World Week soon!!!

World Week 2010 is a mere two days away and what a programme we have for you. From 13th - 19th March Sheffield Union will become the centre of international and intercultural activity and all students are invited to join us!

Join us for the best week the Union has ever seen and live an international experience!
During this week, each region will have its own national day on which societies from that region will have stalls on the concourse to raise awareness of their cultural heritage.

World Week kick off this year will be on Saturday the 13th of March and we're kicking it off with a parade from the Union all the way to the City Centre Peace Gardens. National societies all dressed up in their traditional costumes.

International Sports Day is on Sunday the 14th of March.

Monday 15th of March is the national day for the East Asian societies:
Chinese Society - CSSA - Hong Kong Society - Japan Society - Korean Society

Tuesday 16th of March is the national day for South Asian and African societies:
Sri Lankan Society - African Caribbean Society - East African Society

Wednesday 17th of March is the national day for European and Americas societies:
Bulgarian Society - Hellenic and Cypriot Society - Turkish Cypriot Society - Kazakh Society - Polish Society - Romanian Society

Thursday 18th of March is the national day for Middle Eastern societies:
Arab Society - Turkish Society
*** Shisha night *** Battle of the Bands

Friday 19th of March is the national day for South East Asian societies:
Brunei Society - MASSOC - SMSA - Vietnamese Society

On the evening of each of the national days there will be a film from the respective regions of that day shown in the Auditorium in the Student’s Union.

Please join our Facebook group to find ALL the details. Check it out!

World Week: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=309746526692&ref=ts

World Week Parade: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=346348001260&ref=ts

Language Tasters: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=332841462778&ref=ts

Battle of the Bands: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=347548487590&ref=ts

Film Nights: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=336041644373&ref=ts

Don't Stop Believing

What a tune! Really great to hear this song is in the Charts again and it does bring us to a very important point: the Union Elections.

Not one of the people standing for a sabbatical officer position, believe it is a given that they will get elected. Very often your resilience will be tested and you will be overburdened with the massive task ahead. This is a normal feeling and if you think your fellow candidates don't feel the same, then that merely means they're very good at hiding it!

My advice to you now is best summed up by Journey: Don't stop believing. If you have the best manifest, the best vision and are prepared to let our students know about this, then you will be successful. The elections are a hugely enjoyable experience and you should cherish this opportunity.

The Next International Officer



So you read my last Blog and weren't convinced? Well done, because we need people like you to be the next International Students' Officer. Keeping Harsh's words in mind - this was the best position for me, as it is the one I was, and remain, most passionate about. The ISO represents all international students at the university within the Students' Union, the university and nationally.

How is that done?

Starting with the Students' Union, you will make sure all the decisions taken by staff and fellow officers are made with having a broad and inclusive membership in mind. Your word will be that of international students and you will always be working to get international students more involved in the Students' Union. You will be supporting and guiding the International Students' Committee - the single best committee in the whole Union - in organising events for all students and representing their fellow students. You will be responsible for national society budgets and be the go-to person for international students seeking help.

In the university you will be making sure international students get their fair deal in all aspects of university life. Whether it is immigration policy, inclusive learning and teaching, international student fees, accommodation issues, induction and much much more, you will be working with, lobbying against or standing shoulder by shoulder with the university to make sure international students get what they are entitled to.

Some issues affecting international students cannot be solved in Sheffield, they need to be addressed nationally. You will be privileged as there are few full-time International Students' Officers across Britain. As such you will need to be involved within the National Union of Students (NUS), the Aldwych Group and other national bodies, making sure international students are represented on a national stage.

Maybe I should have stressed the amount of fun and excitement associated with this job before naming the responsibilities. The mere fact that you have not quit reading tells me you are up to it. Do you feel passionate about all of the above, can you not wait until you have the chance to be doing all these things? Congratulations, the first step to becoming an officer is taken. All the information about the election can be found here and I hope to see you at Officer Q&As. They are Tuesday 2 February 12.00-13.00 and Monday 8 February 12.00-13.00 in Sat Pal Ram (Level 4 Union). See you there!

All the best,

Alex

Open Letter to all International Students

Let this election be an international election:

A word from your International Students' Officer

The nominations for the Officer Elections 10/11 are only a week away from opening and it looks to be the most exciting election to date. From my own experience I can tell you that nominating yourself for an officer position can be a very scary experience. However, ask me and anyone I know who's stood for a position and we will tell you that we have never looked back or regretted the decision. Nominating yourself to be one of the eight officers responsible for running your Students' Union is a fantastic and unique experience that is only sweetened by the success of winning votes and meeting like-minded people.

We in Sheffield are extremely fortunate to have the position of an International Students' Officer. Very few Students' Unions across the country have a similar full-time and paid position, embedded in the officer team. This has meant that every year an international student has been elected in the officer elections. This does not mean, however, that international students like yourself, can only nominate themselves for the International Students' Officer. Any student, whether you are international, home, post-graduate or undergraduate, can nominate themselves for any position (with the exception of the Womens' Officer that has to be a female student and the International Students' Officer that has to be an international student). So if you feel passionate about student welfare, or have been involved in many societies and activities, whether you feel you can contribute to make education better or whether you want to become the next President of the Students' Union - don't be afraid, you can nominate yourself and you can win.

