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Student Elections 2016:

Student Led Teaching Fellowship winnersinterviews on p.17

Society Profile: Kendofull profile on p.10

CSAD student shaves head for charityFull story on p.7

This is your chance to vote for who you want to lead the students' union for 2016/17!

Check out the complete candidate profi les inside on Page 4.

Stef Kelly, Incumbent Students' Union President

meet the candidates

@cardiffmetsu on twitter www.cardiffmetsu.co.ukCommitted to providing a world-class student experience March 2016

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6

Editor Luke Williams // ldwilliams@cardiffmet.ac.uk Advertising Dave Jackson // djackson@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Welcome

Paul Sander

csadrep@cardiffmet.ac.uk@CSADRep

As all of us 2nd Years are now over half way through our degrees, I can reflect on the way our school has adapted over the last 18 months and I invite you to do the same. The way in which students have made B-Block their own by creating habitable working environments as opposed to the cold concrete shell that was there such a short time ago, I hope that you can all feel the lively buzz of artists and designers infectiously spreading into every nook and cranny.

CSAD has developed a communi-ty feel to it and the rep structure epitomises that. We all want to do what is in the best interests of the students and it amazes me the way in which students build bridges with other students from other courses through fundraising, events and societies. As a school we have the largest number of non-sport socie-ties, something that I think reflects the true persona of CSAD students, understanding that time and effort are the greatest currencies we have and knowing that whether you're taking part in a quiz, casting spells or helping refugees, it is the social aspect of what you're doing that is far more benefi cial than sitting in bed watching Netflix.

So let’s keep going CSAD and keep working hard towards the degree shows!

Welcome to the Spring issue of retro

Wilf Brotherton-Ratcliffe

cserep@cardiffmet.ac.uk@CSERep

I hope term two is going well for you and that you're making the most of it! There's been lots going on at the SU this term so here’s a few updates from CSE!

January blues were quickly brushed aside with the newly designed School of Education hoodies going on sale and over 100 students ordering one, creating more of a CSE identity on campus.

Exciting prospects are ahead with the birth of the CSE Social Commit-tee. They held their fi rst meeting earlier this term where ideas were shared and plans made for a fund-raising week at the end of term.

Final year students have been busy completing the NSS survey, gaining a free Starbucks in the process, as well as 5 lucky students winning prizes including Six Nations tickets.

The CSE Ball will be held on the 3rd of May. An event many of you have been looking forward to. Tickets can be purchased now from the SU.

Applications for the School Rep po-sition in the next academic year are now open. I've had a brilliant time as a School Rep, gaining invaluable experiences and skills. If you would like to know a little bit more about the role, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Niamh Chapman

cshsrep@cardiffmet.ac.uk@CSHSRep

As my time at Cardiff Met and Cardiff as a city comes to an end it's hard not to look back and reflect on my time here. It seems like only yesterday I decided to move to the Welsh capital, although admittedly it was initially to study. The fi ve years I have spent in Wales have been fantastic and I have changed so much as result of them. Deciding to return to uni and to study at Cardiff Met was one of the best decisions I think I will ever make. I have made so many great friends, shared some fantastic experiences and fallen in love with an awesome city.

A large part of my student expe-rience and many of my highlights have come from my involvement in the SU and that is always my top tip for any student – it’s never too late to get involved and you never know what opportunities it might lead to. While I get ready to fi nish my degree and pack my bags for my next ad-venture (off down under for 3 years!) it is bittersweet to say goodbye to the city that means so much to me. We’re in the last stretch of the year now and I’m sure more than a little stressed with deadlines, but for me I’m still trying to enjoy the little things and the last of student life! Here’s to great memories, friend-ships that’ll last a lifetime and all the adventures yet to come!

#CMet16Graduate

Damon Lewes

csmrep@cardiffmet.ac.uk@CSMRep

So you are in the school of manage-ment and you are looking to maybe study abroad or do a placement abroad but it is just such a HASSLE. Well here is the good news: it’s not!

We have a wonderful International Offi ce that can guide you through the whole experience. Just a few short forms and a short statement and you are nearly done. I did not think it was so simple. I emailed for a chat and less than a week later I had seen a lovely person in the In-ternational Offi ce and we had talked through what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go and how I could get the funding in place.

If you are on a course with Inter-national in the title you should be looking at least to do a placement, even if you don’t want to do a whole year. Even if you just want to dip your toe into the subject, try going to the International/Partners tab on the Cardiff Met website. There you will fi nd some of the places you can go or just look at the HUGE map in the CSM reception area for inspiration.

So these opportunities are available to most if not all CSM students, let’s make this year the best for interna-tionalisation and outward mobility. Remember if you don’t ask you don’t get. I am nearly always around so just come up to me for a chat.

Polly Cleaver

cssrep@cardiffmet.ac.uk@CSSRep

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is looking forward to the upcoming term. At the SU, we are constantly aiming to improve the student ex-perience and we love to share how your needs have been met based on your feedback. An example of this being the great range of new socie-ties that have been developed such as the Food Society, the Dance So-ciety and even Dumbledore’s Army! However, this is not a defi nitive list and if you ever want to create your own society all you have to do is complete a short form highlighting the main aims of your society. You can even get funding!

In addition, the SU continues to take great pride in sport by supporting students via the AU. These sports are supported by excellent facilities, coaches and funding. Additionally scholarships were recently awarded to students in a variety of sports. These scholarships include fi tness testing, nutrition advice, physiother-apy and memberships.

It is great to see the students across the uni fully embracing the opportunities available to them pro-vided by the SU including societies, the AU, Starbucks and of course the food. Although we always welcome new ideas on how we can improve, so don’t hesitate to pop into the SU offi ce and have a chat!

Welcome to the Students’ Union Elections special of the Retro newspaper! I must say it is great to see the amount of interest the Retro has had since its reinstatement this time last year.

We’ve got a jammed packed paper for you with some great individual student articles, stories from our societies and sports updates. We are also entering into our Students' Union Elections this week and you will be able to fi nd all the information about how to vote and the candi-dates that are running for SU President and Vice President this year. I’d encourage everyone to take the time to read all the candidates manifes-to and make your vote count in deciding the new Student Executive Offi cers.

Over the course of the year so far we have

managed to cut out the minimum card trans-action charges at all of our venues across both campuses. I am also pleased to announce that we will soon have free cash-withdrawals from all of the SU cash machines.

This term we have also been very fortunate to have been granted funding from the university to set up our very own radio station! We are very excited to have received this funding and will be looking to get students involved in the running of the radio station. Keep an eye on our website for all the updates on the radio station and how you can get involved.

I’d also like to give a special thank you to every-one who has contributed to Retro and our editor Luke for pulling it all together.

Stef KellySU President

Representation update & president welcomeP.2

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Upcoming EventsElectionVoting

Commences14

mar

If you'd like to have your work featured in Retro or the Students' Union website, send an e-mail to:

ldwilliams@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Retro is your student newspaper, so we'd love to feature your artwork, photographs, sporting achievements or written work!

tickets available at cardiffmetsu.co.uk/events

Varsity13thApril

Diss hand-in party - 1oth marSports Awards - 4th MaySummer Ball - 27th may

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Elections 2016

ElectionsElectionsElectionsElectionsElectionsElectionsElectionsElections 2016

2016student

SU Elections 2016Who will you vote for?

Voting opens on-campus between 14th-16th March

Aymen Al-RawiCandidate for President

Hello, my name is Aymen. I am a second year Biomedi-cal Science student in Cardiff School of Health Sciences and I am standing for the Students’ Union elections for the posi-tion of president this year.

I believe that the SU is well respected and well-estab-lished, however there are some points that need to be worked on, they are:

• Sourcing work placements for students in different specialities.

• More available car parking on both campuses.

• Improving transportation between the two campus-es and town.

• Improvement of communication between students in schools by organising events that will marry between them.

• Improvement of library opening times during the holidays and exams and the availability of books.

• Improvement of students’ safety issues e.g. Taff Trail.

