Thursday 13-01-2022 - 09:55

It’s officially 2022, and the beginning of Semester 2. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and feel ready to return to your studies. With Wales now being in Alert Level 2, we want you all to stay safe, and to let you know that we are still here as normal for you as a Union. 

Our Advice Centre is taking appointments, and if you’d like to speak to one of our advisors, you can reach them by emailing suadvice@glyndwr.ac.uk. Our friendly and flexible advisors are available for appointments via Microsoft Teams, telephone or in person depending on your preference. 

Glyn’s Bar & Pizzeria also remains open as usual, so do come down to grab a drink, a pizza or just chill out in our relaxed and open space. 

What have I been up to?

Before eating my body weight in Christmas food and spending valuable time with loved ones, I encouraged the University to pass an extensions policy for students to enable them to self-certify for up to seven days without the need to supply evidence. This will alleviate the stress for many of obtaining evidence where in some circumstances this can be extremely difficult. 

Before the end of Semester 1, I collaborated with Wrexham AFC in support of Stonewall UK’s Rainbow Laces campaign. The University donated rainbow laces to both Wrexham AFC’s Mens and Womens team, in an attempt to show support for the LGBT+ community . 

Stonewall UK say, “People from all walks of life can gain a sense of belonging and community through shared passion. And LGBTQ+ people deserve to be a part of this. We shouldn’t feel excluded or shut out just because of who we are.

“Our Rainbow Laces have brought visibility for LGBTQ+ people in sport and awareness around our experiences.

“Today, more than a million people have laced up, and two thirds of sport fans who’ve seen the campaign believe they have a responsibility to stand in solidarity for LGBTQ+ fans of the teams and sports they follow. However, the numbers show there is still much to do.”

At WGSU, we are passionate about bringing people together and encourage our own sports teams to wear rainbow laces. Sport is an opportunity not only to take part in something fun, but also to be part of a community, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The rainbow laces raise awareness and highlight the importance of inclusivity within sport, and shows that anyone can take part in something that improves both physical and mental health. 

Movember

I organised a charity fundraiser for Movember UK where £1 from all Movember-themed cocktails sold went to the Movember UK charity. 

Christmas Ball

I arranged a Christmas Ball event with a live DJ, giving those who took part the opportunity to dress up and socialise before going away for the Christmas break.

Students staying in halls

We put together something special for students who were staying in both Wrexham Village and Snowdon Hall during the break. Students who stayed in halls over Christmas received a WGSU hamper and some board games to enjoy, and Wrexham Village even decorated a vacant flat with Christmas decorations and further goodies for students to enjoy.

What are my main focuses this semester? 

This semester I will roll out a mental health awareness campaign, and will also be continuing the Period Dignity campaign. 

I will continue to attend various committees with senior members of University staff to ensure that your student voice remains heard. 

We do have something else exciting in the pipeline, and for those of you who hate referencing, this one is likely to be of interest! Stay tuned for more info coming soon.

Our wellbeing fortnight, scheduled from the 17^th-28^th of January, has been postponed to a later date to be confirmed this semester in light of new restrictions from the Welsh government. Once restrictions are lifted again, we endeavor to host more events throughout the second semester.

Farewell Stef!

Our current Union CEO, Stefanie Hartley, will be leaving us on the 28^th of January to begin her new role at UCLan. Stef has been at the core of our Students’ Union for over two years and has seen us through the worst periods of the pandemic. She has been instrumental in developing our new strategy to take forwards into the next four years, and has helped us expand as a Union to improve your overall student experience. Stef will be sorely missed and we do wish her the very best of luck on her new venture. 

In light of this, we are recruiting for a new CEO to start with us in the summer, and in the meantime we have an interim to hold the fort for us so that we can still help to deliver a positive student experience for you for the rest of the academic year. 

As always, if you would like to contact me, I can be reached on my email which is supresident@glyndwr.ac.uk.

Alternatively, you can direct message me on any of my social media pages below: 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WGSUPresident 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wgsupresident/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wgsupresident 

 

Written by Lauren Hole, WGSU President