given to the Board on the 2018-2019 Student Experience Report. The SU creates a Student Experience Report, which is presented to the University, the reports draws on many sources of data including the Annual Student Survey. The purpose
MR to look at deliverables contact strategy consultants
MR to circulate Governance Code and Wheel
MR to sign and date the policy.
of the report is to highlight some of the key areas, which are currently of importance to students. Within the report the SU provides commendations and recommendations, with an aim of ensuring the student experience is the very best it can be.
TB240919-20 Undeb Bangor’s Response on the Development of an Estates Strategy TB240919-21 National Student Survey Summary TB240919-22 Democratic Procedures Committee
The report will be presented to the University Executive, Senate and Council. MB reported that following the last Board of Trustees meeting, the Students’ Union response to the Estates Strategy was sent to the University, however, since the publication of the strategy, some of the plans initially outlined are now unclear. An update is to be presented by the University at the next University Council meeting and MB will give a further update at the next meeting. MR reported that Bangor Students’ Union had been ranked top in Wales in the National Student Survey for effectively representing students’ academic interest. The hard work of the Student Voice team and the Course rep system was noted by the Board of Trustees. MB reported that the Democratic Procedures Committee is responsible for finalising Student Members Meeting & Undeb Bangor Council agendas, checking motions for accuracy, ambiguity and legality, and suggesting revisions where necessary and assisting the Chairperson in counting votes and advising on rulings. The Committee requires the President to Chair the committee along with one other Sabbatical Officer and one Student Trustee. It was agreed for HR (Sabbatical) and CC (Student Trustee) to attend DPC.
TB240919-23 Relationship Agreement
TB240919-25 Review Actions Agreed
MB reported that the Relationship Agreement was circulated for information. The purpose of the agreement is to set clearly the nature of the relationship between the University and the Union and the obligations and responsibilities which arise. • • • • • •
MB to update on Alumni Fund at the next Board of Trustees meeting. MR to remove staff names and replace with job titles on the Operational Plan MR to look into our current arrangements and training on GDPR MR to look at deliverables of Strategic Plan development and contact strategy consultants MR to circulate Governance Code and Wheel MR to sign and date Health and Safety Policy.
MB to give update on Estates Strategy at next meeting
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MB to give update on Estates Strategy at next meeting
TB240919-26 AOB
The Board congratulated the Students’ Union on a very successful Serendipity.
TB240919-27 Date of Next Meeting
17th December 2019