Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about the officer review
If you have a question that isn’t answered here send it across to democracy@cardiff.ac.uk we’ll find the right person to answer your question. If the question and answer help explain the process, it may be added to this post.
AGM voted for an 8th officer, why do the proposals not include the 8 officers?
Board of Trustees reviewed the costing of an additional officer against the factors effecting the students’ union. The students’ union has a financially challenging year ahead with a decrease in the grant from the university. There are other factors effecting the students’ union budget which will be explained in detail at AGM.
Board of trustees are responsible for the effective management of the organisation including the financial stability of the students’ union. You can find out more about the Board of Trustees here. As they are the governing body the Board of Trustees can choose to not implement a democratic decision if it is not feasible for any financial, legal, or constitutional reason.
Why did it take so long for you to communicate that the union wasn’t having an 8th officer?
It was decided that the incoming officer team (2019/2020) would communicate the statement that the union will have 7 officers and the proposals all together, rather than give bits of information without the complete picture.
How do I submit an amendment or comment on these proposals?
Over the course of the next few months we will launch a consultation through our ‘AGM Hub’ this is where you’ll see each of the proposals and have the opportunity to give your feedback directly to the students’ union. You can ‘up vote’ or ‘down vote’ proposals, suggest a proposal be amended, or just tell us your thoughts on the individual proposals by leaving a comment.
If you would prefer to not post publically or if you just have questions you can email democracy@cardiff.ac.uk so that your comments are provided to the officer team
Any proposal put forward at AGM needs to give a clear and unambiguous mandate for the future of the officer team.
Are we having a full-time Welsh Language Officer?
That is up to you as students at AGM. A number of proposals have been developed for AGM to choose some including a full-time Welsh Language Officer some not.
How will the proposals be debated?
As an item submitted by the students’ union there is not an opportunity to submit amendments once the agenda papers are released.
Each proposal will have time allotted for a speaker for and a speaker against. There will not be the opportunity for questions at AGM due to the consultation process (mentioned above). The proposals seen at AGM will be the culmination of consultation.
Each proposal has the option for you to speak for or against it, if you would like to speak on either side of a proposal agm@cardiff.ac.uk
What if I don’t like any of the proposals?
You are more than welcome to speak against the proposals at AGM, there is an entire section devoted to a debate. You can choose to vote ‘none’ at AGM, or even spoil you ballot paper at AGM.
What does the current officer team think?
The current officer team are members of the Board of Trustees and have approved these options to be debated. If you would like to know their opinion on particular proposals, contact them individually to see what they are thinking.
What would the function of the full-time Welsh Language officer?
To find out more about the proposed Welsh Language Officer contact UMCC (The Welsh Students’ Union) who can provide information on the responsibilities and duties of the role.
Why do the proposals include a role for ‘Welsh Language & Community’ when the role was originally Welsh Language?
Amended the remit to be comparable with all of the officers and to provide scope for development for the role and the wider welsh speaking community.
How much does a full-time officer cost?
The financial cost of a sabbatical officer is approximately £24,000 per annum this includes: a salary, equipment costs (phone, laptop etc), travel, and attending training and conferences to ensure they can be effective. This does not include campaign costs.