Friday 25 May 2012

Student Mobility - Student Unions as a marketer?

17 degrees and sunny weather outside and we have now reached the third and final day of our International Student Union Conference.


The morning was full of interesting speeches and inputs about Student Mobility and Marketing vs. Marketing Communication, presented by Anna Singhateh from the International Office of Malmö University. After a short break and a nice hot cup of coffee Roger Senden from the Netherlands, International Officer at Malmö University, held a presentation about International Marketing and Recruitment.

He introduced the audience to the questions:
What can Student Unions do in order to support their university’s efforts to recruit international students?
Do Student Unions have a responsibility to market “their” University?
…and showed us that:
“Education marketing can be funny too!”
“And students are active too!!”
… through the example of “Libdub”. For anybody who has never heard of LIPDUBs before, please refer to YouTube to watch a libdub made by students for students.  
Roger noted that this can be a great way for Student Unions taking initiatives to show another part of their university. --->

Besides of that, Roger’s point of view on the role of Student Unions is their role of adding value to student satisfaction! A survey concerning this topic was conducted through the InternationalStudent Barometer.


One of the Student Unions provided the input of ameliorating the connections between the Unions of international Partner Universities in order to evoke an interest in getting to know each other and to embrace the Swedish way of life.
“ If I know already someone there, it feels safer to go there”.
So exchange between Student Unions also could be used as a way of marketing.



Thursday 24 May 2012

We are legion


It is the second day of the conference now. We have known each other better, and the discussions have been very productive and useful. We are sure that everyone of us will bring lots of ideas to your home country and home city. And it is important as you are young ambassadors of change in your own university.
Opening the conference yesterday May, 24th, the Vice-President of Malmo university student union Mithun Manojkumar cited the words of Ban Ki-moon, who said that ‘students can play a vital role in mobilizing action on global issues’.

Mithun admitted that in light of a modern constantly changing world, ‘there exists a need for platforms to cater to students’ development and grooming. Student’s influence and student important issues vary from country to country. “In Sweden, the gravity of student’s influence is of a strikingly paramount nature”, said Mithun, “When I first arrived at Sweden 3 years ago, I did not fathom the true significance of such influence. The fact that every decision, undertaken within a learning institute requires the participation of student’s representatives reflects a zenith of a globalized democracy”. According to him the project has come into being particularly in Malmo, Sweden, because student’s influence here ‘is at its peak’. The conference got invaluable support from the university, the municipality, the region and the various corporations.

We, as the students participating in the conference, acknowledge that it is within the area of our responsibility to advocate and augment this vision of a global student democracy.  “We have a choice”, said Mithun, “whether to lead a functional union in complacency, or to challenge Fate for another throw, to make extraordinary achievements”.


To conclude his speech Mithun said: “With so many unions existing throughout the world - each with its own unique modus operandi – we should put a greater emphasis on collaboration. Are we not indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion.”













Tuesday 22 May 2012

How to have some fun


As some of you have already arrived, perhaps you would like to know:
Malmö is a highly entertaining town. We have every facility to entertain you during your spare time. 

In Sweden, almost every bar in the center has "Happy Hour" or "Afterwork", which is a duration of couple hours in which you can have a nice, chilled glass of beer or wine for the lower prices: 16:00-19:00. The price is around 40 SEK.

The most visited location   would be Lilla Torg, which is a 4 minutes' walk from the Central Station. Here, you can enjoy the true atmosphere of Southern  Sweden, especially in May where you are welcome to sit outdoors, getting a spring breeze  around your nose. 

Lilla torg or Little square in English has a variety of bars and restaurants  from "T.G.I.Friday" to Swedish bars like "Victor", "Moosehead" and "Mellow Yellow".




If you have some spare time, try another area called "Möllevangstorget", which is another      square around 20 minutes walking distance from the Central Station. The square is one of       the most diverse areas in Malmö full of varied international restaurants and bars. The prices for food and beverages are lower: ranging from 30 to 70 SEK for a glass of wine or beer.

In order to get to Möllevangstorget, you can either go on foot or by bus. The numbers available right from the plenary areas are 8 to the stop called "Smedjegatan", then you have the square right there!

If you wish to take the bus from the CentralStation, you can take 2, 7 or 8 to the same stop.


Monday 21 May 2012

MEDIA ADISORY


21st of May, 2012                                                                                                                          

Students will tell the Governments How to Improve Education and Student Influence

In May, 23-25, the Student Unions International Conference in Malmö university will bring together up to 50 delegates from different countries to discuss the issues of students’ influence and mobility,  education quality, international cooperation with the private sector and internationalisation. On the 3d day, May, 25 the students will prepare a Manifesto to address the governments all around the globe.


The Manifesto will contain their proposals on how to improve the quality of education and enhance student influence.

The conference is organized by the Student Union of Malmö University (Studentkåren Malmö) and supported by representatives of the corporate and public sector in Sweden as well as internationally. Region Skåne, Malmö municipality, Malmö UniversityErasmus Student Network(ESN)RIM, AEVY and Universum Communications are among the conference partners.

