Hilary Term 2008 Committee Reports

2008 Hilary Term Report

Co-Chairs – Kudrat Virk (Hertford) and Xin Hui Chan (Lincoln)

1. Elections:

a. Fabiola Alvarado (St. Edmund Hall) resigned as Welfare Officer over the Christmas Vacation, necessitating a by-election, which took place in 3rd week of Hilary Term. Sanjay Nanwani (St. Peter’s), who had filled in as Acting Welfare Officer after Fabiola’s resignation, was elected to the position.

b. As mandated by our Constitution, we also held elections for a new Executive Committee in Hilary Term for which we were Returning Officers. Nominations were received for all open positions, except Social Secretary. Hustings took place in an open meeting of the Campaign in 6th week and balloting by e-mail took place throughout 7th week. The 2008/2009 Committee are:

∑ Co-Chairs: Jaimie Li (Balliol) & Shao Wen Chen (St. Peter’s)
∑ Treasurer: Sinni Lim (University)
∑ Membership Secretary: Sanam Khanchandani (Balliol)
∑ Welfare Officer: Charlotte Yan (St. Hilda’s)
∑ Campaigns Officers: Heather Kincaide (St. Antony’s) & Nikita Malik (St. Hugh’s)
∑ Publicity Officer: Emmanuel Forlemu (Magdalen)

A by-election will be held in Trinity Term for the position of Social Secretary. The new Committee will take office in July 2008, until which time it will work side-by-side with current committee members on the Campaign’s projects.


2. International Students’ Handbook: Progress on the Handbook was slow this term, as we concentrated our resources on the organisation of the first ever Oxford International Festival. Section editors completed first drafts of 9 out of 12 sections of the Handbook. This included a brand new section on Careers, written by Tracey Wells, Assistant Director of the University Careers Service. We aim to complete and finalise the text of all the sections by mid-Trinity Term, after which our main focus will be on raising funds and finding volunteers to typeset, design and print the Handbook online and on paper. A number of colleges have expressed an interest in the Handbook and responded positively to our request for help in distributing it. We will follow-up on these contacts in Trinity Term. Our aim remains to make the Handbook available for free to all international students both in print and in electronic form.


3. Oxford International Festival (OIF): We co-ordinated the organisation of the inaugural Oxford International Festival which was held in 7th week of Hilary Term. This week-long cultural extravaganza sought to celebrate the talent and diversity of the University and city of Oxford.

The Festival began with a five-day showcase of events with an international focus hosted by individual societies. Highlights included a Beer Tasting jointly organised by the Oxford University German and Russian Societies, a Mandarin Writing Class held by Oxford Chinese International Awareness, an Egyptian Dance Class by the Raqs Sharqi Society, a community-based group, and the One World Show, organised by the Oxford University United Nations Association, Oxford Aegis and Oxford United World Colleges to raise funds for Fund4Darfur, a project of the Aegis Trust.

The week’s events culminated in the grand finale of the Festival – the day-long International Fair held in the ARCO Building of Keble College on 1 March. We were extremely privileged to have Dr Heather Bell, Director of International Strategy for the University, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, Julie, to welcome everyone to the event. In her address, Dr Bell described how the University of Oxford has admitted international students for more than eight centuries, as well as how the University continues to be an international institution with students from more than 139 countries and an ever-increasing number of international collaborations. She went on to underscore the University’s commitment to an international outlook and its desire to attract students of the highest calibre from all over the world. An excited Julie concluded her mother’s already brief speech by declaring “’nuff said!” – she seemed keen to move on to exploring the Fair!

The Fair featured a variety of performances on the World Stage ranging from Indonesian gamelan music by the Oxford Gamelan Society and Brazilian capoeira by Abolição Oxford Capoeira to African gumboots dancing by the Oxford Gumboots Troupe and Japanese kyogen drama by a group from the Oriental Institute under the direction of a Japanese professor from the University of Waseda in Tokyo. Other highlights included a ceilidh performance and workshop by the Oxford University Scottish Dance Society, excerpts from a play by the Oxford University Chinese Drama Society, a salsa performance by the award-winning Oxford University Salsa Society and the launch of a new all-male singing group, Tuna Universitaria de Oxford, who presented popular songs from Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Argentina, and got everyone singing along with them! These groups were far more than just acts on stage, however. With their beautiful costumes and multi-lingual conversations, performers added to the richness of the Fair simply by mingling with visitors, watching other performances, or in the case of the Gumboots Troupe, by being inspired to have an impromptu performance outside on the lawn!

