My name is Jun Lim and I am running for the role of International Student Officer. Having been an international student myself on the campus for three years, I have come to identify various issues crippling international and local students and I believe that in these three years of observing and hearing different viewpoints, I have developed a sense of maturity in my views and thus, in a position ready to contribute to the student union and in turn, the student body of Goldsmiths. Although running for the position of an International Student Officer, I also self-identify with the other Liberation officers’ role – of Black and Minority Ethnicity and Mature Student Officers’ role – and am certain that I can further empathise with different positions and hence, make nuanced and sensitive decisions when called upon.

If elected as International Student Officer, I will:

• Tackle the issue of increasing annual school fees for international student
• Do my utmost best to help some of the international students integrate with the local community by increasing access to learning English language.
• Raise awareness and enabling international students’ participation in activities and societies.
• Increase the visibility of help for international students by increasing number of resident assistants and proportional representation of students (home, EU, and international) in hall flats.
• Make advice more visible in terms of housing for students (home and international students) and continue to pressure Goldsmiths to act as guarantors for international students with no local guarantors.
• Work with other officers to ensure that the Goldsmiths’ Student Union is a comprehensive and capable body to advance agendas on behalf of students.

For my elections poster, please view the link: /asset/Manifesto/493/Jun-Poster.pdf

For my full manifesto, please read below:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Fulll Manifesto:

My name is Jun Lim and at this moment, I am reading Fine Art and Art History as a second year undergraduate. I am running for the role of International Student Officer in the Students’ Union.

Having been an international student myself on the campus for three years, I have come to identify various issues crippling international and local students and I believe that in these three years of observing and hearing different viewpoints, I have developed a sense of maturity in my views and thus, in a position ready to contribute to the student union and in turn, the student body of Goldsmiths. Although running for the position of an International Student Officer, I also self-identify with the other Liberation officers’ role – of Black and Minority Ethnicity and Mature Student Officers’ role – and am certain that I can further empathise with different positions and hence, make nuanced and sensitive decisions when called upon. Furthermore, the role of the International Student Officer whilst mainly taking care of the interest of international students, should also tackle campus wide issues with the other officers so as to collectivise and put forth productive strategies.

My main concern, if elected as the International Student Officer, is first and foremost addressing the issue of school fees for international students. As a scholarship awardee who is funded abroad to study, the increment of school fees technically does not affect my financial position (although it does alter my bond discharge amount) and logically should render me as indifferent. However, the consistent annual increment to the school fees are unjustifiable and unethical. This injustice demands a lobbying on a clear, transparent breakdown of the cost of school fees. As it stands for 2016-2017, the fees on some of the undergraduate courses for international students are more than twice the amount of local students’ fees. Such actions contradict Goldsmiths’ own statement in its Annual Reports and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 July 2015: “Providing opportunity and access to all those who might benefit from studying at Goldsmiths is core to our mission.”[1]  (pg 14) The increase in the international school fees deter international students who cannot afford the school fees yet possess the academic ability to study in Goldsmiths. This is akin to censorship of the rights to knowledge as well as social cleansing on an international scale. For a university that prides itself as one that is diverse in its students’ profile, this neo-liberal stance on education and its treatment as international students as mere cash cows are unacceptable since the short term quick monetary gains go against the founding ethos of Goldsmiths as well as general sentiments to research – such as alternative modes of living, building communities - that staff and students are so passionate about. I would also want to work with the Campaigns officer in lobbying for a more layman understanding of Goldsmiths expenditure, visualising and disseminating this information around campus.

Following on, I think raising awareness and increasing the visibility of help available to students is a key issue. Marketing gimmicks such as “Made it Happen” should be replaced with visible signs and directions within Goldsmiths – signs as to where students can receive counselling services and help from. Furthermore, more awareness should be raised in terms of detecting and coping with mental health issues instead of plastering over it with senseless marketing campaigns that subtly push students to constantly produce or to “get over their emotions”. Furthermore, as someone who has been a subject of explicit racism in halls, I would propose increasing the number of resident assistants within halls so as to allow a prompt response to incidents in halls rather than having students to email and wait for schedules assigned – this will also allow students to feel unembarrassed in approaching resident assistants for help. In order to set this into stone, I would work closely with both the Housing Officer and Activities and Campaigns Officers to figure out an optimum number of resident assistants on duty per night. Furthermore, I would also push for diversity in the profiles of resident assistants so that international students who are uncomfortable to speak in English can try to speak to resident assistants in their home language – this will again, be worked directly with the Housing and Campaigns Officer to place adequate pressure on the management of halls in creating an environment that is safe, accommodating and sensitive. I also propose that the demographic of students living in each hall flats are represented proportionately. This is to allow international students to integrate into the local communities– through a build up of understanding– as well as raising awareness amongst the student body in order to advance campaigns together and increase students’ participation rate, especially those of international students, in issues that demand a united student body front. Furthermore, a proportionate representation allows for an exchange of different cultures and a build up of mutual understanding.

Many of the international students often face problems when finding private accommodation since finding a local guarantor is a difficulty and often have to pay a huge sum (sometimes, 6 months in advance) to their landlords first. This presents a huge financial burden and emotional distress for many international students when trying to find a cheaper place outside of campus to live in. Thus, I would, if elected, work with both the incoming Housing and Welfare Officers in the provision of a more visible housing advice to students as well as pressurising Goldsmiths to act as guarantor on behalf of international students. Visa problems can also be another area of emotional frustration for international students and I would thus work on strengthening the awareness on where students with such issues can get help on – visual messages such as brochures in Halls’ welcome packages, posters in Hall management offices are whilst often convenient methodologies to raise awareness in seeking help, effective in their nature.

Also, on the topic of integration, for international students that arrive from regions that do not practice English as their common language, I propose to set up a team of student volunteers that are willing to guide international students in the maturity of their English language so that some of the international students will not shy away and be daunted in using and practicing the English language – for instance, in halls, a team of student volunteers proficient in the native language can help teach English in a common area in exchange for food from different cultures. This method of avoiding direct cash-in-exchange-for-service transaction also allows for an alternative mode of living and reduces the need for capital footprints that have since bog down many of the discussions that dominate campus life.

Although running for the role of International Student Officer, I believe that the interest of the local student body is important as well in order to sustain the Goldsmiths Student Union as a comprehensive and capable body. I will campaign against the inadequacy of counselling services and propose for a new staff, who is professionally trained, in each department to handle issues on staff and students’ emotional and mental well-being so as to avail the academic staff members in departments to carry out their research and improve on the quality of education within the departments. Furthermore, I will continue to stand in solidarity with the officers and champion for free education for all.  

If elected as the next International Student Officer, I will do my utmost to make Goldsmiths a fair, safe and active place for international students and to continue working with other officers on home and EU students' issues so as to develop a united body.