During the conference the students will discuss the increasing importance of students at the global political agenda, conduct an international comparison of the student unions operations, and will debate on the enhancing students’ access to the professional realm. There are different issues that are important for students in different countries. “Student allowance is one of the main topics in the Finnish student politics… Limitation of study time, tuition fees for students from outside the EU and EEA and terms for admission into universities are also currently discussed topics in Finland… We are also looking forward to discussing at the conference quality of education because it can always be improved”, say Raine Katajamäki and Ina Biström, representatives of Student Union of Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

On May, 23 at 10 a.m. Mithun Manojkumar, Vice President of Malmö University Student Union, will open the meeting. Keynote speakers during the three days will be Kent Andersson, Chairman of the city council of the City of Malmo, Cecilia Christensson, Deputy Vice Chanselor of Malmo university, Eva Engquist, Pro Vice Chancellor of Malmö University, Ludwig Linge, Founder of The Astonishing Tribe (part of RIM), Guido Guidos, President of the Malmö University Student Union. There will be an opportunity to interview student representatives at the conference.

A black tie event - International Student Union Conference Dinner will take place in City Hall of Malmo on 23 May, 2012 at 7 p.m. Speakers, partners and participants of the Conference have all been invited to the Dinner.

According to the President of Malmö University Student Union Guido Guidos ‘in an increasingly globalized world, it becomes essential to extend the process of globalizing student rights and student influence over education.  Student Union of Malmö University encourages all student unions throughout the world to attend this conference and get the unique opportunity to meet like-minded people and share both experiences and knowledge’.

Contact Information:

Mithun Manojkumar
mobile: + 460760509564.
You are welcome to advise the Press Kit section of the conference blog http://suconference.blogspot.se/.

Please register at suic2012@karen.mah.se or by + 460760509564 should you have an intention to join the Dinner.

Saturday 19 May 2012

What to pack


What to pack?


It is Saturday, maybe the time to start thinking about packing your stuff. Below are some tips about the weather and what you might need during your visit to Malmö.


Weather
Swedes love the good old saying, ‘There is no bad weather, just bad clothes’. Hence, we want you to be prepared for the weather.
May is the beginning of the real Swedish summer. Nevertheless, Malmö is situated at the coast so the weather could get windy at times including some minor rains. The temperature is around 15 degree Celsius. According to  the weather forecast next week will be quite warm and sunny. The temperature in Malmö will vary from 11 to 15degrees in the mornings and from 20 to 22 in the daytimes. We would, however, still advice you to bring along some raincoats.


In May, the sun would be likely to set a bit later at night. We therefore advise you to tag along a sleep eye cover, or a sleeping mask in case you have trouble sleeping in the light.

Internet

There will be free of charge Internet access provided through entire conference. The wireless internet in public area in Sweden is almost accessible everywhere for no charge. You can sit in the café or everywhere in our university area to get a Wi-Fi on your smart phone.

Friday 18 May 2012

Meet our representatives from Finland

Dear friends, we have already got some answers from you and would like to start introducing us to one another.  Please meet Raine Katajamäki, the President of the Executive and Ina Biström, member of the Executive Board responsible for academic affairs of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University. Raine studies  international law and Ina studies comparative literature. Here is what they expect from the conference and which student issues are on the current agenda in Finland:


Why do you participate in the conference? 
Because we are interested in discussing student influence with other student unions and we want to get new points of view that we can use in our own work. We are also looking forward to discussing quality of education because it can always be improved. 

What do you expect from the conference? 
We expect to take part in interesting discussions with representatives from many different countries and that these discussions would lead to new ideas and visions. 

Which issues are on the discussion agenda in your country? 
Student allowance is one of the main topics in the Finnish student politics. It was recently decided that the student allowance is going to be reformed so that it would be more supportive for full-time studies. In Finland the government pays student a monthly allowance that is meant to enable full-time studies. Limitation of study time, tuition fees for students from outside the EU and EEA and terms for admission into universities are also currently discussed topics in Finland.

Thank you, guys for your answers! See you soon!


Thursday 10 May 2012

Prepare your information



We have 13 days left until the event. Let’s make sure that our discussions are as efficient and productive as possible. As you all know during the conference all student union representatives will present their unions’ operations. What do we expect from you?

First of all, prepare a short presentation of your student union operations and describe the relations between the students and student unions in your country. Be ready to talk about your union mandate and mission, responsibilities and important activities. Share your best practices and challenges you come across. We all hope to benefit from this information exchange and help to set up fruitful future collaboration between unions of different countries. 

Second, prepare yourself to discuss the following topics: student influence at the global political agenda; current challenges and barriers towards maintaining high education quality, student influence, mobility and internalization; unrealized potential in cooperation between students and public and private sector and the students’ access to the professional realm.

And third, get together with your fellows and draft some proposals that can be used to improve the quality of education and enhance student influence all over the world. During the conference we are aiming to come up with the Manifesto on Education and Student Influence addressed to the governments all around the globe. The Manifesto will be the compilation of your selected proposals that can be used to improve the quality of education and enhance student influence.
Please contact us whether you have any question, doubts or comments. Three ways to get in touch: comment on this post, write to us on twitter or use our FB page

 
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