Brad WoolridgeCandidate for President

For the current academic year, I have been lucky enough to be the Students’

Union Vice President. I feel in this time, I’ve been able to make positive

changes to the student experience, and would love the opportunity to continue

representing all students here at Cardiff Met. I have been part of a range of

initiatives this year, and feel I am able to persevere with the on-going devel-

opments that have been made, as well as initiating new ideas. Below are the 3 main points I’d like to focus on:

Student Safety and Wellbeing Campaigns

One of the main things I’d like to strive to achieve is the safety and wellbeing of all students. In the last year we

have established our ‘Safe Taxi Scheme’ and ran our ‘Mental Health Week’, which I think are great projects over

the last year. Going into next year, I would like to build on these schemes, and make it an aim to address issues

such as the poor lighting on the Taffs trail, and housing issues that students may face when fi rst moving into

private accommodation.

In regards to mental health, this is something that I have a great interest in. There has been great work done

over the last year in the school and sport and school of art and design to increase the awareness around the

topic. If I was to be elected, I would endeavour to develop mechanisms for students to access support for men-

tal health.

Build on the Increase in Student Societies

Over the last year, we have seen an increase in societies, and now boast over 40 active societies. The Students’

Union support societies by helping to fund events/activities as long as they meet the established requirements.

The more societies we establish should mean that we reach a larger population of students, which in turn will

hopefully enhance the experience they have whilst at university.

Bus Timetabling

This has been an on-going issue for some time now, but one that I would like to try and resolve. Throughout this

year, I have had feedback from many cohorts of students expressing their dismay around the bus timetabling.

In recent discussions with a group of the student representatives, we came up with further justifi cation for the

need for the timetable of buses to be improved. If I get the opportunity to become President next year, I would

like to make this a priority to meet the students’ needs, and to improve the cross-campus interaction.

These are just a few of the developments I’d look to work on during my time in post as President. With the

experience I have to date, I feel I am able to achieve these and represent all students to enhance their student

experience.

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Rhydian BirkinshawCandidate for Vice President

My Pledges to you:

• More accessible IT and Study space

• A real discussion on student parking in

LLandaff

• A real debate about NUS

• Improved transport between campuses

• Enclosed smoking areas

• More incentives for Postgraduate study

• More opportunities to learn different languages

• Extended I-Zone opening hours

The Welsh Language

• I’m a fluent Welsh speaker and have studied 80 Credits of my degree

in Welsh through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol since starting at

Cardiff Met.

• I’m a student member of the academic board of the Coleg Cymraeg

representing the Coleg’s students form universities across South East

Wales.

• Dwi'n teimlo'n gryf iawn dros yr iaith Gymraeg. Dwi'n credu maen

pwysig bod unrhyw fyfyrwyr sydd eisiau yn gallu cael mynediad i ad-

dysg gyfrwng Gymraeg yn y Fet.

What will a Vote for me achieve?

• If I’m elected I’ll be one of the most hands-on Vice Presidents Cardiff

Met has ever seen.

• I’ll work hard to represent my fellow students.

• I’ll strive to make our Union the greatest in the country.

• I’ll do all I can to ensure that we have the best possible student expe-

rience.

• I’ll make sure that we strike the right balance between social and

academic.

• I’ll work to broaden the activities provided by UMAX.

• I’ll do my best to ensure all our Athletic Union teams get all the support

they need to be the best while also ensuring our Campus sports teams

are supported so that anyone of any skill level can take part in the

sport they love.

• I shall endeavour to improve the provision for students with Specific

Learning Difficulties from across the University so that they get the

same opportunity as other students.

• I will make myself available to speak to students anytime any place.

• I’ll do all I can to get black and white printing charges abolished.

Will FullerCandidate for Vice PresidentI have been a student at Cardiff Met for 5 years and have seen a lot of

changes in my time here. I have also worked at many levels within the SU

from bar staff all the way up to UMAX Intern. I have some ideas of ways that

the student experience can be improved and ways to maintain many of the

good ideas that have already been put in place. Most importantly, I want to

be the figurehead for the student voice. I want to ensure that all Cardiff Met students are represented effectively and that your opinions are heard and acted upon at all levels.

• Improve cross campus/school interaction and collaborations

Having been fortunate enough to work within all five of the schools at the university within my UMAX role, I have

seen how incredible many of the departments are in their own right. What struck me however is how many of

the courses and departments could complement each other. There is a huge amount of knowledge within each

school, some of which is transferable and applicable to other departments and I would like to improve the num-

ber of collaboration projects between students of each of the schools.

• Continue to represent and be the voice of all Cardiff Met student groups within the University

One of the key roles of the Vice President is to represent students at University level, whether that be in fitness to

study meetings or at board level when meeting with heads of the university. I want to represent the students of

Cardiff Met in these meetings to ensure that their voice is heard. I will forge good relationships with course reps,

lead reps and school reps to ensure that all the information that students feed back to the Students’ Union is

heard and acted upon.

• Further increase the number and quality of societies on offer.

One of the big improvements over the last 12 months within the SU is the number and quality of societies on

offer to our students. Having a place to meet with likeminded individuals is something that can make a person’s

experience so much better so I want to ensure that the current societies continue to be well run, especially

during the transition period as existing society committee member’s move on and new members step up. I also

want to continue to help new societies to be set up and ensure that funding for trips is available to all.

• Improve the number of experiential and placement learning opportunities for students

Having seen a lot of people leave university and struggle to get jobs due to a lack of experience, I want to help

more people gain experience in the workplace during their time at Cardiff Met. The UMAX volunteering and Job-

Shop are great ways for students to do this and I want to ensure that these continue to develop and improve as a

means of offering students ways to develop their skills and CV whilst still studying.

• More social events for all schools

Each school has very different social requirements so I will look to work with each school rep to listen to their

students and gear what social experiences they want. Whilst some schools like formal balls, others prefer large

socials; I would work with each school rep so that students can create memorable social events that meet their

needs.

• Increase the number of sport and recreational opportunities on Llandaff campus

As Vice President, I would look to improve the number of sporting opportunities for students based at Llandaff.

Continuing to develop the awareness of and number of Pinnacle Campus Sport initiatives on the Llandaff cam-

pus to ensure that everybody has access to the great activities that they offer.

• Continue to increase the number of healthy food options on both campuses

This year has seen the introduction of salad bars to the canteen areas has been a welcome addition but intro-

ducing more snack based healthy options to the SU venues, fresh fruit and protein bars etc. is something I will

look to implement should I be elected.

Hi, my name is Nuuria Nuuh and I’m running for the Students' Union Vice

President 2016. I’m currently studying education at Cyncoed campus

hoping to be a primary school teacher. I was told to write something for the

newspaper and didn’t really know what to say. This is me trying and me over

there in the picture: took a while to get the right one.

Moreover, I am extremely excited for running and hoping to put forward my

ideas and the changes that might take place if I become VP.

I hope to bring more SU hosted events that are suggested by the students,

Candidate for Vice PresidentNuuria Nuuh

listening and putting forward your thoughts. I also wish to voice your concerns about the

facilities on both Llandaff and Cyncoed campus e.g. parking and library. I will try to make

a difference when thinking of ways to bring together all students from all the different

school. Maybe in events and helping to encourage you to be more involved, such as

joining a society. Vote Nuuria Nuuh for Vice President 2016. Or for those guys on the other

pages, but make sure you vote for someone, your vote is the change that will happen.

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I Still try to brush my hairin the mornings!

Reece Elder

Lead RepSchool of Art & Design

“I still try to brush my hair in the mornings”

is one of the things I didn’t think I’d ever be

saying! Back in December 2015 I shaved

off all of my hair and hosted a waxing

session to raise money for my personal

challenge of going to Sri Lanka for charity

aid. I'm pleased to say that I raised over

£450 from the event!

I’m used to having long flowing locks but

I got rid of it all and donated my hair to a

charity (http://www.littleprincesses.org.

uk) which makes wigs for children going

through chemotherapy as a sponsorship

event. The charity is called SLV (http://

slvolunteers.com/about-us) and they host

and organise events for students to travel

to amazing places in the world and allow

the students to aid in the development

of these locations in different ways. I am

personally going to Sri Lanka to teach

English & Numeracy to children and adults

with cognitive disabilities where I (with

the help of my team) will be running &

organising all of these classes. This is a

purely volunteer-led project and will run

for 6 weeks where I will be staying in a Sri

Lankan family's house where we can teach

and learn from each other.

Cardiff Met Student Reece Shaves Head for Charity

The project has a major effect on the

area which is - generally neglected by

other charities - and has, for many years,

improved the lives of people living there.