These performances were complemented by a colourful assortment of stalls in the Global Marketplace. Stalls featured crafts like the ever-popular origami, calligraphy and henna, traditional games such as Singapore-style mahjong and dai dee as well as snacks including Nigerian chin-chin and Brazilian brigadeiro. There were also exhibitions about countries as diverse as Mexico and Malaysia along with stands advertising Oxford balls with an international theme – each ball featured a different country/region, or in the case of the Lincoln Ball, the entire world! In addition, a charity raffle was held to raise more funds for Fund4Darfur.

The Fair was very well-attended throughout the day, with more than 500 people experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of the world right here in Oxford. It was our great pleasure to welcome not just students as well as University staff and their families, but also many members of the wider Oxford community. Many particularly enjoyed the interactive elements of both performances and stall presentations, and expressed interest in attending future instalments of the Festival!

In total, 28 societies and more than 200 students and staff were involved in the organisation of the Festival. We were bowled over by the enthusiasm of all participating groups as well as those who attended events during the week. The Festival far exceeded all expectations and we are deeply grateful to all who were a part of making the Oxford International Festival such an unequivocal success. It is our aim to make the Festival an annual event.

For further information, including a breakdown of accounts, please refer to the full OIF report and the Festival website: http://www.oxfordinternationalfestival.org . Photos from the Fair are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26043071@N02/


4. Campaign for Representation: We continued to support the Campaigns Officers in working to improve the representation of international students on Common Room Committees. Notable successes included a meeting of International Student Representatives from a number of colleges as well as a lively e-mail debate initiated by Merton JCR which now looks poised to institute the position of International Student Representative on its JCR committee.


5. Welfare Clinics: The ISC Committee decided to organise only one welfare-themed clinic on careers and work regulations for international students this year instead of the two we had decided on in Michaelmas Term as the mid-term by-election for Welfare Officer made this unavoidable. Along with the new Welfare Officer, Sanjay Nanwani, we met with Tracey Wells of the Careers Service and discussed plans to jointly organise a panel discussion and Q&A event. This will be held in 2nd week of Trinity Term.

6. Miscellaneous:

a. We met once again this term with Dr. Heather Bell, Oxford University’s Director of International Strategy, to invite her to the inaugural Oxford International Festival and update her briefly on the Campaign’s work. She has indicated that she would like to be kept up to date about our projects and we will meet with her again in Trinity Term.

b. We contributed to the first issue of a new termly newsletter distributed by the University International Office to all current international students at the University.

c. We also wrote to the Heads of House of all the Oxford colleges, introducing the ISC and requesting their support for its objectives and projects. We have since received a number of positive replies, which we will be following-up on in Trinity Term.

d. We attended two meetings of the Autonomous Campaigns Co-Chairs, chaired by Ingrid Frater, OUSU Vice-President (Graduates), at one of which the idea of an Equal Opportunities Day in Trinity Term was suggested and to which the International Students’ Campaign will be making a contribution. We will be discussing this in further detail in Trinity Term, at the end of which we hope to be able to make a fuller report on it.

e. We regularly updated and maintained the ISC’s pages on the OUSU website, with the help of Ingrid Frater, OUSU VP (Graduates); the Facebook group, Oxford University International Students; and the ISC’s profile on GroupSpaces.

Secretary – Nathalie Hanley (St. Anne’s)

1. International Students’ Handbook: The Secretary provided preliminary assistance to the ISC Treasurer for the funding of Handbook, including writing a draft letter for sponsors.

2. Minutes: The Secretary attended all meetings, committee and open, and ensured that minutes were taken, circulated and uploaded to common ISC Google account.

3. Elections: The Secretary publicised and oversaw the smooth running of elections along with the two other returning officers, i.e. the current co-chairpersons.

