Monday, 12 March 2012

ISC AGM - Election and more!

Dear All

It is with great pleasure that I today can call the first ever ISC Annual General Meeting!

We have a constitution and a committee to elect!

This is a big change from earlier years in which the selection procedure for new members of the ISC Committee was rather obscure, so please do come along and support our new, more open, and improved method of electing a Committee!

When: Monday 26th of March at 8pm

Where: To be disclosed

How: All positions in the Committee (details below) must be voted upon and we will also be ratifying the new constitution (please have a look at here).

Details of the election:

Any matriculated student at the University of Edinburgh can run and vote in the ISC elections. Please bring your student card as proof.

An additional requirement if you wish to run for a position is that you must be at the University of Edinburgh for the whole of the office term (i.e. the academic year 2012/2013), you MUST also have sent a Statement of Intent for the position(s) you wish to run for to iscedi@gmail.com AT THE LATEST on Monday March 19th. Note: This Statement of Intent will be made public on Tuesday March 20th. You will also be expected to give a very short statement on the election night at which you can convince people to vote on you.

And DO RUN - somebody else isn't, and besides can somebody else really do a better job than you?

You may run for up to two positions, however since you may only hold one position you must state your preference in the unlikely case that you are elected for both. For the exact procedure in special cases see our constitution.

All positions in the committee is up for election, following is a description of each and what the position entails:


President
Job Description:
  • As President you are responsible for the overall running of the ISC. You'll be heading committee meetings, deal with the IO, EUSA and other outside bodies. It is your responsibility that things happen, and happen properly and in time. You must take the initiative to get things done if they aren't and make decisions when others cannot. That includes making sure everybody in the committee is doing their job, but also to ensure that things which nobody in particular are responsible for (Pub dealings, Garments, etc.) are done.
  • Despite not having any greater formal power than other committee members, you will have the opportunity and position to shape the ISC much the way you wish. You set the general agenda and can enforce it within the ISC but also towards other bodies such as the IO, EUSA and the University in general.
  • Therefore you must have good leadership skills, be reliable, ready to work at any time and a drive and vision for the ISC.

Essential qualities:
  • General Leadership skills
  • Organised
  • Driven
  • Reliable
  • Ability to make decisions and be decisive when appropriate
  • Be friendly and diplomatic


Vice-President
Job Description:
  • This position is often misunderstood as one which ranks highly but comes with little work. In reality, however, at the ISC, this role is varied in that the VP functions as a second-help not only to the President, but also to the Trips Co-ordinator for weekly trips and to the Events Co-ordinator for the larger events. 
  • To the President, the VP helps liaise with EUSA, attending the monthly International Society Round Table meetings and actively trying to engage with cultural societies and other large international-based societies such as Exchange 360 to create larger events or to recruit them for ISC events. 
  • Given the volume of work undertaken by the Trips Co-ordinator, the VP must ensure to attend the Trips Sub-Com weekly meetings (NOT as co-chair) and help with administration work. 
  • To the Events' Co-ordinator, the VP must help with the larger events of the year, such as International Desserts Night and International Evening, by helping recruit cultural societies from EUSA for setting up stalls.
  • Although all core committee members are liable to providing help and support to Trips and Events Co-ordinators, the VP acts as their constant support throughout the year, providing some relief to the two most administration-wise demanding roles. 

Essential qualities:
  • Hard-working
  • Leadership and Teamwork skills 
  • Reliable (there'll be a lot of meetings to attend!) 
  • Initiative and drive as the job of the VP is very dynamic and changes as per the needs of the three aforementioned positions that it supports


Treasurer
Job Description:
  • Look after the money that goes in and out of the ISC. The Treasurer is the only person besides the President who has a counterpart at the IO--in this case, the IO Accountant, who helps us with invoices, cash flows, payments and audits the accounts.  
  • Monitor the funds for each of the ISC sub-committees and subunits (Trips and Events as well as the Lounge itself, Volunteers Parties and the like).
  • Responsible for all of the money at the ISC, which is considerable.
  • Is a signatory for major purchases.
  • Produces the ISC budget.
  • Maintains the internal Balance Sheet.
  • Forecasts for the rest of the semester/year.