I will be running a number of events this

year in order to raise money to get there.

This will include various tournaments, stalls

and other sponsorship events which will be

good fun for everyone at Cardiff Met and

will be a major boost to my fundraising

effort.

I’d be very grateful towards anyone that

wishes to help either through running an

event, helping me to run an event or even if

you’d just want some information about it

so you can get involved!

My fundraising page is:

https://www.gofundme.com/Sri-

LankaVolunteer and any help will be greatly

appreciated.

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Food & Drink Review: Deli FuegoDeli Fuego can be found on City Road, a

short walk for many Cardiff Met students

living in Roath or Cathays. We arrived at

Deli Fuego to a warm welcome from man-

ager Salah and our waitress for the night

Larysa, who showed us to our table. Larysa

swiftly took our drinks orders, bringing

us two freshly squeezed orange juices.

The restaurant was well decorated with a

relaxed vibe.

For starters we ordered mozzarella garlic

bread and bruschetta casalinga, which con-

sisted of garlic king prawns on bruschetta.

The starters were amazing, well flavoured

and a perfect size so as not to fi ll you

before the main, however the garlic bread

was defi nitely a sharer, perfect for a shared

side order. Our choices of main dishes were

a T-bone steak and linguini Bolognese. The

steak was unbelievable, it fell away from

the bone and was perfectly seasoned with

peppercorn sauce and the accompanying

chips, sauce and salad fi nished it off nicely.

I’m told the Bolognese was amazing, a

simple dish beautifully made.

Between the main and the dessert we were

offered a traditional Arabic tea, a blend of

black tea and mint which gave us a nice

break before dessert. To fi nish, we opted

for the Sicilian mess, a play on the tradi-

tional Eton mess with the addition of frozen

yoghurt, and a chocolate fondue for one.

There was also a huge range of cakes on

offer as well, all freshly made in the up-

stairs bakery.

I was left absolutely stuffed after 3 tru-

ly enjoyable courses, so if beautifully

cooked food and generous portion size is

something you look for, then Deli Feugo is

defi nitely for you!

This dining experience was reviewed by

Alys Little who is a student at Cardiff Met

and plays for the AU netball team.

Deli Fuego is at 91-99 City Road.

*Terms and conditions apply

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P.8

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16Advertorial Feature: Swipe & Save at Deli Fuego (10% off all food orders)Get your card at cardiffmetsu.co.uk/swipe to save £££'s in uni and around Cardiff

PODCASTSPRINGVARSITYELECTIONSBUSINESS

ENTREPRENEURSPORTSCHOLARSHIPPRESIDENTVICE

CHARITYMENTALHEALTHSOCIETIESATHLETICS

RADIOVOLUNTEER

Solutions overleaf

SUDOKUEASY HARD

STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THEGLOBE ATTEND SU PARTNER EVENT

On the 1st-3rd February 2016, Cardiff Met

Students’ Union invited students from Car-

diff Met’s partner institutions to Cardiff to

take part in the SU Partner Event.

The aim of the event was to give partner

students representative training and to give

them a chance to meet other student reps

from Cardiff and all over the world.

Cardiff Metropolitan University has nearly

7000 students studying Cardiff Met pro-

grammes in different institutions around

the world. 10 partner student reps attended

the event from institutions in India, China,

Bulgaria, Lebanon and Greece as well as

local partners in Bridgend and Cardiff.

Dimitris Vlastos, a student who attend-

ed from City Unity College in Athens said

about the visit, “the Students’ Union helped

us realise how important it is to be a

student representative. It was an amazing

experience.”

Some of the students were very nervous

when they fi rst arrived in Cardiff as it was

the fi rst time they have travelled outside of

their country alone but they praised the SU

and University for helping them feel so wel-

comed. Xu RunWen, a student from Renmin

University of China said, “It feels like I'm

talking to the members of a big family that

opens its door to anyone who wants to join

in, it doesn't matter where we come from or

which language we use”

Susan Cooke attended the event from

Bridgend College, she said “I found the in-

teraction with Cardiff Met Students’ Union

to be very enlightening and the opportunity

to meet with students from internation-

al partner institutions very enriching. I

enjoyed fi nding out about what the SU

does and hope we continue to strengthen

relations and use the support and services

that you provide.”

During the event, student’s met University

staff and had campus tours. Cardiff Met SU

gave the students representative training

and a session on how the Students’ Union

is able to support them. A Train the Trainer

workshop was delivered so that partner

students could take back the information

they had learnt from their visit to then teach

the students studying at their campus.

Right: Partner event

attendees at the new

Llandaff Students'

Union Offi ces.

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SOCIETY PROFILE: KendoJac Davies

Cardiff Mets Kendo Society has been estab-

lished since 2010 and teaches students the

Japanese way of the sword. Which, when

you get down to the nitty-gritty, is essen-

tially hitting each other with large bamboo

swords. Since its inception the Society has

taken Cardiff’s students all over the country

to meet, learn and fi ght other competitors

from around the world. And, with the begin-

ning of a New Year competition time has

begun in earnest.

The Society uses Cyncoed’s dance hall as

a makeshift Dojo where all the students

train on Thursday nights. The Dojo needed

a Japanese name and so the Cardiff Met

Society is called Denshinkan. 2015 has

been an incredibly busy and successful

year for Denshinkan with a long list of

achievements and awards under their belts.

Throughout 2015, Denshinkan has entered

many competitions and gradings, along

with its sister Dojo in Cardiff named Akai

Ryuu. Both Dojos have racked up a consid-

erable head count in the competitions as

well as having many Met students progress

through the ranks.

On the grading front, Cardiff Met students

have been busy and done incredibly well.

Many have progressed quickly since they

started practicing with Denshinkan, and this

has been reflected in last year’s success.

Grading’s in 2015

Watchet Grading:

Ikkyu - Lewis Martin, Lynette Danielle

Wesson

Yondan - Hannah Jones

Stoke Grading:

Ikkyu - Yasmeen Al

Mumeishi Grading:

Ikkyu - Hammooda Al

Shodan - Yasmeen Al

Sandan - Rosanna Riches

Success within the Denshinkan Dojo has

resulted in some skilled students both from

Cardiff Met and within the city itself. The

newest Cardiff Met students, who began

training at the start of the year, have recent-

ly undergone their own grading. With large

numbers of the students doing well it’s

looking like a competitive year for Denshin-

kan.

Women's Dan grade 2nd place - Rosanna

Riches

Women's kyu grade 1st place - Yasmeen Al

Mumeishi 3's:

3rd place women's individuals- Rosanna

Riches

1st place teams

Northern Open:

3rd place teams

British Open:

1st place women's - Rosanna Riches

2nd place women's - Sayo Ryokai Williams

1st place open - James Gordon Ogle

As you can see 2015 has been a busy year

for Denshinkan. We’ve travelled across the

UK to compete in numerous tournaments

and have been fortunate to train with many

skilled fi ghters. A tournament of importance

was the Mumeishi 3, with over 60 teams

from all over the world traveling to London

to compete. The Denshinkan A-team fought

through their pools to win the gold medal.

The next competition Met’s Denshinkan

Dojo has its eyes set on is the University

Taikai. The Taikai consists of universities

competing from all over the UK and so is

one of the most anticipated events for Ken-

do clubs. This will also give new members a

chance to flex their muscles.

The past year has been very exciting for the

club with a variety of events taking place

and new students joining. Met’s Denshin-

kan Dojo is always happy to welcome new

members so that it can continue to com-

pete, train and grow. With a whole new diary

of events coming up it is as good a time as

any to start swinging that bamboo stick.

Cardiff Kendo is very competitive and has

been winning or ranking highly in many

of the tournaments. As well as hosting its

own competition this year, Cardiff Kendo

has had an illustrious year with Met's own

Denshinkan at the forefront.

Competitions in 2015

University Taikai:

Fighting Spirit - Yasmeen Al

Welsh Open:

1st place women's individuals - Rosanna

Riches

3rd place teams

Premier Cup Individuals:

1st place - Ryutaro Tanaka

2nd place - James Gordon Ogle

Frank Bowden Team Taikai:

2nd place

Cheltenham Regional Individual Shiai:

Men's Dan grade 1st place - James Gordon

Ogle

Joining a society at Cardiff Met will help you

meet new people and is a great way to en-

hance your university experience.