Social Secretary – Kaushal Vidyarthee (Wolfson)

1. Oxford International Festival (OIF): This was held in 7th week of Hilary Term. The festival began with a five-day showcase of events with an international focus hosted by individual societies (e.g. a Mandarin Writing Class held by Oxford Chinese International Awareness, an Egyptian Dance Class by the Raqs Sharqi Society, a community-based group). The week’s events culminated in the grand finale of the Festival – the day-long International Fair held in the ARCO Building of Keble College on 1 March.  The Fair featured a variety of performances on the World Stage ranging from Indonesian gamelan music by the Oxford Gamelan Society to Brazilian capoeira by Abolição Oxford Capoeira, from a ceilidh performance and workshop by the Oxford University Scottish Dance Society to excerpts from a play by the Oxford University Chinese Drama Society among others. These performances were complemented by a colourful assortment of stalls in the Global Marketplace and exhibitions about countries. In addition, a charity raffle was held to raise more funds for Fund4Darfur. In total, 28 societies and more than 200 students and staff were involved in the organisation of the Festival. The Fair was very well-attended throughout the day, with more than 500 people. For organisation of the Fair and the Festival, an event committee was made which met more than ten times over the term. Moreover, a website for the festival (http://www.oxfordinternationalfestival.org) was prepared for publicity. The OIF is planned to be organised on an annual basis. If you would like to get involved, please e-mail us on internationalstudents@ousu.org.

Welfare Officer – Sanjay Nanwani (St Peter’s)

1. Careers Event: In collaboration with the University Careers Service, we began preparations to organise a careers event targeted at international students (both graduates and undergraduates) who wish to seek employment in the UK upon graduation. The event was confirmed for 1st May 2008 and will be held at the Careers Service. We expect four speakers (one from the Careers Service, one from the International Office, a recent graduate and an immigration lawyer from the private sector) to share their views, and there will be networking opportunities and a chance to have your doubts cleared at the end of the talks, over refreshments.

2. ISC Weekly Newsletter: The ISC pioneered this initiative in the middle of Hilary Term. The Publicity and Welfare Officers were tasked with collating and then disseminating news relating to international interest groups in the University and events for the forthcoming week. The newsletter was sent out every Sunday evening to the entire ISC mailing list.

3. International Students’ Handbook: The Welfare Officer further contributed towards the second version of the International Students Handbook, in particular the sections on Transportation & Travel as well as Food & Accommodation, in his capacity as section editor.

4. Trinity Term Objectives: Trinity Term will of course see the execution of the careers event and the continuation of the ISC Weekly Newsletter. The Welfare Officer will also aim to smoothen the transition to the next committee at the end of Trinity by writing a brief document outlining the duties, responsibilities, resources and relevant contacts required to carry out the job efficiently and effectively. He will also support the rest of the ISC Committee in their individual and collective pursuits.
 

Publicity Officer – Charlotte Yan (St. Hilda’s)

1. Facebook group: The Facebook group, Oxford University International Students, which was set up in 2nd Week of Michaelmas Term sought to publicise and promote the work of the ISC. This website is now well established and very active. There are currently 187 members. The website has been effective as a means to circulate the excellent photos taken from the Oxford International Festival and the posted items section is pleasingly active. The primary objectives for this Facebook group remain ensuring that the website is updated and expanding the member base.

2. ISC Weekly Newsletter: This was established for the first time in Hilary Term. The aim of the newsletter was to provide a weekly e-mail which would collate all the news, events and other information pertinent to international students. The first newsletter featured news and events of various national societies and other relevant information. The goals of successive newsletters include expanding the variety of content contained in the newsletter by setting up features such as a free weekly classifieds section for subscribers. Furthermore, a general objective of the newsletter is to reach a greater number of students and in this respect the aims of the newsletter is in-line with the aims of the Facebook group. The task of producing the newsletter each week is shared with the welfare officer.

3. General Publicity: The focus of Hilary Term was the Oxford International Festival 2008 which was a major social event and a great success.

Co-Campaigns Officers – Heather Kincaide (St. Antony’s) and Samuel Pape (St. Peter’s)

1. Campaign for Representation: The Campaigns Officers convened a meeting of known JCR Overseas/International Students’ Representatives (ISRs) in January. Representatives had the opportunity to meet one another and brainstorm ideas for their coming year in office. A memo of these ideas was sent to all participants. In Hilary Term, the Campaign Officers continued to provide ISRs with e-mail updates about ISC meeting times, minutes and events. The Campaigns Officers continued to contact colleges in order to seek out any additional ISRs.

2. Oxford International Festival (OIF): The Campaigns Officers authored and/or edited funding proposals, invitations, media releases as required.

3. International Students’ Handbook: The Campaigns Officers revised and copy-edited handbook sections as required.