Hi all,

wow, it’s been a while since my last blog post. Bad me. Apologies for this, if someone has been dying to read more of my writings!

In any case, I am now writing about a project that has taken a significant amount of my time and that I will now need volunteers for.

“International student experience & transition into higher education:

The aim of the project is to enhance the international student experience of transition to University of Birmingham by developing a culture of student feedback into transition. This will be achieved through the creation of a student-designed brochure for the Welcome Week Pack which will also be distributed to staff involved in International Recruitment, Welcome Week, Induction, and BFA. The brochure will be developed by current international students.

This will be done by creating a Focus Group of 20 international students (comprising students from each College and the BFA) to develop a student authored Welcome Week brochure for all incoming new international students. The Group will be led by the Guild’s International Student Officer, Saara Pokki and will be supported by University Senior Tutor, Donna Lee, Kelly Villiers (Student Services), and Helen Eastham (ISAS). It will meet over two full days to discuss key transition issues that international students experience as they prepare for their move to the UK and study/life at the University of Birmingham during the first year of their studies. The dates for this have been confirmed as April the 9th to April the 11th.

The Brochure will be included in Recruitment materials, Welcome Week pack for all incoming 2013-14 international students. A small number of hard copies will be printed for use by ISAS, BFA welfare tutor, Welcome Week staff, and School Senior Tutors and School Induction leads.

The project will need for the volunteers to commit fully for the dates mentioned, as the days will be wholly spent working on the brochure. The students’ hotel accommodation and all meals will be paid for, and on top of that they will receive £100 worth of vouchers each after participation.”

This is a hugely important project that I hope will be very successful. However, that cannot happen without you, current international students at UoB, participating. As you can see, for your time and effort you will not only have helped generations of future international students, but also will get very well rewarded for.

Any student participating the project needs to be a good team worker, willing to commit and available for the dates mentioned. If you’re interested in taking part, please email iso@guild.bham.ac.uk by the 18th of March outlining your name, where you’re from, your course of study and a motivation letter of 100-150 words, outlining why you would be a good participant for the project.

That is all for now; if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop an email for iso@guild.bham.ac.uk!

Best wishes
Saara

Hi everyone,

and apologies that I have not updated this blog in a while. The end of last term was busy with ISO and course work and over the Christmas break I took a much needed break from everything. Nevertheless, after a relaxing break back home I’m now ready for the second term – I hope everyone else had a good break too!

This second term the ISA and the Guild have got many exciting events planned, so stay tuned with the ISA’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/223906087664087/) to keep up with the news. Everyone is slowly getting back to the routine, so I am expecting event updates to happen soon.

I’ll get back to blogging soon!
Best
Saara

Hey everyone,

how on earth is it the 14th of November already? The last month has gone past in what seems like seconds, and I’ve been busy with ISO duties, increasing amount of degree work, a European youth project, and fighting back a very nasty cold, unfortunately.

It doesn’t seem like I’m the only one who’s been busy; after a event-wise hectic start of the year the interest towards both organising and attending Guild-led events seems to have gone down, understandably due to a variety of reasons! However, the International Students’ Association does not intend to hibernate throughout the winter months – quite the opposite, as we’ve actually got two upcoming events this week!

On Friday, we are hosting a Speed Networking social in Beorma Bar at the Guild of Students, 6pm to 8pm. It should be a fun and relaxed event with the chance to meet and make new friends – it’s never too late! https://www.facebook.com/events/523838310979110/

Additionally, we’ve still got a couple of tickets left for Day at the Races for International Students. On Sunday, the ISA is heading to Cheltenham racecourse to experience the athmosphere of one of the most beautiful and traditional racecourses in Britain. Tickets are £15 pounds – email iso@guild.bham.ac.uk for more information for this massive student discount deal. https://www.facebook.com/events/202569003211331/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Oh, and tomorrow it’s time for the first Guild Council of the year as well (http://www.guildofstudents.com/guildcouncil). Should be interesting… Though looking at the motions it really saddens me to see how only a few of them have been drafted with the benefit of the entire student body in mind. We’ll see how the night goes – remember, anyone is free to speak and attend.

Yet again, best wishes and best of luck with academic and extracurricular work
Saara

Hi everyone,

the time sure flies when you’re having a good time. It seems as if the Welcome Week was over in just a blink of an eye and the weeks following have not felt much longer. Could someone please add a few more hours to the days, if you know what I mean?

