The University of Kent International Student Advisory Board (ISAB) met for the second time on Wednesday 15 March to discuss policies and services that directly affect international students.
The Board is made up of approximately 30 international students from across the University of Kent, representing all the different year groups from Foundation to Postgraduate.
They meet twice termly to discuss services and policies directly affecting international students, and to support internationally focused activities.
Co-facilitated by University of Kent and Kent Union, the Board met for the first time on 8 February, where they discussed suggestions for improving the international student experience at Kent.
Building on these initial suggestions, the Board’s second meeting discussions touched upon various topics. To begin with, students gave feedback on WorldFest, the University of Kent’s annual celebration of cultural diversity. In particular, the students mentioned the highly successful Holi celebrations on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses.
Students raised how communications might be improved at the University, with information tailored specifically for international students. As a part of this, a small group of Board members will be working with the Careers and Employability Service to improve the ways in which they communicate their offering to international students.
Plans for September pre-arrivals are also underway, especially in relation to supporting international students who will be arriving to campuses. A small team of Board members will be working with the Global and Lifelong Learning team to help produce materials and provide recommendations to the University’s Arrivals Taskforce.
In addition, another small project group will be looking into accommodation issues that relate to international students in particular.
We can’t wait to see how these various projects develop! Watch this space for further updates.