Conference Report

Added on 20/04/2009

Report: NUS International Students' Conference
This year's IS Conference took place in Nottingham on the 18th and 19th of April. Over 60 delegates and observers from universities and colleges across the UK came together to debate policy, elect their new representatives, share best practice and learn from each other and experts in the field.

Campaigns and Policy
Delegates debated and agreed policy on a range of issues. In the "Privatisation of education and international students" debate, concern was raised that "international students are being short changed on being taught English with untrained and unqualified staff from private companies". Conference resolved to "liaise with trade union organisations to lobby the Govt against the privatisation of language courses offered for international students", amongst other actions.

In the "Representation and participation" debate, the IS Committee were praised for their work in securing funding for the Internationalising Unions project, and were mandated to "develop a campaign to encourage student unions to engage and represent international students further and better"

Fees also loomed large on the agenda. In two different debates delegates highlighted the "excessive and unfair" international fees regime in the UK, arguing both for better regulation of fees levels and better delivery of services from the fees paid.

Finally, major concerns were outlined in relation to immigration and the demonising of international students in the wake of recent terror arrests, and the plight of disabled international students. Work on all of these policies will commence when the new committee meets.

Plenaries
Delegates heard from Equanomics, a campaigning body that exists to "improve the economic prospects of minority and marginalised communities as a means to readdress social inequalities that exist in our society and rather create opportunities for sustained community development". Their presentation is available now here.

In addition NUS launched its "Internationalising students' unions" toolkit. Over the past five months NUS has worked together with a project group made up of officers, staff and international students from four students’ unions to develop a strategic framework and audit tool to help students’ unions to internationalise.

The report, Internationalising students' unions in higher education: a strategic framework and audit toolkit for students' unions, outlines a strategic vision, set of values and objectives based around key areas, to which all students’ unions can aspire. Allied to this is a new, step-by-step audit toolkit that students’ unions can use to measure and track progress towards internationalisation, with support from NUS.

Now 20 students' unions are wanted for the next phase of the internationalising students' unions project

Resources: The presentation from the day with stats on international students, the toolkit report and the audit questionnaire are all online here.

NUS has been awarded funding for a further two years for this project and we are now looking for 20 students’ unions to adopt the strategic framework and to undertake an audit in your union in 2009-10. Download further information on how to register your interest now.
http://resource.nusonline.co.uk/media/resource/NUS_Marketing.pdf

Election Results
At the NUS International Students' Conference on 19th April, the following people were elected:

International Students' Officer

Saima Yousaf, UEL

International Students' Committee
Amanda Gicharu, Leeds Met
Amer Reza, De Montfort
Dinesh Krishnan, Committee
Efehi Ubebe, Strathclyde Students' Association
Florian Mertens, UWE
Jade Mak, Hull University Union
Madalena Ngongola, Birmingham Guild
Oluwatosin Olawoki, University of Manchester Students' Union
Oyinlola Akinde, Coventry University Students Union
Pratik Vyas, Northumbria
Ram Bende, University of Salford Students' Union
Sukhwinder Singh, Middlesex University Students' Union

International Students' Steering Committee
Samina Naseeb, University of Manchester Students' Union

Awards Results
In addition the following awards winners were announced at the IS Awards night, sponsored by nomi:

Student Society of the year
Salford Islamic Society
http://www.salfordisoc.com/

International Students campaign of the year
Kent Union
http://www.kentunion.co.uk/

Best students' union for International Students
Loughbrough
http://www.lufbra.net/

International Officer of the year
Luqman Onikosi, University of Sussex
http://brennybaby.blogspot.com/2008/04/exam-protest-for-sussex-university.html

International event of the year
Universal Thursday, Loughborough
http://www.lufbra.net/ents/universalthursday/

Honorary Award
Issahaku Kotomah
http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/issahakukotomah/

Pictures
A selection of pictures from the event have been kindly uploaded by one of our delegates here

Finally: If you have any questions about the conference or would like further information, contact Mark Leach at NUS HQ: mailto:mark.leach@nus.org.uk

Internationalising students' unions

Added on 14/04/2009

Over the past five months NUS has worked together with a project group made up of officers, staff and international students from four students’ unions to develop a strategic framework and audit tool to help students’ unions to internationalise.

The report, Internationalising students' unions in higher education: a strategic framework and audit toolkit for students' unions, outlines a strategic vision, set of values and objectives based around key areas, to which all students’ unions can aspire. Allied to this is a new, step-by-step audit toolkit that students’ unions can use to measure and track progress towards internationalisation, with support from NUS.

NUS has been awarded funding for a further two years for this project and we are now looking for 20 students’ unions to adopt the strategic framework and to undertake an audit in your union in 2009-10. Download further information on how to register your interest now.

Money management tools for international students

Added on 03/04/2009

UNIAID and UKICSA have launched new online resources to help international students with money management.

Building on the success of the International Student Calculator, which was unveiled last year, UNIAID has launched the second phase of the project, which is funded by the Prime Minister's Initiative and developed in partnership with UKCISA.

What's new?

• For international students

The International Student Calculator is an interactive budgeting tool, which helps international students plan and manage their money for UK study.

Users can build a lifestyle budget, by looking at how they balance their time as well as their money. Top tips and content sections provide information about UK lifestyle, the living costs and budgeting ideas. Students can also see how their peers have coped by viewing a range of student profiles and their budgets.

The new version of the tool includes new content and student profiles for International students in Further Education.

• For student advisers

UNIAID has launched a new set of online downloadable resources to help advisers deliver money management activities with students. Whether you are doing a presentation, an interactive workshop, orientation session or just want to hand out some student finance information, these resources can help. They're free, easy to use and flexible. You can download what you need when you need it.

How to use this project

• Add the web link to the Student Calculator to your website or in publications/materials;
• Distribute promotional postcards to students or put up on relevant noticeboards. You can contact UNIAID to order your cards.
• Download the International Advisers Resources

Annual Conference Fringe Event

Added on 13/03/2009

The International Students Campaign have invited the UK Border Agency along to NUS' Annual Conference which runs from 31st March to 2nd April. They will be taking part in a fringe meeting which will take place at 1pm on Wednesday April 1st in the Spanish Hall. This will be an opportunity to find out about how the new points based system affects students as well as answering any other questions you may have.

Additionally, representatives from UKBA will be at the Conference throughout in the stalls area and on hand to answer questions or address your concerns if you can't make the 1pm meeting.

International Unit

Added on 10/03/2009

The UK Higher Education sector has a wide-ranging and growing engagement with people, institutions and organisations around the world. This engagement is vital for academic, social, cultural, political and economic sustainability and for the constant renewal of the higher education sector in the UK.

The UK remains the second most popular destination for international students and UK higher education institutions (HEIs) have established partnerships and collaborations around the world. Yet an increasing number of countries are developing international dimensions to their higher education systems, some - such as India and China as well as the traditional suppliers such as the USA and Australia - on a massive scale.

The UK HE International Unit has been established to coordinate, promote and undertake activities designed to support UK HEIs in a globally competitive world.

They provide information, news and briefings that may be relevant to your work in your institutions. They have a regular newsletter which you can subscribe to by emailing Info.

You can find more information, as well as resources to download at their website.