• Creating an equal balance of student voices throughout all of Wales at conference

• NUS Welsh Language and Bilingual Provision

Policy passed at NUS Wales Conference 2023

Creating an equal balance of student voices throughout all of Wales at conference

What’s the issue and how does it affect students?

Currently students across North Wales are not having their voices heard as effectively as those in South Wales, due to the number of delegates present at NUS conferences. This means policies voted on and discussions had are being majority led by those delegates from South Wales. Those from institutions in North Wales are feeling underrepresented and that there is pressure to speak up for a small minority at a large scale, meaning Northern students might not being seeing the same benefit to the passing of motions in the same way those at Southern institutions would.

What changes would we like to see in society to change this? 

The proposal is that delegate entitlement in Wales should be based on a more equitable calculation.

Throughout NUS practices, North Wales-based institutions would like to see a fair  representation of student delegates from each institution across Wales. We feel the size of an institution, and number of students enrolled, should not be the only factor used to consider an institutions delegate entitlement. Although there may be fewer students to speak for, it doesn’t make these voices any less valued and shouldn’t change the impact these voices can have. More voices does not always mean more valuable input, and if each SU has an equal chance to speak and vote, the outcome will seem more fair and well-rounded.

This would be of a huge benefit to smaller institutions, especially in North Wales.

To require policy proposers to consider the impact their proposed policy will have on Northern and Southern Institutions through an impact assessment.

For Part-Time students to be considered equally to Full-Time students in regards to delegate entitlement calculations.

For NUS Wales Steering Committee to consider recommendations regarding changes to the delegate entitlement calculation principles for future NUS Wales Conferences. These recommendations include the introduction of a higher fixed minimum and maximum number of delegates per institutions to ensure more equitable representation for each Union. For the allocation per institution between these minimum and maximum levels to be calculated proportionally to the number of students at a given institution.

For a representative from each Students’ Union in Wales to be invited to engage and partake in the democracy review to be undertaken by NUS Wales.

NUS Welsh Language and Bilingual Provision

What’s the issue and how does it affect students? 

NUS campaigns material and other relevant material to Students’ Unions in Wales is not always provided bilingually or fully bilingually. Student officers in Wales struggle to execute NUS-instigated campaigns, or cannot run them at all, because materials from the national body are not always bilingual. This makes it harder for Welsh Unions and students to participate in National campaigns and events. We believe that there is more that can be done to continuously incorporate the Welsh language in NUS activity and ensure best practice is upheld.

What changes would we like to see in society to change this? 

NUS to recognise official and equal status to the Welsh language, and that the Welsh language and bilingualism is an integral feature of Welsh life. That society promotes and protects culture, heritage, and the Welsh language.

For all materials produced by NUS for campaign purposes within Welsh SU's to be available bilingually.

The policy will set out what NUS will do to enhance its bilingual provision and define what students and SU's can expect in terms of bilingualism.

That NUS corporate governance structures, including NUS UK, consider how they can ensure enhanced bilingual provision, and the resources and planning needed.

That NUS set up a forum of Welsh Language SU officers to support this work and support and discuss any relevant Welsh language campaigning issues to Wales

NUS to explore providing a Welsh language translation service for members that do not have capacity in house.