We have many different societies, from course-

based, to cultural and hobby related ones.

We’ve had lots of new societies that have been

started up this academic year. These include,

Dumbledore’s Army, Student Action for Refu-

gees, Artisans Anonymous, St John's Ambu-

lance and Chess Club to name but a few.

If you can’t fi nd a society that catches your

eye, then you can try starting up your own.

Email societies@cardiffmet.ac.uk to fi nd out

more.

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EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

Sudoku solutions atcardiffmetsu.co.uk/puzzles

VolunteeringStrengthen your employability skills, make new friends and do something worthwhile by volunteering with UMAX. We organise a variety of one-off and on-going projects for students to get involved in.

So far this year, projects we have or-ganised include:

• Dog walking- Students visited a dog rescue charity to take some of the dogs for a walk.

• Beach clean with Keep Wales Tidy at Ogmore-by-Sea

• Christmas card making- Students got crafty to make cards for poorly children in hospital

• Students have volunteered to give out recycling bags and waste infor-mation as part of Go Green Week

• A community litter pick• A day at the farm- Amelia Trust

Farm project- Students volun-teered to help with the animals and on a woodland trail restoration project at Amelia Trust Farm. The farm is a charity which provides an alternative education for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

Another project which students can get involved in is the Cardiff Met Student Action for Refugees (STAR) society. The group run weekly sessions at a

refugee support centre every Tues-day in term time from 17:30-19:30. The aim of the sessions are to help refugees integrate into British soci-ety and to run an informal and basic English conversation club.

As well as organising our own volun-teer projects, UMAX also advertises volunteer roles in external organisa-tions through our website. So far this year, we’ve advertised opportunities in local Primary Schools, for Cancer Research Wales and South Wales Police to name but a few.

UMAX is looking for students to be part of the Volunteering Committee during the next academic year. So if you are interested in organising, promoting and attending projects offered by the SU, then please get in touch with us about this.

Take a look at our volunteering webpage: (www.cardiffmetsu.co.uk/umax/employability/volunteering) and sign up to our volunteering mailing list to be emailed our latest opportunities.

You can also e-mail Amy for further information:

acampbell@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Left: Students taking part in the dog walk at a rescue charity.

Above: Card making for poorly children in hospital.

Society ListingsArtisans Anonymous

Brunei Students

Chess Club

Chinese Society

Christians in Sport

Christian Union

Computing Society

Dance Society

Dice & Dorks Society

Dig Deep Challenge Society

Dumbledore’s Army

Economics Society

FAB LAB Society

Film Society

Food Society

Gaming Society

Gender Equality Society

Illustration Society

Islamic Society

Kendo Society

LGBT +

Mature Students

Omani Society

Participatory Arts Society

Podiatry Society

Product Design

Psychology Society

Quiz Society

Saudi Society

Science Society

Speech and Language Therapy Society (SALTSOC)

Seventh Day Adventist (SDA)

Sign Language Society

St John Ambulance

Student Action for Refu-gees (STAR)

True Vine Bible Study

Y Gymdeithas Gymraeg (The Welsh Society)

Youth & Community

20 Minute Society

P.11

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Advice from Cardiff Met SU's Agony Aunt

#didyouknow#DidYouKnow is a social media campaign

where we aim to give you short snippets of

key information that we think you may need

to know.

This information is already provided in your

student handbook, academic handbook,

programme handbook and other docu-

ments available to you when enrolling at

Cardiff Met but we think it is best to have

this information in the back of your mind

just in case you ever need it.

The kind of info we're covering with our

#DidYouKnow hashtag on Twitter includes:

• Key university dates

• Exam information

• Complaints procedures

• Mitigating circumstances

• Appeals procedures

• Services offered by your SU

To keep up to date, follow us:

@UMAXStudents

Or for further friendly advice and support,

call in to the SU offi ces on either campus.

You can also email us at:

suadvice@cardiffmet.ac.uk

#DidYouKnow that there are timescales for all university procedures

#DidYouKnow that the SU has a team of friendly advisors that can advise you through all university procedures

Students’ Union if you need more advice:

We would always urge students not to sign

up too early – you might feel differently in a

few months!

Q: I have exams coming up after Easter and

as a mature student it’s a long time since I

last sat an exam – I’m terrifi ed, help!

A: It’s perfectly natural to feel some anxiety

about approaching exams, but even more

so if you have been out of the education

system for a while: speak to your tutors

about the setting and style of your exams,

so you know what to expect. Talk to your

fellow students too, and maybe organise

study groups so you can share ideas. Have

a look at some of the revision tips we’ve

put together on the SU website: http://

www.cardiffmetsu.co.uk/umax/advice/

examsupport/. Speak to the Students’

Union if you need more advice.

Q: I know we’re almost at the end of term

but my money’s run out way too fast, plus

I’ve had a couple of unexpected expenses

to pay – I’m worried how I’m going to

manage until my next loan payment comes

through.

A: If you’re fi nding it hard to make ends

meet, you might be able to get some

fi nancial help through a grant which does

not have to be paid back: contact the

Student Finance & Advisory Welfare service

who can help guide you in an application

for the Hardship Fund: https://tsr.

cardiffmet.ac.uk/Units/SS/Finance/Pages/

Hardship%20Fund.aspx

Q: I signed up for a house share next year,

back in October, now I’ve decided I would

rather live with some other friends and

want to get out of the contract – can you

help?

A: Unfortunately, tenancy contracts are

extremely diffi cult to get out of once you

have signed – they are legally binding,

and it’s not enough to say you have now

changed your mind. Most contracts will let

you terminate if you can fi nd a replacement

for your room, and even then both the

landlord and your fellow flatmates will also

have to agree to the change, otherwise

you are still liable. There might also be a

small admin fee to change the contract

into someone else’s name. Speak to the

P.12

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

Cardiff Met Award Update

they havelogged over1908 hours

of experience

43 studentsare signed up

this year

and attended140 workshops

so far

The Cardiff Met Award is an excellent oppor-tunity to gain new skills and experiences that will allow you to develop personally and from an employability perspective.

We have students from all 5 academic schools completing the award, ranging from first year students to postgraduates, and there's still time to sign-up. You can do so by emailing a CV and a 500 word cover letter to hareilly@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

If you’re worried about fitting it all in before the end of the year, don’t worry you can make a start now and carry it over to the next aca-demic year.

JOBSHOP hits a milestoneUMAX at Cardiff Met SU are thrilled to an-

nounce that since we launched in 2012 we

have hit a milestone of advertising a 1000

jobs to our stUdents and graduates.

In addition to over a 1000 job postings be-

ing advertised, a large percentage of these

offered multiple positions, giving far more

students and graduates work opportunities.

These roles included volunteering, intern-

ships, part time and full time opportunities.

UMAX thrives on networking and building

relationships with employers and university

departments. The team at Cardiff Met SU

and UMAX work hard to highlight the quali-

ty of the talent we have here at Cardiff Met,

and how our students and graduates can

add real value to organisations.

Some of the roles our students have filled

are internal positions at the university,

which are not only convenient but offer

great employability experience for students.

UMAX can offer you guidance and advice

with job applications and employability

skills.

You can take advantage of this service by

calling into the SU offices or by emailing

Charlotte:

chmiles@cardiffmet.ac.uk

UMAX WORKSHOPSAll of our workshops are in the SU

meeting rooms on either campus.

Sign-up online at:

cardiffmetsu.co.uk/UMAX

Cultural Awareness8th March 1pm – 4pm

Cyncoed

Promoting a Positive Image at Interview9th March 1pm – 4pm

Llandaff

Exceptional Customer Service19th April 3.30pm – 5pm

Cyncoed

Effective CV Writing20th April 1pm – 4pm

Llandaff

Perfect Presentations26th April 1pm – 4pm

Cyncoed

Equality and Diversity5th May 1pm – 4pm

Cyncoed

Promoting a Positive Image at Interview6th May 10am – 1pm

Llandaff

Effective CV Writing10th May 1pm – 4pm

Cyncoed

UMAX jobshopApply online at:

cardiffmetsu.co.uk/UMAX

Tutors Superstars, closing date 31st May

School Reps Cardiff Met SU, closing date 18th March

Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers Student Member QAA, closing date 18th March

Event Volunteer Tenovus, closing date 8th March

Teaching Assistant (Maths and English) Superstars, closing date 30th April

Volunteer 3H Fund, closing date 30th April

P.13

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

E CHANGEMaking the Most of what University has to OfferIeuan Gardiner

School of Education

For some of us, we are now just

over half way through our degree

and deciding what to do when we

graduate. For some of us, including

me, this will be the most memorable

years of our life where we have

devloped some really meaningful

friendships. The way I have made

these friends and memories is by

getting involved in all the extra-

curricular activities that are on offer

from the Students' Union and from

my course.