Essential qualities:
  • Organised
  • Basic numeracy
  • Has some knowledge of Microsoft Excel


Secretary
 Job Description:
  • Write meeting minutes. Minutes have to be typed up and sent around to the rest of the Core Committee. At the end of each meeting, points to be discussed at the next meeting and tasks each Core Committee member has to accomplish should be included.
  • Responsible for all correspondence sent to the ISC Gmail account. This includes replying emails, forwarding emails to the relevant Core Committee member, and informing the rest of the Committee/The ISC regarding offers that are sent to the email.
  • If any letters need to be written, this should be your responsibility.

Essential qualities:
  • Good command of English (the grammar/spelling in your minutes should not have to be checked)
  • Organised
  • Diplomatic in dealing with external correspondence.


Publicity Secretary
 Job Description:
  • Essentially: to promote the ISC and anything that is happening at the ISC
  • This would usually entail writing newsletters on facebook and the blog on a weekly basis and using twitter if necessary.
  • Other things that may need to be done: advertise weekly events on facebook by occasionally making 'events' on these weekly things to remind people. Also: assist with editing the main uni website regarding the ISC (if necessary), making flyers for advertising the ISC, making new signs in the lounge if needed. And basically any other advertising the trips or events committee require.

Essential qualities:
  • Organised, with eye for detail
  • Perceptive (knowing what people will want know about happenings at the ISC)
  • Creative (when advertising and the way you word things)
  • Diplomatic (to deal with questions that people may have regarding events or happenings at the ISC).


Trips Coordinator
Job Description:  
  • Responsible for the organization and running of the weekly trips
  • organize the schedule of trips for each semester
  • Make sure that each trip has buses, volunteers, schedule, flyers, posters, and proper pricing
  • Job is not to organize all the trips themselves but manage the committee to make sure all jobs are done fairly and on time

Essential qualities:
  • Leadership skills
  • Ability to delegate and run a committee,
  • Good people/public skills
  • Good time management
  • Good problem solving skills


Events Coordinator
  • As the events coordinator your main duty is to organise and chair the events subcommittee, ensuring the weekly events take place ; these can be anything from cultural nights to film nights to potlucks. In organising these events it is your responsibility to speak to the relevant individuals regarding hosting, room bookings and any other organising outwith the ISC. It is also your responsibility to ensure that those within your committee are contributing to the workings of the committee. It has recently become the events coordinator’s responsibility to organise the trips to Edinburgh Castle, as well as multiple other large events throughout the year, including the International Desserts Night and the International Evening. In organising these events, it is the responsibility of the events coordinator to maintain an overview of these events, ensuring all pieces fit together as required.
  • As a member of the core committee, the events coordinator must also attend and contribute to the internal workings of the ISC, assisting in such aspects as event organising in conjunction with other EUSA societies, fresher’s week, and other projects taken on the by the core committee.

Essential qualities:
  • Motivated
  • Organised
  • Able to communicate and work with others
  • Good time management


Lounge Coordinator / Social Coordinator
Job Description:
  • Responsible for running of the ISC Lounge.
  • Work closely with the House Manger to ensure the Lounge runs smoothly.
  • Help recruit enough volunteers for the semester and co-ordinate the lounge volunteers throughout the semester.
  • Create a roster showing the weekly volunteers and continually check the sign in book to make sure volunteers are showing up.
  • Replace or kick off volunteers who aren't showing up to their times.
  • Find replacements for where people are unable to show up and find replacements for those who have dropped out.
  • Arrange events/ socials to help foster closer ties within the three voluntary sections of the ISC
  • As a member of the core committee, you must also attend and contribute to the internal workings of the ISC, assisting in such aspects as event organising in conjunction with other EUSA societies, fresher’s week, and other projects taken on the by the core committee

Essential qualities:
  • SOCIABLE - This is an absolute must!
  • Motivated
  • Confident
  • Outgoing
  • Organised


House Manger
Job Description:
  • Makes sure that the ISC always has everything it requires to run smoothly: Coffee Evening supplies, milk/coffee/tea for the Lounge, stationery for the Office, etc..
  • Keeps the ISC in a presentable state: tidy the place when you're around, fix or get replacements for broken furniture...
  • Takes care of recycling things.
  • As a member of the core committee, you must also attend and contribute to the internal workings of the ISC, assisting in such aspects as event organising in conjunction with other EUSA societies, fresher’s week, and other projects taken on the by the core committee.

Essential qualities:
  • Organised
  • Reliable



It will be possible to have a chat about the position you are interested in with the current office holder at the following times:



Tomorrow, Tuesday, Coffee Evening:
Treasurer, Vice-President (5pm-6pm), House Management


Thursday at Pub Night:
President, Lounge/Socials Volunteers Coordinator, Trips Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Publicity Secretary, Secretary


You are also welcome to ask questions by mailing iscedi@gmail.com

I hope to see you all there!

