![]() During the March SU elections, one of the associate chair positions was titled “BAME”. The second issue I have is the use of the term “BAME”. Where is the promise that someone is going to help international students who are unfamiliar with the bare-bones of this country? However, from this year onwards, the job has been delegated to the Activities and Culture Officer. Having an International Officer was a promise that we would have someone who would organise events to ease us through the process of settling in. Every international student has lived an almost completely different life before arriving on Mancunian ground. Pandemic or no pandemic, international students still face daily hurdles, such as unfamiliarity with UK norms. Nevertheless, out of everyone, shouldn’t the SU be prepared to help its students? The chances of such unprecedented times occurring again anytime soon are unlikely. Yes, arguably, instances like the pandemic are a once-in-a-century event. Although there wasn’t much that they could do, it was at least good to know that someone was fighting for us to be on campus. Yet, it was nice that we had an International Officer. Next, there was the high cost of PCR tests and quarantine for students arriving from red-listed countries and this isn’t even mentioning the multiple forms which only added to the stress of travelling during the pandemic. Within their vaccination status, there were further divisions of which vaccine they had received, and from which country. During these times, the UK had categorised every country by a traffic light system, leading to divisions on whether students had been vaccinated or not. Over the past two years, international students have suffered disproportionately due to confusion caused by Covid. ![]() However, in this academic year, this huge fraction of students will not have a representative to look toward in the University and trust to fight for them. 37.5% of the University’s undergraduate population are international students. However, as a brown international student, I do not trust the new shape of the SU to represent me.įirstly, the SU has removed the post of the International Officer. The Students’ Union exists to help the student body recognise that there is always someone to fight for them and represent their voices. The University of Manchester houses one of the largest student bodies in the UK, meaning the University is also home to numerous international and ethnically diverse students.
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