Before coming to Cardiff Met I went

to a different university and I didn’t

get involved in any of the extra

activities that were offered to me. I

consequently dropped out and didn’t

feel a part of anything other than the

course I was on. I made friends that I

still keep in contact with but we only

knew each other from our course and

that was the main thing we had in

common.

Since coming to Cardiff Met I have

immersed myself in all the additional

things that the university has to offer

and I have made friends with a wide

range of interests. Why grow old

before our time? We spend enough

time working when we graduate

so make sure that you get involved

with everything that university has

to offer. The more you do, the more

rounded you become and the more

fun you will have.

Bruges by bikeEllie Antippas

BA (Hons) International Tourism & Events

Management

By bike, I mean a KTM 990 Adventure

Motorcycle. Yes, that’s right. I rode on the

back of a KTM from Cardiff to Bruges. This

was just before Christmas so, naturally the

weather was expected to be unforgiving.

However, the promise of Christmas Markets

made it worthwhile.

On the 13th December, my dad and I had

finished packing all of our necessities into

the two bags which would fit into the ‘old

man’ paniers. The ‘old man’ paniers weren’t

exactly the look my dad was going for, how-

ever, they were, the most space efficient

method of getting all our kit with us. The

following morning, we set off. The first 30

minutes of our journey began with tailbacks

from the rush hour traffic. There was a

collision on the M4, which resulted in hold-

ups for 12 miles! Luckily for us, the bike

could easily weave through the three lanes

of traffic. It would take us just over 3 hours

to get to Folkestone, which would give us

40 minutes until our scheduled Eurotunnel.

However, we made it in a record time of 2

hours and 40 minutes! This gave us two

options, the first, to stick with our original

booking, or the second, to catch the next

booking, which would leave in 14 minutes.

We decided to catch the earlier booking.

My dad and I were freezing down to the

bone. Even though we were both layered

up to the extreme, wind still wove its way

through the fibres, through to our bodies.

The Eurotunnel only took 25 minutes. We

were in Calais in no time! The next stage of

the journey was to find our final destina-

tion. It was estimated that the ride would

take roughly 90 minutes but it only took us

an hour! As we flew past the laden lorries,

the high winds pushed us back across the

lane. We arrived at our rented terrace. It

was hidden away in one of the many, little

lanes, only a 5-minute walk from the main

square. And now we were within an urban

area, the wind had dropped drastically,

and it was surprisingly mild. We wrapped

up and headed out on a search for food.

We ambled through the lanes and found

ourselves in the biggest square. It had a

towering clock tower and underneath it lay

a maze of Christmas stalls. Surrounding

the square, restaurants and cafes were lit

up with Christmas trees and giant, bright

baubles.

We settled with sating our cravings: PIZZA.

We looked around and could see four

different establishments. We settled for an

authentic Italian which was a mistake. We

had to drown our sorrows in the Irish Bar

across the street, which, even though it

looked dodgy, had a very relaxing atmos-

phere. After a few drinks we ambled back

to the rented terrace to be greeted by the

warmth of the heaters.

Tuesday consisted of touring Bruges.

Bruges, from a Birdseye view, looks like a

spider’s web. It’s centered and then layers

out from the middle with lanes and streets.

The whole morning and early afternoon

consisted of walking from the outside

back into the centre. During our walk, we

identified the local treasures, the real-deal

restaurants. During the evening, we found

ourselves going back to a hidden, ‘actual’

Italian restaurant. The food was lovely, so

too was the alcohol. So much so, dad got

incredibly drunk, thought about getting a

tattoo (studio was closed), and misdirected

our walk, meaning it took us three times

as long to get back than it should have.

Wednesday contained yet more walking.

You could easily amble around for hours

without realising how many miles you

had covered. We dedicated Wednesday to

shopping for Christmas presents. It was the

ideal place to shop, the exchange rate made

it cheaper, and with less tax on products,

we felt as if we were stealing. The day

ended with a burger, a really good burger,

another hidden treasure. No booze after

yesterday. Thursday, we packed up and got

on the bike to head back. We made the trip

to the Eurotunnel in less than an hour and

the crossing was quick. However, as soon

as we got into the UK, it tipped down. The

weather continued to be as unforgiving as

expected.

P.14

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

Georgia PearsonBA (Hons) Illustrationinstagram: illustratedpear

Ken Ebihara's Youth Work ExperienceKen is an international student from Japan

studying at Cardiff Met

The reason why I have participated in

voluntary work is to experience 100 hours

of on-the-job training as part of my course.

The purpose of this voluntary work is to

learn what young people and children’s

lives look like and to understand their

individual personalities through commu-

nicating with them. Having experienced

this particular field of work, I have obtained

some findings about how youth workers

work for young people.

Glenwood Church Youth Centre where I

have worked provides many activities for

not only the community, but also for youths.

There are three main activities called Wave,

Mud and Youth Band. Wave is generally

aimed at high school students. They can

talk with each other and learn about Chris-

tianity. On the contrary, Mud is for primary

school children and consists of playing

football and group games. Youth Band is

where many young people practice playing

musical instruments and sing for concerts

which are held in the centre. Most of the

activities are available for as little as £1.

The youth centre has a good relationship

with Cardiff Met and they have accept-

ed many students as volunteers. In fact,

some of my co-workers are studying at

the university. Observing them, I gathered

some observations. For instance, when I

attended a talk on Christianity, we had to

split into small groups which consisted

of 5 or 6 people. At that time, I found that

every staff member successfully dis-

persed into small groups and attempted

to invite the young people to talk and to

lead the conversation. Personally, I think

this means the staff members can work

efficiently for young people as a team. After

finishing every youth activity, we have a

short meeting talking about the outcomes.

Some colleagues refer to the good achieve-

ments of individual young people, others

mention points that should be improved.

These meetings contribute significantly to

understanding how to pay attention to their

behaviour and communicate with them

properly.

It has been approximately 3 months since

I started working for the youth centre. As

I work more, I have wondered why young

people would like to take part in these

activities. Obviously, attending the activities

JustificationBy Gemma Iqbal

MA English Literature and Creative

Writing

Words, repeat them enough and they

become meaningless. They move to

a place beyond comprehension; fall

on deaf ears. The same cannot be

said for actions.

Actions have consequences and

consequences lead to actions. This is

his argument, his reasoning. This is

his justification.

He uses words like, ‘I lost control.

I didn’t know what I was doing. I

couldn’t stop myself.’ In her case,

these words are meaningless, they

have moved beyond this world and

left her silent.

‘Wrong’, wrong is the word he uses

to affiliate with her actions. She

had wronged him. She stank of

wrongness. Wrongness must be

corrected, identified and punished.

He believes this, yet does not hold

himself to such convictions. He sits

in the dock, listening as the words

unfold, painting himself the victim. A

victim of her actions, a victim of his

right to justice.

The judge does not agree with him.

The man in cell 212 on Block B,

whose mother had been beaten to

death when he was eight, does not

agree with him.

To have your written work considered

for publication in Retro, email:

ldwilliams@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Flash Fictionis not compulsory for them, even so, they

choose to join the activities. Therefore, I

have asked them why? The major answer

was communicating with other young

Christians. According to them, the major-

ity of students are not Christians in their

school. This point is one of the distinct

differences of nature between youth centres

which are run by a church and a school.

They would like to immerse themselves

into a young Christian community. As the

second reason, they mentioned the pleas-

ure of communication outside of school.

They can be free from the pressure of study,

especially examinations, for example. In

addition, it is also a good factor that these

activities have a wide age range of partici-

pants. Most of them told me that the centre

has a good environment for them. They

understand that it is valuable to talk and

play games with other local young people in

a comfortable atmosphere.

