Monday 31-10-2022 - 09:55

Freshers’ Week this year offered the start to semester one that students had been missing since 2019, and whether you came to Glyndwr as a new or returning student, we hope we were able to kick off your academic year with a bang! We saw the highest levels of engagement since pre-pandemic, and put on a range of events spanning a seven day period.

If you came to the Freshers’ Fair in the Sports Centre, you may or may not have seen my MateSpace stall, where I ran a competition for a £100 Amazon voucher for new sign-ups. To enter the competition, students had to sign up to MateSpace and guess how many flying saucers were in a jar, and we did have a winner with Rachel Law claiming the voucher. MateSpace now has over 230 members, and is becoming a promising space for students to communicate with one another. If you’ve not yet joined the group, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/matespace.

Cost of living crisis

I’ve been working closely with the University to help deliver for students on the cost of living crisis. Being a student is already expensive enough without a financial crisis to worry about, and that’s why solutions to the problem are a priority for the SU and the University alike. As we continue to explore ways in which we can absorb the impact so that you don’t have to, that might not always be enough. The University does offer a hardship fund for those who are in desperate need for financial support to help make ends meet.

If you are finding yourself in a situation where you need some help, an application for the hardship fund will be treated confidentially. If you would like to know more about the hardship fund, please contact funding@glyndwr.ac.uk or visit the Edward Llwyd Centre on the Plas Coch campus to speak to someone in person. The new ASK zone on the ground floor of the Edward Llwyd Centre is a gateway into any of the support services on offer. Alternatively, you can even self-refer via: https://portal.elementalsoftware.co/app/WebObjects/ES.woa/wa/DirectAction/login

There are also a number of bursaries handled by the University’s funding team that you may be eligible for. For more information on these, follow the link here: https://glyndwr.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries/.

For more information on funding and money advice, follow this link: https://students.glyndwr.ac.uk/home-2/student-funding-money-advice/

Help Yourshelf

Last week, we rolled out our Help Yourshelf campaign and are now accepting donations! The Help Yourshelf hub is past reception just outside of the sabbatical officer office in the Students’ Union building. We’re accepting donations of the following:

• Non-perishable food goods e.g. a tin of soup
• Stationery
• Self-care goods e.g. shampoo/shower gel

Those who need it will be able to pop in and help themselves to any items from the Help Yourshelf cupboard. Please bear in mind that Help Yourshelf is aimed at helping those who need essential goods the most, and to be considerate by taking only what you really need to give as many students as possible a chance to benefit. We really hope the campaign will add that little bit extra help for you in difficult times.

As always, if you’d like to contact me directly, then I’m reachable on many platforms! You can send an email to supresident@glyndwr.ac.uk, or direct message me on any of my social media channels under the handle @WGSUPresident.

 

Written by Lauren Hole, Students' Union President

 

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