International Student Advocacy
Advocacy is a major aspect of student government. As the Student Union, our main objective is to provide for student needs, demanding what is best for students through advocacy and offering them valuable services which improve student life on campus.
We accomplish student advocacy through both internal (Senate and Board of Governors) and external (municipal, provincial, and federal government) lobbying. There are many areas within this university and within the government in which students are being disadvantaged for one reason or another. It is our role to identify those areas and to ensure that something is done about them.
One area that we have identified as a concerning point of disadvantage is that of the international student at UNB. International students frequently find themselves at a disadvantage because our university system is primarily built for domestic students. We need to work at implementing general practices that are more flexible for the needs of international students and their families.
For this reason, the UNB Student Union is introducing the position of the International Student Advocacy Coordinator. This advocate will identify problematic areas within the university for the international community, will research and brainstorm solutions to the problems they encounter, and will advocate to implement their solutions.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding international student advocacy, please contact Hansika, the VP Internal at internal@unbsu.ca or Mostafa Shaker, the 2011-12 International Student Advocacy Coordinator at isac@unb.ca.
