Christina Yan Zhang

Let’s Bottom-Up Student Activism!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:24:00 Z

I don’t know when you talk to your friends, family and students about NUS, what is the first impression they get. Is it only a discount card called NUS Extra, or National University of Singapore or something else?

The first time I knew NUS is through NUS delegate election in 2007, the second year I studied in the UK. As an international student grew up in an entirely different Eastern culture, it took me quite a long time to adjust to the new environment study here, needless to say, get involved with national organizations such as NUS. At that time, I was newly elected as the first International Development Officer at Loughborough Students Union (LSU), still struggling to improve my English to understand all the slang and colloquial language my LSU friends use.

I was a part-time, non-paid, volunteer officer of LSU, while starting my full-time funded PhD in Civil and Building Engineering in Loughborough. As an international student new to the culture in the UK, everyday to me is like exploring a new continent, full of new discoveries and surprise. Therefore, when I heard there is election for NUS Delegate, the inquisitive nature of my personality urged me to put my name forward immediately. I was so thrilled that I got it and I didn’t know that it led me to be involved more and more with NUS in the past 4 years to create the most exciting GLOBLAL FUTURE campaign to better the life of all 7 million students against the current economic downtown in the UK, through the opportunity of a global education.

Like most of you, I have always had the question about what NUS really represent? In the first National Executive Council meeting back to Nov 2008 when I was recommended to represent NUS International Students Campaign, I raised this question publically. Does NUS represent the best interest of 600 affiliated Students Union in the UK, or does NUS represent 7 million students study in the UK as we NUS claimed to be. I still remember the answer I got then and I also remember others answers I got every time I raised it at different occasions. The answers are similar: NUS is a national organization with more than 600 affiliated students union members in the UK, this allows NUS to represent the voice of 7 million students study in UK Universities and Colleges. Well, for most students union, the election turnout for sabbatical officers is about 30%. In that sense, NUS could only represent 30% of the 7 million students, which is 2.1 million.

In reality, what we NUS engage on a regular basis is a few thousands full-time sabbatical officers in the UK. If you have ever been to any NUS event, it is dominated by full-time sabbatical officers, sometimes; some part-time officers might be around. But rarely do we see genuine average students who could have opportunities to participate in NUS event or activities. It has been the case for many decades. It really frustrates me. Get involved with NUS seems to be a privilege only available to full-time sabbatical officers. Average students who want to get involved find it difficult. Well, I completely agree that as NUS officers, we should do everything we could to support all sabbatical officers. But just imagine if we could ever bring all 7 million students study in the UK with any students campaign we run nationally, how powerful and exciting will that be?

That is the reason I have been over-excited this year, when NUS starts to address issues like this, working really hard to promote more bottom-up activism directly from average single student, the one who we NUS and individual students union officers should ultimately represent and be responsible for. The creation of the working group on “One Members One Vote” among key students’ union officers and staff to explore more democratic and engaging options to elect future leaderships of NUS is a fantastic beginning.

The whole idea to organize the first ever Students Activism Conference entirely open up to average students, rather than just the sabbatical officer is revolutionary! I don’t know who ever come up with this remarkably forward-thinking idea. I have been over-excited about it for months the first time I hear about it. Now I am more excited because NUS International Students Campaign will join many other amazing leading experts inside and outside NUS to engage more and more average students to unite for the brightest future for all students study in the UK with our panel debate on Immigration 3.15pm-4pm and interactive workshop on Global Future Campaign at 2.45pm-3.30pm which explains all campaign opportunities students could get involved with NUS International Students Campaign (eg. On European Students Union, Academic Support to international students, Global Employability for UK and international students, Support Students at Overseas Campus, Internationalising Students Union Project, Engaging International Students through Sports to welcome Olympics, Support international students during Crisis etc)! Could you imagine anything slightly more exciting?!

It is not easy for us in NUS to lobby this cultural change to happen. We really need your support to make this first ever event successful. If you could try to bring as many of your average students activists there this Saturday, that will be greatly appreciated.

I want to borrow a paragraph from President Obama’s famous acceptance speech in 2008 to conclude this blog. “You have shown what history teaches us, that at defining moments like this one, when we have to face the marketisation of the UK Education, massive cuts to education funding, unprecedented level of youth unemployment, the change we need doesn't come from NUS. Change comes to NUS! Change happens -- change happens because all the 7 million students in the UK demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new solutions, a new students movement for a new time.” That is the reason we NUS are calling for Bottom Up Students Activism on 19^th Nov in London.

You are the activist! You are the change! You are the future!

19^th Nov, 2011, NUS Students Activism Conference-BE THERE, OR BE SQUARE!

Please do feel free to happily follow me on twitter @ChristinaYZhang

International Student Immigration Update

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:51:00 +0100

For my first blog I wanted to focus on the important issue of immigration and give you an update on the work I am doing.

