Setting
In EE’s living room on a rainy Saturday. HG has provided cake.
Present: EE (International Rep), JC (Vice-President), AB (PGM International Rep), KS
Apologies: EM (President)
Absent: JZ (International Welfare Rep), AS
Re-opening applications
EE: We need to open 2 different sets. I’d like to encourage Erasmus students to apply. I think they’ll be committed and have time.
EE: Also right now I need your help to encourage people to apply.
Action: Everyone to distribute application details.
Events
EE: We’ve discussed thanksgiving, which I think would be good. That’s next week. We don’t have a full committee so I don’t know how it would work. December is too late.
KS: That’s the first day of the musical so I’d be busy.
EE: It doesn’t have to be that big. Maybe just do it in Spoons.
EE: I also want to do a bar crawl, but a full one might be ambitious. Maybe polar express themed. That would have to be late December. If we want a full crawl we could do all day on Saturday 7th.
JC: SP (SRO) is doing one on his own on 30th.
EE: We could do the same day to maximise attendance.
EE: We want at least one event per month. So let’s work out what and when now. If we set up the whole year now then we can prepare. We can change it later if needed.
AB: With PGs we did an international film that was fairly successful. Maybe doing it with international comm would be better. It doesn’t need to be a special event, we could just do it regularly. Maybe once a month.
KS: It is a very low maintenance event.
EE: In terms of holidays, we could do St Patrick’s.
AB: Something food related could be connected with Carnival in February.
EE: It could also be a formal. But Elizabeth might not want to change the formals.
AB: We could make food that’s a national cuisine that we know how to make.
EE: We won’t put a date now but let’s have Carnival in February.
AB: The bar crawl could be a St Patrick’s Day event.
EE: That would be around March.
AB: April is during the holidays.
JC: Could do something in January during the holidays.
EE: I’ve spoken to ES (Senior welfare) about December and January. It could be cool to organise a trip to Edinburgh for people who are here. Maybe for a few days staying near each other. Could be anywhere. Maybe week 6th-10th January.
AB: For December, we could do something based off European tradition of separating Santa Claus and Christmas. We could do something Santa Clausy. Maybe chocolate and walnuts or gingerbread.
EE: We also want to a welfare campaign for people who are away from home over Christmas.
KS: In Catalonia the nativity scene includes a man taking a poop.
EE: So that’s December and January, then February is Carnival.
EE: Back home, Valentine’s Day is more friendship day. We could do a love bomb type thing. March is St Patrick’s day bar crawl. Nothing in April. That leaves May and June.
KS: I think Mayday is a big thing in Russia.
AB: I think also a lot of former communist countries.
KS: it’s labour day in the US.
EE: We could go to the beach in June.
AB: We could do a barbecue. In Hungarian society, we’ve forgotten to organise our beach barbecue 3 years in a row.
EE: It might be easier to barbecue at Brooks and go to the beach separately.
EE: But nothing in April or May unless we can help with a welfare campaign. Or maybe something more academic. Because exams are very different here to in a lot of other countries. But there are already events for that. So we could just promote those.
AB: For December event, we could run it in Brooks, and maybe get mulled wine. Traditionally they’re in the first week of December, so maybe 6th.
EE: We could have mulled wine then a Christmas film.
Action: AB to arrange this event.
AB: It will probably be walnuts and chocolates; I’ll need to book Brooks JCR. We can make mulled wine. Maybe it can be around 7pm. I’ll ask college about how timings could work and whether and when mulled wine is allowed.
Trip to Edinburgh
EE: Where is attractive, affordable and manageable? We don’t want international students to disappear. Maybe Bristol? But it’s far.
AB: Edinburgh was a good shout. It’s not far.
EE: We could find a cheap hostel that we’ll all stay in. Also we’ll make it clear anyone can go. We also need to promote the Christmas castle dinner.
Action: KS to share details of the Castle Christmas Dinner in the international students’ facebook group.
EE: So for Edinburgh, how long?
AB: Maybe 2 nights so there’s a full day.
EE: Maybe Tuesday to Thursday. So January 9th-11th.
Action: EE to find a suitable hostel and advertise the trip.
Committee Changes
EE: I think it would be good to make the ethnic minorities rep a part of this committee because a lot of international students are ethnic minorities. I would also like to make an Erasmus rep.
JC: Would be Erasmus rep be Method II or III?
EE: I think Method II.
Action: EE to write these motions.
AOB
AB: I want to post about registering to vote.