I’m a campaigning student and member of Socialist Students on campus. In my first year at Swansea I have built a track record of fighting for students. I co-ordinated the Swansea University Rent Strike along with strikers around wales. Through this struggle we have secured £40m of funding directly for university students from the welsh government and in Swansea we have won rent refunds for students who are not able to return to their halls. When meeting with current student union officers and the Vice-Chancellor and other senior leadership team members, I have pushed the interests of students relentlessly without any other motives. During the covid-crisis students need fighters representing them, not CV builders.
Since the start of the pandemic students have been viewed as cash-cows by Universities and the government. Students have no voice on campus - A fighting and democratic union is needed. We need to fight for:
FREE EDUCATION:
The chaos on campus this year has proven that the tuition fee funding model is broken. We need free education - to scrap tuition fees, introduce living grants and cancel student debt. We need a student union that will help students organise to fight for free education on our campus, and link up with students in struggle on other campuses to take the fight to the Tories for the funding our universities need to provide a high quality education for all. For fee refunds for all students!
STAFF CUTS:
The pandemic has majorly impacted university funding, but the cost of this cannot fall on university staff. The UCU are organising against cuts on campus and the student union must join their struggle. Staff cuts will not just lead to the unemployment of our staff members, but also degrade the quality of courses and teaching. We must fight any and all redundancies.
COVID SAFETY:
Workers and students must be in control of covid safety. We need democratic student and trade union oversight of health and safety on campus. There must be no return until it’s safe but students and workers should be in control of that, not university management, out of touch with the real needs of staff and students.
ACCOMMODATION:
Living in University halls 24/7 since September due to Covid restrictions has made clear to students that cost cutting on our housing has taken place for decades by the university. We need an SU that will campaign for 100% rent refunds for students unable to move back to their accommodation for any reason, including students in private lets.
Meanwhile the cost of some halls has more than doubled in the last 15 years while the quality of accommodation has gotten worse. We need rent controls in university halls – democratically set by elected committees with the involvement of students.
I would be grateful for your vote, to give a seat at the table to a fighter who cares only about the interests of students and the universities staff. My central goal is to fight your corner with University bosses.
You can vote online for Officers and Referendums at?www.swansea-union.co.uk/elections/?anytime between 11am on Monday 8th March – 1pm on Thursday 11th March 2021
Rwy'n fyfyriwr ymgyrchu ac yn aelod o Fyfyrwyr Sosialaidd y campws. Yn fy mlwyddyn gyntaf yn Abertawe, mae gen i hanes o frwydro dros fyfyrwyr. Cydlynais i Streic Rhent Prifysgol Abertawe ynghyd â streicwyr o amgylch Cymru. Trwy’r frwydr hon rydyn ni wedi sicrhau £40m o gyllid yn uniongyrchol ar gyfer myfyrwyr gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac yn Abertawe rydyn ni wedi ennill ad-daliadau rhent i fyfyrwyr nad ydynt yn gallu dychwelyd i’w neuaddau. Wrth gwrdd â swyddogion cyfredol Undeb y Myfyrwyr, yr Is-Ganghellor ac aelodau eraill o’r Uwch Dîm Reoli, rydw i wedi lleisio barnau myfyrwyr yn ddidrugaredd heb unrhyw gymhellion eraill. Yn ystod yr argyfwng Covid, mae angen cynrychiolwyr ar fyfyrwyr, nid adeiladwyr CV.
Ers dechrau'r pandemig mae Prifysgolion a'r Llywodraeth wedi ystyried myfyrwyr fel arian yn unig. Nid oes gan fyfyrwyr lais ar y campws - mae angen undeb democrataidd i ymladd. Mae angen i ni ymladd dros:
ADDYSG AM DDIM:
Mae'r anhrefn ar y campws eleni wedi dangos bod y model cyllido ffioedd dysgu wedi torri. Mae angen addysg am ddim arnom - i ddileu ffioedd dysgu, cyflwyno grantiau byw a chanslo dyled myfyrwyr. Mae angen Undeb Myfyrwyr a fydd yn helpu myfyrwyr i drefnu i frwydro dros addysg am ddim ar ein campws, a chysylltu â myfyrwyr sy'n brwydro ar gampysau eraill i fynd â'r frwydr i'r Torïaid am y cyllid sydd ei angen ar ein prifysgolion i ddarparu addysg o ansawdd uchel i bawb. Am ad-daliadau ar ffioedd pob myfyriwr!
STAFF CUTS:
Mae'r pandemig wedi cael effaith fawr ar gyllid y Brifysgol, ond ni all y gost hon effeithio ar staff y Brifysgol. Mae'r UCU yn trefnu ymgyrch yn erbyn toriadau ar y campws a rhaid i Undeb y Myfyrwyr ymuno â'u brwydr. Bydd toriadau staff yn arwain at ddiweithdra ein staff ac yn effeithio’n negyddol ar ansawdd cyrsiau ac addysgu’r Brifysgol. Rhaid i ni frwydro yn erbyn unrhyw ddiswyddiadau.
DIOGELWCH COVID:
Rhaid i weithwyr a myfyrwyr reoli diogelwch Covid. Mae angen goruchwyliaeth myfyrwyr ac undebau llafur democrataidd ar iechyd a diogelwch ar y campws. Rhaid i ni beidio â dychwelyd nes ei fod yn ddiogel ond dylai myfyrwyr a gweithwyr benderfynu ar hynny, nid rheolwyr y Brifysgol, sydd allan o gysylltiad ag anghenion go iawn staff a myfyrwyr.
LLETY:
Mae byw yn neuaddau'r Brifysgol 24/7 ers mis Medi oherwydd cyfyngiadau Covid wedi nodi'n glir i fyfyrwyr bod y Brifysgol wedi torri costau ar ein tai. Mae angen UM arnom a fydd yn ymgyrchu dros ad-daliadau rhent llawn i fyfyrwyr na allant symud yn ôl i'w llety am unrhyw reswm, gan gynnwys myfyrwyr mewn llety preifat.
Yn y cyfamser mae cost rhai neuaddau wedi mwy na dyblu yn ystod y 15 mlynedd diwethaf tra bod ansawdd y llety wedi gwaethygu. Mae angen rheolaethau rhent arnom yn neuaddau’r Brifysgol - wedi'u gosod yn ddemocrataidd gan bwyllgorau etholedig gyda chyfranogiad myfyrwyr.
Byddwn i'n ddiolchgar am eich pleidlais, i roi cyfle i ymladdwr sy'n poeni am fuddiannau myfyrwyr a staff y Brifysgol yn unig. Fy mhrif nod yw lleisio’ch barnau â phenaethiaid y Brifysgol.
Gallwch bleidleisio dros Swyddogion a Refferenda ar www.swansea-union.co.uk/elections unrhyw bryd rhwng 11am ar Ddydd Llun 8fed Mawrth - 1pm ar Ddydd Iau 11eg Mawrth 2021.