"there's an international students' council??"

This was definitely THE question of the day as I went around talking to some of my friends after the 2007 Annual General Meeting of the Otago Malaysian Students' Association.

Yes, there is an International Students' Council at our university. This council is convened by the elected OUSA International Students' Representative (ISR). Convention has it that the ISR selects a core team to head the council and the various affiliated and intercultural groups on campus are represented on the council as well.

The title for this post clearly sums up the perceptions people hold of the International Students' Council and the general public image of the council as a whole.

In my opinion, there is a need to further project and promote the image, role, and objectives of the OUSA International Students' Council.

Some of my ideas on how to achieve this, if successfully elected, are as follows:

1. Redesign the logo of the International Students' Council.
2. Possibly design and set-up a website for international students at Otago University.
   
3. Engage the international student comunity through regular newsletters and regularly updated blogs.
4. Organise events/activities in colloboration with various international groups on campus and in the local community. For example, the Dunedin Multi-Ethnic Group.
5. Set up an OUSA International Students' Council information board at the International Office and other key areas on campus.
6. Utilising local media such as The Star community newspaper to promote and publicise events and activities.

If you vote for me (Darren Lee), these will be executed from the start of the academic year to show international students that they have a fully functioning and effective International Students Council that really represents their interests as a vibrant and diverse part of the student body here at the University of Otago.