I have been in contact with previous international students that were officers, but not the International Students' Officer. They had the following to say to you:

Chidi Edordu: I believe that with their diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences, international students have much to offer to the Student Union populace. I ran for Sports Officer because I wanted to increase the appeal of sports to more students, home and international students alike. I felt priviledged to use sports as a platform to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism of the Students' Union through events such as Varsity and the Intramural World Cup. Chidi Edordu, a Nigerian student, was elected Sports Officer in 2003.

Laura Zetterberg: I ran for Women's Officer because I was really I passionate about the role. My friends thought I'd run for International Officer but I wanted to do something a bit different. I must say at first I was terrified to run against lots of other people, but I soon realised that everyone was equally nervous, and actually the spirit amongst the rivalry teams ended up being brilliant. I learned so many things you would never ever think you would be doing only a year after graduating, it was a brilliant time. Laura Zetterberg, a student from Finland, was elected Womens' Officer in 2004.

Harsh Srivastav: The main thing here for a student to understand is what motivates them. I never considered myself to be different to any other student. I believed that I can achieve and make the biggest difference in a role which complements my personality and where I can influence a broad mass of students and not only international students. If you consider running for a student officer position understand your strengths and run for a position that motivates you the most. Most importantly believe in yourself, that you can win the election and work hard with your core group of friends to make your dream come true. Harsh Srivastav, a student from India, was elected President in 2005.

As you can see, there are great tips here from previous students and all you have to do is believe in yourself and really go for the position you feel most passionate about. International students can get elected to all positions and so could YOU. Nominations open on Monday 1 February and close on Friday 12 February at 12.00 noon. It is not too late for you to apply. The current officer team, me included, will hold a Question and Answer session for you on Tuesday 2 February at 1200-1300 in Sat Pal Ram (level 4) in your Students' Union if you have any queries. You can also come into our offices at any time and ask us questions - we are here to help and support you. You can find all the relevant information online at http://www.shef.ac.uk/union/student-voice/elections10/student-officers.php.

All the best and good luck!

Alex Erdlenbruch
International Students' Officer 2009/2010

The Politics Of Immigration

British and EU students can consider themselves lucky. Coming to university is difficult in many ways. Problems might include the difficulty of getting through application forms, admission into university and sorting out personal finances. All of these problems are universal to all students. No government, however, is placing additional barriers in their ways to gaining a degree in higher education in Britain. This on the other hand is a major problem for overseas international students.

Most students will have heard about the recent changes to the immigration policy, especially the introduction of the Points Based Immigration Systems (PBS). For those of you that haven't, PBS was introduced to streamline the process of issuing visas to hopeful overseas individuals who wish to come to Britain. Although not primarily aimed at international students, this has had a massive effect on all overseas students wishing to come to Britain for study.

A significant number of overseas students have had their visa application delayed and, because of this, missed out on the first weeks of term. This has proved to be damaging to their efforts to integrate and settle into university life. It has also caused problems for institutions, such as the University of Sheffield, that have had to offer additional support including special catch-up sessions and seminars for all students on delayed visas.

Many other students have had to deal with the complicated bureaucratic nonsense that needs to be overcome before being granted a visa. University and Students' Union support staff have to stay on top of immigration rules which appear to change frequently and without warning or proper consultation.

On November 12th, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a review of Tier 4, the student branch of the new immigration system. However, instead of reducing the complications of an application, the review is being conducted alongside the wrong principles. Some of these principles are nonsensical at best and downright discriminatory at their worst.

One of the questions the review is set to look at, is proposing to increase the minimum level of English students have to demonstrate before starting a course. Whilst this appears to be a sound recommendation, it is not universally applicable. For students wishing to come to Britain to study English, this is an unnecessary precondition that they should not have to overcome. If these students wish to improve their English skills, they ought to be able to do it in an English-speaking environment, rather than having to acquire more advanced levels of English in their home country first.

Another is looking at whether overseas students should have their rights to work in Britain during their period of study curtailed. Given the incredibly high rate of fees for international students at some institutions, limiting their ability to gain some money on the side is not a welcome move. Furthermore, the home office does not appear to distinguish between paid work and volunteer work (or indeed Student Union involvement). Curtailing overseas students' ability to volunteer in the local community or stopping them from having their voice heard in the Students' Union and home institution goes against everything we as a Students' Union are trying to achieve.

Furthermore, it is suggested that students on foundation courses should have to return to their home country to re-apply for a visa, should they want to progress to study for a full degree in Britain. The cost and effort this would put on students is enormous, given that for many students it is already too expensive or difficult to return to their families over the holiday periods.