1. The media coverage on international students’ immigration

There have been lots of myths about international students’ immigration issues covered by the media recently. However this article by The Guardian provides a more positive perspective on the issue:

2. What I have been doing as your officer on immigration?

i. Working with other organisations on immigration:

I have been working closely with other organisations such as UK Council for International Student Affairs, Universities UK, Association of Colleges, English UK and other organisations to lobby the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) and government ministers against a potential cap on international students’ visas.

ii. Lobbying the UK Border Agency:

In the past 2 months since I took office, I have been actively lobbying UK Border Agency to on a wide range of international students’ immigration issues.

a. The monitoring system:rename and review

Since I raised this issue in the last meeting with UKBA, I am in the process of collecting data to lobby UKBA to change the monitoring systems of international students, rebrand it and change the nature of this system towards a direction to enhance the welfare and retention of international students.

b. A more transparent, efficient visa application: online application

UKBA accepted my suggestion and is developing online visa application systems to help streamline the visa application process. Hopefully, this online system will be available next year.

c. Students visas rejected due to minor errors: UKBA Top 10 Tips for visa application

At my request, UKBA produced a top 10 tips for NUS to help international students to avoid various rejection of visa due to minor errors http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/international/UKBA-Top-10-Tips-for-International-Students-Visa/.

d. Invited to attend three UKBA committees

Due to active contribution to UKBA Joint Education Taskforce Group, I have been invited by UKBA to become members of another two committees on immigration issues. The UKBA Highly Trusted Sponsors Sub Group and the UKBA International Group.

e. Active lobby: 4 agenda submit to the next UKBA meeting

After a wide consultation of our members, I submitted four agenda items to the next UKBA JET meeting. Two of them have been accepted giving me an allocated 30 minutes out of 55 minutes being given to members. These are regarding the biometric ID card and police registration.

f. Lobby Party Group: Conservative Party Conference talk on immigration

I am assisting NUS President Aaron Porter to prepare for his speech at a breakfast roundtable event at the Conservative Party Conference on 4^th Oct to on 'English language skills: what should their role be in the immigration debate?'

3. Positive facts about international students

I am in the process of collecting data from various organisations on the positive contribution that international students have brought to this country. I plan to use this data to generate more positive media coverage about international students among the general public. This data includes:

1. The £12.5bn annual financial income they bring to UK

2. How they contribute to the world leading academic excellence of UK universities/colleges

3. How they contribute to the multiculturalism in our campuses and society

4. How international students help to promote the goodwill and friendship of British people back to their home country, to help establish further political, cultural, economic partnerships between their home countries and the UK

5. How international students help to enhance the global standing of the UK as a country in the long term

6. How UK students benefit from having international students study in the UK. Helping them to become highly skilled workers with global competence to become more employable. The Rt. Hon David Willetts, Minisiter for Universities and Science, recently pointed out that British industry urgently needs graduates who have acquired foreign language, foreign culture, and global knowledge to compete the workplace in the global economy.

4. Immigration campaign plans

These positive fact sheets will also be used over the next few months. I will be working with various organisations across the education sectors, students groups, students’ unions to lobby key figures and organisations on immigration. This lobby will be used to get more international students to the national demo on 10^th Nov.

5. Christina’s suggested actions

1. Share this blog with your colleagues

2. Ask your international students to comment on the following article

3. If you have any advice or feedback on the immigration campaign please let me know. Email Christina.zhang@nus.org.uk

4. Consult your international students the issue of ID cards and police registration and get back to me before 12.00, 27^th September 2010 so that I can fully represent your view on those two issues at the UKBA meetings.

5. Let me know if there is any issue you want me to raise regarding international students with UKBA.

Obviously, this is a very ambitious plan, we will not be able to achieve it without your support, any feedback and support from you will be greatly appreciated.

The student experience for international students

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:19:00 +0100

Dear Officer,

How are you? Hope all is well with you for your very first week as the happy students officer if you have just started like me.

One thing I am really keen to achieve this year is to general lots and lots of positive media coverage about international students in the main stream media. Therefore, we contacted journalist of Guardian, who will be doing some work for British Council on international students study experience in the UK.

Please forward this following message to your International Students at your earliest convenience? Many thanks.

Each year the British Council publishes a couple of directories profiling British educational institutions - one for postgraduate and one for undergraduate. This year the directories are being produced by the Guardian and we are looking for a large number of international students who are willing to talk about their experience of studying in the UK. If you are interested in taking part then please send us 250 words in response to the following questions:

Why did you chose to study in the UK?
What is different about studying here compared to your own country?
What do you like best about the UK?
What do you like most about your course?
Outside of your course what do you enjoy doing?

Please send your responses, together with your name, age, the name of the course you are studying, the name of the institution you are studying at, a head and shoulders photograph and a contact number to:andreas.pritchard.freelance@guardian.co.uk and cc Christina Yan Zhang, NUS International Students Officer and I will update you with other exciting opportunities like this. They will try to publish as many as possible.