In my opinion, it is respectable that the

youth centre provides a place for local

young people where they can socialise with

their friends freely. Obviously this is a sort

of social welfare and securing accessibility

and equality of the services are neces-

sary factors for the users. Why is it that

the youth centre can sustain its manage-

ment under the severe budget cutting? It

is because almost all staff members of

the centre are voluntary workers who are

willing to communicate with young people

with happiness.

Needless to say, supporting children and

young people who will become leaders of

the future has to be the first priority of any

society. To make it feasible, it is also impor-

tant for society to encourage and train the

people who would like to be youth workers

to help young people with diverse needs. I

really appreciate the opportunity to par-

ticipate in these activities and to study the

subject in the university. In fact, there is no

similar system for young people in Japan.

Therefore, I genuinely would like British

people to be proud of the circumstances

of welfare for young citizens and the kind

heart of British people that underpins the

current situation of young and promising

people.

More info: cardiffmetsu.co.uk/volunteer

P.15

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

Sally Bethell (CSE) - Physical Education

“Sally always makes me feel very welcome and you can tell she really cares about how we are

all progressing and getting on in our PGCEs!”

Which Spice Girl would you be? Sporty Spice.

What Super Power would you have? Switch off button.

What do your pets dream of? The washing up.

Where would you hide an elephant? Paint it’s toenails red and hide it in a cherry tree!

Through a keen interest in playing and excelling in sport Sally first found a love for helping

others progress through coaching. Consequently, she completed an undergraduate degree

in Physical Education and sociology followed by a PGCE in Physical Education and History

at Exeter University. Today we see Sally as the program director of the very prestigious PGCE

secondary programs run at Cardiff Met, where she has guided and continues to guide many

aspiring students to their teaching careers. In sharing her teaching experiences with PGCE stu-

dents, Cardiff Met has been seen to produce excellent teachers and with Sally’s contributions

will continue to do so!

Richard Morris (CSAD) - Furniture Design

“He pays a lot of attention to every need we have and gives very

constructive feedback which is supported by fair precise argu-

ments. Also he is very easy to approach if you have a problem and

has a personality that makes you want to work harder.”

Which Spice Girl would you be? Baby Spice.

What Super Power would you have? Endless Energy.

What do your pets dream of? Long walks on the beach.

Where would you hide an elephant? Return the elephant to its

rightful owner.

Katherine Mutter (CSM) - Marketing

“Everyone I have spoken to agrees that she is a phenomenal teacher,

and always leaves her classes having fully understood the informa-

tion she has provided us with.”

Which Spice Girl would you be? Sporty Spice

What Super Power would you have? Invisibility cloak and to fly (pret-

ty much Harry Potter)

What do your pets dream of? Food or an invisibility cloak

Where would you hide an elephant? Llandaff Fields

Katherine has had a phenomenal career in marketing and has be-

SLTF Fellowship WINNERS 2016As you all know, the Student Led Teaching

Fellowship provides an opportunity for

students to reward a member of staff that

has made a major contribution to their de-

velopment. The winners are chosen based

on the content of written nominations from

students, giving the award more sentimen-

tal value. We had the opportunity to have

a little chat with this year’s winners and

here’s what they had to say.

The programme runs annually so if you

have a member of university staff that

you'd like to nominate for an award recog-

nising their contribution to the teaching of

your degree subject, keep an eye out for

next year's nominations opening.

For more information on the SLTF pro-

gramme, visit:

cardiffmetsu.co.uk/sltf

Dr. Leanne Etheridge (CSHS) - Psychology

“Nothing is too much trouble for her, every student is her priority and she will do what she can

in her power to ensure that each and every student is happy and comfortable during their time

at university.”

Which Spice Girl would you be? Posh Spice.

What Super Power would you have? To be in multiple places at once.

What do your pets dream of? Salmon and a quiet house.

Where would you hide an elephant? I’d disguise it (inspired by her daughter’s book ‘Elmer’).

After completing both her undergraduate degree and PhD at Loughborough University, Leanne

was inspired by one of her own lecturers to get into teaching. Since becoming a member

of staff at Cardiff Met she has set up the psychological literacy award that is run alongside

students’ degrees. This award provides opportunities for students to apply the academia they

have learnt on the course in practical and professional environments. With these concerns for

her students after graduating, you can understand why they feel she deserves the award and

we hope that her efforts are appreciated throughout CSHS. will continue to do so!

After developing a keen interest in Design Graphic Technology in secondary

school, Richard felt as though he wanted to make a difference in the way that

people work in different environments. Through his passion for furniture design Richard has been

able to create innovative projects. These projects provide students with real life experiences,

where they are required to interact with different members of staff and departments in order to

create the final outcome. The passion that Richard expresses toward his work has clearly rubbed

off on his students who feel inspired to work harder and to the best of their ability. With his hum-

ble attitude, he is also very complimentary towards the rest of the staff in CSAD and to me feels

like a great personality to have in the department!

Sally Varrall (CSS) - Dance

“There is an ease to her teaching, she makes everyone feel very comfortable because she is so

passionate about what she does.”

Which Spice Girl would you be? None of them! – I’m not a fan of celebrity status!

What Super Power would you have? A power that changes minds when fairness, equity and reason

is not apparent.

What do your pets dream of? Escaping!

Where would you hide an elephant? I wouldn’t hide it. I’d set it free!

Ever since Sally attended her first dance class she has been passionate about dance and dancing.

She became a lecturer to develop and challenge her own learning experience and equally, to develop

and challenge student learning. With her strong beliefs in becoming more than just a lecturer, Sally

has ensured that she has had positive influence on students’ professional development by support-

ing and nurturing them through university life. Similarly, it can be seen that Sally provides students

with opportunities to engage in industry led residencies with professional dancers/choreographers,

etc. The purpose of these opportunities is to develop their experience in and of dance; to challenge

their perception and exceed their expectation of dance and dancing. Her efforts in CSS are very

much appreciated and we hope they are reflected throughout the university.

come an international marketing strategy specialist. This career started after

a series of promotions at the steel company that provided materials used in

the construction of the Severn Bridge and for major automotive manufacturers. Following this,

Katherine became a lecturer at the Chartered Institute of Marketing. It is through these employ-

ments and experiences that she has been able to provide such a fulfilling marketing course at

Cardiff Met. Her links to the Chartered Institute of Marketing has permitted the opportunity for

students to gain a professional qualification in alignment with their degree, increasing their em-

ployability after graduating. With her long list of traits including the ability to speak 5 languag-

es, Katherine is a clear asset to CSM and deserves the recognition the award has brought her.

Interviewed byDan Spencer

P.17

EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

MARCH ‘16

Graduate Entrepreneurs Supported at Cardiff MetThe Centre for Entrepreneurship has recently

opened a brand new start-up incubator as an

extension of its support for graduate entrepre-

neurs. The entrepreneurs benefit from free office

space within the incubator and a place on the

start-up accelerator programme in partnership

with Simply Do Ideas. Currently there are five

graduate entrepreneurs working from the space

on a regular basis:

Oliver Norcott, freelance graphic designer and

photographer

Oliver completed a Master of Design at Cardiff

Met in 2015. Oliver’s business is focused on

graphic design for fellow creatives. A lot of his

time is spent photographing artists’ work and

producing marketing materials for them (includ-

ing fellow Cardiff Met graduate and fine artist

Aidan Myers). Oliver has also produced several

company logos and websites for small busi-

nesses, including some of the fellow graduate

businesses in the incubator.

Megan Bearpark, founder of Workzone Therapies

and Total Equilibrium

Megan is a Complementary Therapies graduate.

She specialises in vocal massage and offers

work-based massage sessions for businesses

which help to relieve employee stress levels.

Megan has picked up contracts with the likes of

British Gas and has recently gained a new client

for her vocal massage service, actress Sophie

Linder-Lee who recently starred in the Rocky

Horror Show at the New Theatre in Cardiff.

Ali Mahoney, founder of ithinksport

Ali is the founder of ithinksport, a website and

mobile app that’s dedicated to providing sports

people with mental skills training through sport

psychology techniques. Ali has a wealth of ex-

perience in sport science and has undertaken an

MSC in Applied Sports Psychology.

James Symonds, founder of J Yoga

James graduated with a degree in Business In-

formation Systems in 2015. He is in the process

of establishing a yoga business which will offer

classes for students and staff at Cardiff Met as

well as providing outreach to charities and par-

ticularly individuals with mental health issues.