The last principle that will be mentioned here, concerns the proposal to treat countries which have "historically been sources of illegal migration" differently from others. This would see the home office raising minimum levels of qualification and introducing stricter tests for individuals from such "higher risk countries". If Gordon Brown truly believes in his vision of a fair society, he should apply his values to the treatment of international overseas students. It is not fair to students from these countries to be treated differently from any other and this principle should be opposed by Students' Unions across the country and institutions alike.

In light of these proposed principles, English UK have offered a response to the review which can be seen here. They have also started a petition on this website, which your Sabbs have signed. We would urge all of you that value the presence of international students at our institution to sign it as well. This is not the time to take international students for granted as we are standing at the crossroads right now.

Both the Sabbatical Team and your Union Council have voted to oppose the principles underlying this review and we will do everything in our power to have our voices heard. It is only when the British government shifts its attitude towards international students that we will see a change in government policy.

Apart from their obvious financial benefits to the British economy, overseas students bring so many benefits to our society that seeing a loss of student numbers would be detrimental to all of our university experience. Without them we would not be able to gain cultural agility, an international experience and lose friendships that might last a lifetime.

Do not let this review come to the wrong conclusions.

Please let me know what your thoughts are. My email is alex.erdlenbruch@sheffield.ac.uk

Thanks a lot!

Voting's over - The results are in

World Food Festival 2009, organised by the International Students' Committee, was THE event to be at last Saturday. National Societies from all regions of the world prepared and served traditional food from their home country for guests. As part of this, they were judged in order to establish who wins the prestigious awards which will formally be handed over at the International Cultural Evening next year.

The results were announced on stage, but for those that missed them, here they are again:

Winners of Best Stall:

The Arab Society

Runners up: The Sri Lankan Society and the Omani Society


Winners of Best Service

The Sri Lankan Society

Runners up: The Omani Society and The Arab Society


Winners of Best Food:

The Arab Society

Runners up: The Omani Society and the Sri Lankan Society


and now - Winner of the World Food Festival 2009:

The Arab Society

Second place goes to the Omani Society

Third place goes to the Sri Lankan Society


A huge thank you at this point to all the judges and all national societies for taking part.

Could you be the next Bill Gates?

Well maybe not Bill Gates... Perhaps you might want to settle for being an employee of an internationally minded and focused conmpany. That is providing you are either international yourself or a home student that wants to work overseas. Either way here end the barriers of this sensless little introduction to a unique and excellent prgramme of the university entering it's second year:

THE Virtual International Careers Fair.

It's virtual, it's international and it's all about meeting employers from all around the world who are looking for someone exactly like YOU. For any of you that are international students here is your chance to meet people from some of the biggest graduate recruiters. UK students don't feel left out - as said before, if you wish to work overseas this is just as much an opportunity for you as well.

The best thing about it all? It's all ONLINE. It's starting Monday 9th November and simply by registering here you can be a part of it. It's running all of next week, until the 13th November and is an opportunity for all of you should not miss out on.

Speaking of not missing out on things...



--- Hungry? ---

The International Students' Committee proudly presents the biggest Food Tasting Event of the year. On Saturday 14th October, from 7.30, over ten national societies will be preparing traditional regional and national food for you to try. Right here in Sheffield in the Octagon Centre and International Food Court - next to your Union - students will be bringing the taste of their country to you.

Whether you prefer Mexican & Latin American dishes, East Asian Cuisine, Oriental Flavours or East African delights we will grant you the opportunity to taste them. Your national societies participating this year are from all 7 regions of the world and will be competing to be crowned best society of the event. Stalls will be accessible in the International Food Court (formerly Loxleys) and tables will be set up in the Octagon main hall.

In the Octagon bar area a Karaoke set will keep you busy until 1 am and in the main room we have even more. The Bollywood and Salsa Society will be making sure you are entertained throughout the night with more acts to be confirmed. From 11 am an after-party will be put on for those of you wishing to dance the night away!

The Octagon & University House
Doors 7.30pm - 2am

Tickets £4.50 advance / £5 door, available now from Box Office

Visit the Facebook page here and be a part of an excellent international event.

That's it for now. Next blog won't take this long, promise ;)

See ya Saturday!

Intro Fiesta - Council elections and a special day

So, Fresher's Week is over - even the returning students have gone back to normal uni life and as the initial excitement about Sheffield Union might decrease, no is the time to be more excited than ever!

First up: Union Council:



Nominations are now open and all students are eligible to both run for a position (you can represent your department or representative group) and to vote! For many first year students this might be the first time you can vote for ANYTHING and already you have the ability to produce and help real change come to your Students Union. If you fancy running for a position have a look here http://bit.ly/Wkkq4 and best of luck!

Secondly: Intro Fiesta



It's happening, tickets are on sale and going quickly. Get yours before it is too late and come to the first massive celebration of international students. Plus, whilst you're at it - why don't you visit the official Facebook group and start making plans with your friends to come along bit.ly/4dn7Fs.

That's it for me. Last thing to say is happy birthday to Gem - have a wonderful day :)

Until next time,

Alex