November

19–20 Nov – NUS Black Students Conference, Wolverhampton – biggest ever, with 200 people!

21 Nov – Attended Employment Tribunals Service; organised workshop sessions for NUS Anti-Racism Conference; spoke at Luton University open meeting on representation.

22 Nov – Spoke at NUS Wales Black Students’ Conference, in Aberystwyth with Rahat Ahmed elected new BSO!

23 Nov – Spoke to Pathfinder Course at Kingston College; attended Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism meeting; organised speakers for NUS Anti-Racism Conference.

24 Nov – Spoke at ‘Tackling Racism in Universities and Colleges’ conference in London; attended Reading University Question Time event.

25 Nov – Met Liz Hutchinson, NUS Press Officer, to plan Anti-Racism conference press release; attended NUS LGBT Committee meeting in Coventry to overturn ban on Prof Tariq Ramadan.

26–27 Nov – Spoke at NHSF Hindu students national conference at Leicester DeMontfort University; attended NUS LGBT Conference in Coventry.

28–29 Nov – Attended NUS STADIA Conference in Liverpool and ran workshops on ‘Supporting Muslim Members’ and ‘Putting Activism into Activities’; debated on panel at SOAS about Anti-Terror – The Way Forward.

30 Nov – Organised NUS Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism Conference, London – biggest ever event.

December

1 Dec – Met Kirsty Lloyd, student chair of British Medical Association; attended NUS conference delegation meeting.

2 Dec – Attended NUS Environment Conference; prepared letter and materials for NUS mailing

3 Dec – Joined Climate Change march and rally at Grosvenor Square.

5 Dec – Met Hayley Baker, Student Campaigns Co-ordinator of Oxfam UK; met ActionAid UK.

6 Dec – Attended Mental Health Bill lobby with 1990 Trust; attended Small and Specialist Colleges event at Royal College of Art.

7 Dec – Prepared casework notes; attended Mayor of London’s Peace Reception, City Hall.

8 Dec – Spoke at University of London Union Welfare Officers’ Network meeting.

9 Dec – Met Josh Robinson from Catch 21 at NUS HQ; attended NEC meeting about Education 2010 campaign; met Raj Jethwa from TUC about Black students workers.

10 Dec – Attended Int’l Peace Conference and led student caucus with more than 100 students.

12 Dec – Spoke at Metropolitan Police Authority event about young Black men and criminality.

13 Dec – Sent out invoices for NUS Black Students Handbook; prepared Clubbing Together Fund pack and application forms.

14 Dec – Attended NUS NEC meeting; met Andy Grant and Joe Rukin about Campaign funding; had dinner with ESIB European Equalities Committee.

15 Dec – Attended NUS NEC meeting to discuss motions for national conference; spoke at NEC Liberation Officers and ESIB meeting.

16 Dec – Hosted NUS Internationalism and Anti-Racism committee meetings in London – both postponed due to none-attendance of NEC (except for Judas Jamal and Peter Leary); visited Westminster Kingsway College and then Cambridge University Graduate Union.

19 Dec – Attended British Medical Association Student Committee meeting at BMA House.

20 Dec – Attended meeting with sabbaticals at Bradford University; attended meeting at Matthew Boulton College for two young Black students suspended for producing a newsletter.

21 Dec – Met 1990 Trust about new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

22-23 Dec – Days off

26-30 Dec – Days off

January

1-2 Jan – Days off

3 Jan – Met Matthew McGregor from War On Want about Coca-Cola boycott campaign.

4-5 Jan – Attended BUSA (British Uni Sports Assoc.) diversity conference, Southampton.

6 Jan – Met Tonisha Tague, Black Students’ Officer at City of Westminster College; organised NUS Black Students’ Committee meeting;

9 Jan – Met the two Black students from Matthew Boulton College (MB2) in Birmingham about their expulsion.

10 Jan – Met editor of Student Times newspaper about features; met Warren Nettleford from MIND, the mental health charity, to record a 5-minute video of support.

11 Jan – Attended meeting with Bill Rammell MP, minister for higher education, about government anti-terror legislation; prepared letters and materials for NUS mailing.

12 Jan – Submitted Report and Plan document for NUS regional conferences; met ‘Peace International’ charity at NUS about joint work; attended On Course meeting – the NUS Education Priority Campaign.

13 Jan – Led MB2 protest at their college in Birmingham – more than 40 students from 8 institutions turned up at 8.30am! Had lunch with Exec at Westminster Kingsway College; met Peter Leary and Suzy Wylie to plan student anti-war activities in term ahead.

16 Jan – Spoke at anti-BNP demonstration in Leeds – during the trial of Nick Griffin; attended NUS Black Students’ Committee meeting in Leeds – postponed as it was inquorate.

The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students.

All links in blogs will open in a new browser window.

The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/pavakhtar/272358.aspx