James is also aiming to provide mindfulness

and meditation as well as retreats and relaxation

events as the business develops.

Laura Smith, freelance product designer

Laura Smith completed a Masters in Product

Design at Cardiff Met in 2014. She has designed

a modular pet home which can be used indoors

or outdoors and is stackable, therefore giving pet

owners the freedom to expand and grow their

pet home. Laura is now working on taking the

product to market.

The five start-ups will be given guidance, men-

toring and support over the next six months as

they develop their businesses. The Simply Do

Ideas team meet with the entrepreneurs once a

week and set them tasks to complete which help

to take their idea to the next level. The graduate

entrepreneurs also benefit from the co-working

space in which they can share ideas, problems

and challenges with one another.

Megan Bearpark commented: ‘I’m really gaining

a lot from the accelerator programme so far.

I’ve found it challenging and I’m excited for the

on-going support and training. It’s been really

useful to network with other entrepreneurs on

the programme and it’s good to have such a wide

array of abilities and skills amongst the other

graduate businesses.’

Two of the graduate entrepreneurs (Oliver and

Megan) were awarded a place in the incubator

following their successful pitch at Countdown to

Launch in June last year. Countdown to Launch

is a five day business start-up programme open

to students and graduates of Cardiff Met. During

the five days budding entrepreneurs learn about

what it takes to start a business with a number

of workshops and presentations from entrepre-

neurs and industry professionals.

On the fifth and final day participants are given

the opportunity to pitch to a panel for funding

to start their business. Last year £7000 was

awarded to seven new start-up businesses.

This year from June 6th to 10th Countdown to

Launch will be taking place once again and any

graduate business that successfully pitches on

the final day will automatically get a place in the

incubator and join the accelerator programme.

Those who cannot attend Countdown to Launch

can still apply for a place on the incubator and

accelerator, email entrepreneurship@cardiffmet.

ac.uk for details.

The incubator is also open for current students

to use on a ‘hot desk’ basis as they develop their

business. If you’re interested in using the space

email the team on entrepreneurship@cardiffmet.

ac.uk.

The incubator is based at Llandaff just next to

the new Student Union offices (down the corridor

from Starbucks). The Centre for Entrepreneurship

has also moved into the adjoining offices and is

enjoying its new central location where students

can call in and chat about their business ideas.

Cardiff Met SU working with the Centre for Student Entrepreneurship

The Centre for Entrepreneurship comes across

lots of students who like the idea of being an

entrepreneur but don’t have a specific business

idea. Others have a business idea and know

that they definitely want to start-up but they

need some guidance on how to get started. The

Mingle events were created to help in both these

scenarios.

By mingling with successful entrepreneurs on a

monthly basis, students learn about the realities

of starting and running a business from someone

who has been there and done it. Those who don’t

yet have an idea often walk away from the events

feeling inspired by hearing someone else’s story

as well as being armed with new contacts.

Over the past academic year the Centre has

brought in some fantastic guests to inspire the

entrepreneurial students of Cardiff Met. This has

included Debbie Williams, angel investor and

founder of Confused.com; Mark Hooper, founder

of Wales’ largest co-working company Indycube

and Josh Barnett, former Student Union Presi-

dent and founder of Treatment Clothing.

People are often afraid of networking but the

Centre has made the Mingle events relaxed and

informal, ranging from an afternoon of chatting

over tea and cake to an evening of roundtable

‘speed networking’. In every case the students

can contribute as much or as little as they like

within the event. Some students who attend are

confident in talking about their idea, asking ques-

tions and throwing themselves into the opportu-

nity while others prefer to sit back and listen to

what others have to say and absorb all the useful

tips and insights on offer.

The Mingle events are held on the first Tuesday

of every month with the next being ‘Employabil-

ity Mingle’ on May 3rd where the Centre will be

exploring the link between an entrepreneurial

mind-set and landing that dream graduate job.

For more information email entrepreneurship@

cardiffmet.ac.uk.

Get Inspired at mingle

Above: Students at a Centre for Entre-preneurship Mingle event.

Front row (l-r): Laura Smith, Josh Bar-nett and Lee Sharma (all Simply Do).

Back row (l-r): James Symonds, Oliver Norcott and Megan Bearpark.

cardiffmet.ac.uk/business/cse

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SWIPE Card

SWIPE & SAVE!Only

£10.00

for 3 Years

Swipe Card is Cardiff Met’s student lifestyle card, offering huge offers and discounts on many of your favourite brands.

What sets Swipe apart from all the other student discount cards is not only does it provide you with offers and discounts in your favourite retailers in Cardiff but Swipe also offers and discounts on-campus at Cardiff Met.

Swipe Card Benefi ts:

• Valid Student I.D. and Discount Card

• Exclusive to Cardiff Met Students

• Offers & Discounts on Big Brands

• 10% Off Food & Drink at run bars

• 5% Off Selected items at run shops

• Weekly Email Offers & Discounts

Bag a Swipe Card at: www.cardiffmetsu.co.uk

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Scholar Profile:Jordan Lam

Jordan Lam (21)Football

BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science

Who do you play/compete for?

I play for the firsts both Wednesday

(BUCS) and Saturday (Welsh League).

What is an average week like for you in

terms of university and training?

An average week consists of sitting

in the library attempting to write my

dissertation. Then off to train for the

upcoming game, then back to attempting

to write words for my dissertation, before

finally playing the game that I trained for.

I'd maybe say the work productivity of the

next week normally relies on if we win or

lose!

What is your best/most memorable

achievement in sport and why?

I probably should say my most memorable

achievement would be playing for Torquay

United. Other than that, playing for Devon

wasn't bad and of course being selected

for Cardiff Met isn't all that bad either!

At what age did you begin your sport and

how did it come about?

My parents took me to play football when

I was four but apparently I wasn't really

interested and just started going onesies

on the field. I wasn't born with the football

at my feet. My actual passion was for

hip-hop dancing. Aged six, my parents

took me back to football, I guess they

really wanted a footballer. It's from here I

realised my potential to be the greatest.

How is your season going so far?

My season was actually going really well,

until I got shingles on my face and now

I'm fighting to get back my fitness.

What are you aims and aspirations for the

future?

I would love to go pro, perhaps even go

abroad to play. The world is my oyster!

Tell us something not many people know

about you?

I was quite the little actor and originally

applied for drama school, but changed my

mind last minute. They said I was better

than DiCaprio but I'd rather learn about

energy systems.

Quick Fire Team Mates Quiz

Best dance moves?

A few have been known to shake up the

dance realm. Notable movers being Josh

Barnett and Chris Baker, however I must

proclaim this title for myself.

Most vain?

I'm going to say Dan Spencer because he

looks like a Greek God.

Cardiff Met athletic union Summaries

men's footballThe first team finished 3rd in their first

BUCS Premier South season, they now

face Stirling University in the quarter finals

of the BUCS Championship. In the Welsh

League, the team sit top of League One, 6

points clear of second place as they look

for promotion to the Welsh Premier League.

The team have also made it to the quarter

finals of the Welsh Cup where they host

Connah’s Quay at Cyncoed on the 5th of

March which will be Sgorio’s featured live

game on S4C.

The second team are chasing promotion in

their BUCS league and still have the league

leaders to play. On Saturday, the team

currently sit 14 points clear at the top of the

reserves division as they look to retain their

title under the leadership of PhD student

Martin Longworth and player/coach and

MSc student Liam Black.

The youth team have had a strong season

so far and are second in BUCS. A large

proportion of the team are also playing

in their first season in the Welsh Premier

Youth Development League South where

they are currently top.

The 4th team have enjoyed mixed fortunes

and find themselves 5th in the BUCS

league.

The 5th team are enjoying an unbeaten

season in BUCS and are 5 points clear of

the second placed team.

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Women's FootballNearing the end of the BUCS season the

1st team have won the Premier South with

2 games left to play. They will soon begin

the knockout stages in the search of BUCS

championship gold! The 2nd team currently

sit in 3rd place in Western 1A with 3 games

left to play and will also be looking for

BUCS trophy success.

In the Welsh Premier League, the 1st team

are sitting top of the table on 28 points with

a goal difference of +61. Winning the title

this year would mean the club enter the

Women’s Champions League for the 4th

time in 5 years. The team are also in the

Quarter Finals of the FAW Cup.