It is not only the start of second year that has kept me busy, but the work as ISO as well. Hours and hours have gone into planning, organising and evaluating international students’ events and meetings. I’ve participated a number of projects I never knew existed, and it’s been fascinating! In addition, I must admit that I truly have a whole new level of respect for the events that I have participated over the course of last year or so, now that I’ve seen how much goes into creating one.

The responsibilities and time spent have not, however, been a burden nearly as much as they have been a source of successes, a learning process and a means to meet hundreds of interesting people! The events I’ve put together so far, with the International Students’ Association and the Postgraduate&Mature Students’ Officer, have been great successes, truly inspiring us all to continue putting effort in to preparing and delivering events and support for internationals.

It so happens that the update on what I’ve been up to also serves as a more or less forced transition to the important piece of news I’ve got for my dear internationals; the International Students’ Association’s EGM, extraordinary general meeting, on Friday the 19th of October from 4pm till 6pm.

The EGM will comprise of a few sections. First of all, we are going to update our old and outlived constitution to make the running the association smoother. Second of all, we have positions open for three new committee members: Events Officer, Postgraduate Representative and Undergraduate Representative. Each position comes with a differing set of responsibilities, but it is a magnificent chance to influence one of the biggest societies on campus, meet fellow internationals, learn valuable skills and spice up your CV! University is a learning process in many aspects – the more you put in, the more you get. Volunteering, taking responsibilities and pushing yourself are things that will help you gain the most from your years in Birmingham.

Boring, you think? Well, if I can’t convince you, then luckily there is still the third aspect of the EGM – the informal social that follows! Our laid-back international students’ socials have been hugely successful so you wouldn’t want to miss out on them!

To find more about the EGM, simply email me at iso@guild.bham.ac.uk, or read the essentials from https://www.facebook.com/events/267767326659537/ – and don’t be shy to join us. It will not be anything too serious, we’re all just students like you!

That’s all for now folks. Remember that you are the determining factor in what you take with you upon graduation. I know that even during my very first months as ISO I have already begun to learn a set of valuable skills that I could not gain with just my degree programme. University is what you make it to be.

Best wishes
Saara

Hey everyone,

the summer’s long gone and autumn pushes on, academic year being just around the corner. Here at University of Birmingham the busiest moving-in weekend is already over and everyone is busy preparing for and organising the events of the hectic Freshers’ Week that takes over the campus this week.

Settling in to a new environment, meeting new people, making friends and adjusting to a whole new level of academic demands is no doubt stressful for all freshers; home students, UK students, but it may be especially hard for international students. Additional stress is caused not only by facing a language barrier and a new culture, but also dealing with Visas, authorities and prejudice.

Knowing the stress and pressures, University of Birmingham and the UoB Guild of Students do their utmost to ensure the first weeks at Uni would not only be stressful, but exciting, fun and memorable as well. For internationals, this means support services, fascinating events and a lot to look forward to! Residents’ Associations organise events hall by hall to create a healthy team spirit, the International Students’ Advisory Service is ready to help with both Visa issues and meeting new people, and the International Students’ Association is putting together a few events as well – bar the stress being a Fresher is definitely not too bad after all!

I have just spent an hour chatting to new overseas students, and that definitely proves that stress and excitement indeed are the words of the week – let’s see whether it’ll be the same after Freshers’! For now – I wish everyone an exciting Freshers’ Week and good times with old and new friends. Enjoy!

P.s. Check out the brand new ISA website at www.isabham.org !

Bad news regarding international students in the UK have come up this week. The Home Office is has revoked the license of the London Metropolitan University, meaning that the current and prospective international students of the University might be forced to leave the country or denied starting their program of study, as the University is no longer allowed to authorise visas. This will leave the students in financial trouble as well as causing immense trouble for their academic career.

The UKBA’s actions have to be condemned by the UK international students’ community and the students in higher education as a whole. International students should never be left in a situation like this, we are not a toy to play around with. Not only will the UKBA’s decision harm the thousands of overseas students of London Met, the final decision could cause a lot of stress and damage to the UK international students’ community as a whole as well as damage to the reputation of the UK as a country for students to choose for their higher education. Overseas students should be treated as an asset, not a threat, and the whole international students’ sector will be affected by this decision, even when the UK Border Agency insists that problems over the enforcement of visa rules lay with one university, not the whole sector.