FutsalQasmal Ghani (Head Coach)

In the BUCS Western 1B division, the 1st

team is currently 2 points behind top-

place Bristol, but having played a game

more. The potential turning point could be

letting a 9-6 lead slip and drawing 9-9 in

December’s top of the table clash. For 2

seasons running, we have exited the BUCS

Trophy in the 1st round. This year has also

seen our fi rst participation in the FAW Elite

Futsal League. Despite results not being

forthcoming, more higher-level games

are helping us gaining much-needed

experience in order to develop our game

to the next level. We will be entering the

FAW Futsal Cup at the Quarterfi nal stage.

The only ever-present player in the club’s

14 fi xtures, Samuel Plowright, is currently

topping the team’s scoring chart with 18

goals, whilst ‘Irish Giant’ vice-captain Oisin

Murphy has been the leading player of the

season so far.

NetballAs we go in to the second half of the

season, Cardiff Met Netball currently have 3

out of 6 teams sitting at the top of the table.

In addition to this, the fi rst team have made

it through to the knock out stages of the

premier league, with the potential of getting

to the BUCS fi nal for the second year in a

row.

The club ran a successful mixed fancy

dress fundraising tournament to kick start

2016. The tournament involved 15 teams

of students and staff, some great fancy

dress and some even better netball being

displayed. We will be looking to build on

this and host another tournament around

Easter time.

Following hours of planning and

preparation, a mix of 15 Metballers

from fi rst, second and third years have

now qualifi ed as UKCC level 2 coaches.

These girls have since gained a number

of coaching roles in and around the

community.

With only 1 win in 4 so far in the BUCS

Western 2A division, the 2nd team are

looking to bounce back in their fi nal 2

games before the BUCS Conference Cup

Semi-fi nal fi xture against Bristol 2nd in

March. 2nd team captain Alex Le Blancq

is hoping to lead the club to its fi rst ever

silverware.

This year we have a great representation in

the Netball superleague from Cardiff Met

Netball. Students and coaches selected to

represent the Celtic Dragons are: Georgia

Rowe, Melissa Steingass, Bethan Dyke,

Cathy Bastian and Suzy Drane. Bethan

Moore and Chloe James have been selected

to play for the Junior Dragons, and Chelsea

Lewis for Team Bath.

Both teams in the Cardiff league are also

doing well, the B team are currently second

in the league and the A team are making

a come back for the second half of the

season.

Women's Basketball2016 started well for Cardiff Met

Archers BUCS Women’s 1st team, with

a comfortable away win against Kings

College. A scrappy affair and several

injuries meant the game did not serve as

perfect preparation for the following weeks

title clash against London South Bank.

Earlier in the season LSBU handed Cardiff

Met their fi rst league loss in over 3 seasons

and with neither team looking likely to drop

another game this season - Wednesday's

fi xture became a possible title decider. To

make the job even more diffi cult Cardiff Met

would need to win by at least 15 points if

they hoped to retain their Premier South

title.

Cardiff Met would be without key post

players Jo Thomas, Annie Scanlon and Tina

De Martino, however, with GB legend Stef

Collins back from injury the smaller line

up would still be strong. The fi rst quarter

was close with LSBU taking an early lead,

but the gap was quickly closed as a full

court pass from Lacey Mackenzie found

Judit Fritz for an easy lay up. WBBL guards

Caoimhe Colgan and Stef Collins soon

checked into game on their returns from

injury and upped the defensive intensity.

A Collins three-pointer and another lay up

from Fritz, this time from a Colgan assist,

put the home team up by 4 going into the

2nd quarter.

The defensive effort, fuelled by the home

fans, continued for the rest of the half

leading to more scores in transition. The

Archers lead 9 at the half and were on

track to win by the margin they needed for

the title, however, LSBU wouldn't go down

easily. The start of the second half saw

the bigger LSBU team converting from mid

range and fi nishing close to the basket

to gain a foothold in the game, but Beth

Jones battled on inside to stamp out their

run. Mackenzie and Colgan continued their

fantastic perimeter defense and the lead

started to grow. Big shots from captain

Azeb Smalley and Collins edged the margin

past 15 half way through the 4th quarter as

they Archers’ experience kicked in as the

team were able to extend the lead to 23 and

hold on until the fi nal buzzer.

Judit Fritz provided an MVP performance

contributing 19 points as well as limiting

the opposition’s key scorer to just 8 points.

The huge team effort against LSBU has

kept Cardiff Met top of the table with only

one game left as they travel to Oxford on

Wednesday for the last game of the regular

season, with a win confi rming them as

league champions.

Read an update on the Women's Basketball

2nd Team over on our website:

cardiffmetsu.co.uk/Retro-Spring-2016

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Scholar Profile:Keely Empson

Keely Empson (19)Swimming and Open Water

BSc (Hons) SCRaM

Who do you play/compete for?

My main team is City of Cardiff Swimming

Club and I compete for the Cardiff Met

Swimming Club at BUCS Fixtures.

What is an average week like for you in

terms of university and training?

I train 18 hours a week in the pool with

City of Cardiff, which consists of 4

morning sessions and then 5 evening

sessions, but I do my strength and

conditioning sessions here at Cardiff

Met with Dai Watts and the Strength and

Conditioning Team. I am lucky enough

to have had my timetable adjusted so

that I am able to have the majority of my

lectures in the morning, so that I can go

home and rest before afternoon training.

What is your best/most memorable

achievement in sport and why?

When I was 15, me and my best friend

were the two fastest seeds going into our

50m Backstroke final at regionals, and we

ended up dead heating the final and both

winning the gold medal. To dead heat in

a final is pretty cool, but to do it with the

girl who was my best friend just made the

moment memorable.

At what age did you begin your sport and

how did it come about?

I started swimming aged 7 doing a crash

course and was scared of the deep end

of my home swimming pool, but I found I

really enjoyed swimming afterwards and

joined my local team aged 8 and have been

swimming ever since.

How is your season going so far?

This season I’ve moved clubs to join City

of Cardiff under Graham Wardell, who

was head coach of Scotland at the 2014

Commonwealth Games. I became Welsh

Champion in the 100m backstroke at the

2015 Welsh Short Course Championships

and made my 2nd consecutive 50m

backstroke final at the 2015 BUCS Short

Course Championships, breaking both my

50m and 200m university record.

-I am now beginning to focus on the

Olympic trials in April, and will be

representing the university at the BUCS

Long Course Swimming Championships in

February and City of Cardiff in the National

Arena Swimming League Final in April.

What are you aims and aspirations for the

future?

My aims for this season are to get a

place on the Welsh Senior Elite Squad

and to qualify for my 3rd British National

Championships in July. But long term

I will be looking towards qualifying for

2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold

Coast, or going as part of the Team Wales

medical team as a Sports Masseur.

If you could play any other sport what

would it be?

It would probably be field athletics as I

used to do shotput and discus at high

school before swimming took over.

Tell us something not many people know

about you?

One of my old training partners and close

friends is a Paralympic Gold Medallist

from the 2012 London Paralympics.

Quick Fire Team Mates Quiz

Funniest?

Matt Edwards and Chris Sandom (I’d get

in trouble if I picked one).

Best looking?

Hannah Gamble

Worst banter?

Seth Davies (sorry coach)!

Best dance moves?

Oli Coe

Most intellectual?

Joe Parker

Women's Hockey (2nd)Ladies two’s have had a stormer of a

season so far with and impressive 6 wins

and one draw in the league! However,

they suffered a defeat against Bristol

2nds early in the cup knocking them out.

The ladies are currently sat at the top of

table for BUCS league and are gunning

for promotion. With 3 games left they are

hoping to maintain their position at the top

to hit their promotion target!

men's HockeyFirst off Cardiff Met would like to

congratulate Alf Dinnie on making his

national league debut. The men's 1st team

have really come along way since our first

game, losing 3-0 to Bath university. After

0 points from 3 games the leader board

wasn't a pretty sight. The team stuck at

it and hard work and determination soon

delivered results, with revenge at the

return fixture from the first game of the

season beating Bath 3-2 away from home.

Wins against Oxford brookes and Oxford

University and draws home and away

against Bristol soon followed resulting in

a solid season. We finished 4th meaning

a cup knock out game vs Nottingham

University at Home on the 24th February.

for more AU info including fixtures & results, visit the

students' union website and social

media

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