As the International Students’ Officer and the co-chair of the International Students’ Association of the University of Birmingham Guild of Students, I strictly condemn these actions by the UKBA and ask for anyone reading this post to sign the petition to show our support to the international students of the London Met university, it is still not in vain;

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-for-london-metropolitan-university-and-internat1.html

In addition, case studies from overseas students are warmly welcome, sent to will.hoyles@nus.org.uk;

“How does the fact that the Home Office can do this affect your opinions on the international reputation of the UK as a place to study? Why did you decide to study in the UK? Did you consider any other countries? How would being forced to leave your course affect you and your life?”

For more information, keep up with the NUS international students’ page at http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/campaigns/international/.

The latest news on the decision to be found at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19419395

This is just a quick update on the situation we’re currently facing, tune in for a more thorough blog post about what’s going on with the Uni of Birmingham in a couple of weeks time!

Best wishes,
Saara

Hello everyone,

and welcome to the blog of the International Students’ Officer of the University of Birmingham Guild of Students; for the academic year 2012/2013, the blog of Saara Pokki.

Firstly, apologies for the lack of new blog posts since I have officially taken office. Over the summer, I have been in full-time employment as well as trying to enjoy a bit of vacation, to prepare for the oncoming academic year, which I’m certain will be very hectic, yet very exciting and interesting.

To start off my blogging as ISO, maybe a bit of introduction is necessary. I’m a second year student (who still finds it difficult to believe the first year is already over) studying European Politics, Society and Economics. European and world politics, travelling, languages and the Guild are great interests for me, and I’m very much looking forward to the oncoming months as ISO. I come from Finland, a Northern European EU-country of approximately 5 million people, cold weather and Nokia. Especially as Finns do not have a society at our Guild, from the very beginning of my studies at UoB I have met fascinating people from all over the world, yet I’m sure I’ve still only met a fraction of the variety of nationalities that our University has!

Enough about myself; for the oncoming academic year me and the International Students’ Association have been planning plenty of activities, events and campaigns, some to be carried out in the beginning of the year – starting from Freshers’ Week – and some later on in the year. I have also been trying to establish and continue co-operation with the University bodies central for international students’ welfare and the University certainly has some fascinating projects and events to come!

Closer to Freshers’ Week and the start of the academic year, the International Students’ Association website is hopefully ready and published, with a calendar bringing all the internationals’ events together. In the meantime, the confirmed events that I’m an organiser of are an introductory event on Wednesday the 19th of September (https://www.facebook.com/events/176663029134971/) and a tour of the great city of Birmingham at 2pm on Sunday the 23rd of September!

With plenty of more to come for internationals, do bookmark my blog and add the UoB ISA and ISO as your friend on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/isa.bham; https://www.facebook.com/bhamguild.iso.7) to find out the latest. In addition, feel free to message me via email as well; iso@guild.bham.ac.uk. I’m here to help with any queries!

That’s all for now, I wish everyone an excellent August and see you soon back in Birmingham!

Dear all,

I have been very inactive with blogging over a good few weeks.  I apologise for this.

Now that my coursework and everything degree-related is (almost) over, I have been working on many different projects within the Guild.  I will detail them further very soon.

Upcoming events include:

• The International Students’ Association AGM on June the 6th, 5-8 pm in Guild Council Chambers;
• A film night on June the 7th by the ISA;
• The Community Day on June 10th, 10 am – 4 pm, where I am planning on making a “global flag” from Birmingham to the world; where people of all ages will print their hands on a strip of material;
• The final Guild Council of this academic year on June 13th!

I am currently working with the ISAS on their Welcome events for next year, and am planning on training the new ISA committee in working together – through a team building workshop.  I am also working on Internationalising the Guild project, which would follow the Internationalisation strategy guidelines provided by the NUS.

I also attended the NUS Sections – International Students – Conference on May 9th-10th.  It was packed with elections, motions and debates.  I will indicate my votes and explanations shortly.

Thanks,

Noorie

P.S. Good luck to all of you who still have exams left!

NUS = National Union of Students; which is the Union of all Unions in the United Kingdom.

Did you notice a big buzz on campus this week?

This is because Guild Officer Elections are on!
Every year, students vote for the candidates they most want to represent them in different areas, all students at the University of Birmingham can vote on these elections.

Of note, there is an International Students’ Officer position, for which all students can vote.

Voting opens online on Friday 2nd of March 2012, more details on: http://guildofstudents.com/content/790393/

If you are in a dilemma and cannot decide on which candidate you like in what order, you can use the VoteMatch service to try and match yourself to each person’s policies!