Rasmus Dall

- President

Happenings of Week 9- 12/3/12- 18/3/12

TICKETS TO INTERNATIONAL EVENING, OUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR IS ON SALE ALL WEEK AT THESE TIMES (which may be during ticket sales of other events):

Monday 12 March 18.30

Weds 14 March 18.00

Thrs 15 March 18.30

Fri 16 March 18.30

It's only £3 for 3 dishes, drinks and entertainment from around the world- DON'T MISS OUT!!

Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/181430605306399/


Monday 12/3/2012: Japan Night, 8-11 pm @ ISC Lounge


Try your hands on making some origami, sample traditional Japanese dishes and watch a popular Japanese film! Event page, http://www.facebook.com/events/318131358244774/


-Registration for Trip to Blair Castle which is on 17/3/2012 : 6.30pm @ ISC Lounge


To attend the Trip to Blair Castle this Saturday you MUST register at : http://iscblaircastle.eventbrite.com/ .

Ticket collection is at the ISC Lounge on Wednesday 14th March 6.30-7.30 pm. Please also bring 11 pounds and your matric card for ticket collection. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/104901956306943/


-Ticket sales for Japan Night (also on Monday 12/3/12) & Edinburgh Castle Trips (14th & 18th of March) : 6.30 pm @ ISC Lounge


Tickets are still available for Japan Night happening on the same night, which is being sold for £3. Tickets are also still available for the Edinburgh Castle Trips happening later in the week, costing £3. For more information: 14th March trip: http://www.facebook.com/events/396652647027637/ and 18th March trip: http://www.facebook.com/events/140169982771800/


NO PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!!


Tuesday 13/3/2012: Coffee Evening, 4pm-6 pm @ ISC Lounge


This is our weekly coffee evening- every week we have coffee evening on Tuesdays at 4pm. Free tea, coffee and biscuits (sometimes cheese!) are always served. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet lots of people from around the world! We are also trying to promote people baking their own cake, so coffee evening can have a different flavour every week!


Wednesday 14/3/2012: Trip to Edinburgh Castle, 2 time slots: 1.30 pm and 2 pm, BUT PLEASE BE AT THE ISC 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE TIME SLOT WHICH YOU HAVE BOUGHT TICKETS FOR!

For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/396652647027637/


-Trip to Blair Castle ticket collection, 6.30-7.30 pm @ ISC Lounge


Ticket collection for Blair Castle trip: £11 cash only and don't forget your matric card!


- Registration for Indonesian Night which is on 19/3/2012 : 7.30pm


Join us for a night focusing on the islands of Indonesia- try out traditional foods, listen to a presentation about its rich culture and watch a film from Indonesia!

To attend, you MUST register at :http://iscindonesiannight.eventbrite.com/ . Following successful registration, you must pay £3 and pay for your ticket at the ISC Lounge on Thursday 15th March 6.30 pm.

For more info: http://www.facebook.com/events/400688903279365/


Thursday 15/3/2012: Ticket collection for Indonesian Night: 7.30 pm


If you have successfully pre-registered please bring £3 and your matric card to the ISC!


-Pub Night, 9 pm - 1am @ Greenmantle Pub


Our weekly pub night. Fabulous drinks and food deals are available, simply mention you are from the ISC! Address: 44 West Crosscauseway.


Saturday 16/3/2012: Trip to Blair Castle, 9am - 6.00pm


Only available to ticket holders! Depart 9am from ISC Lounge 22b Buccleuch Place. For more information : http://www.facebook.com/events/104901956306943/


- Board Games Night, 6pm-10pm @ ISC Lounge


With the addition of our new House Manager, Clemens, comes our weekly board games night which will be hosted by him! There are various European style board games available in addition to your standard ones.


Sunday 18/3/2012: Trip to Edinburgh Castle, 2 time slots: 12 pm and 1 pm, BUT PLEASE BE AT THE ISC 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE TIME SLOT WHICH YOU HAVE BOUGHT TICKETS FOR!

For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/140169982771800/


WE ARE ALSO SELLING ISC CLOTHING- HOODIES ETC WHEN THE LOUNGE IS OPEN!!

Our lounge will be open this week 12pm-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm-6pm on Tuesday and 12pm-3pm on Friday.

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Happenings of Week 8- 5/3/12- 11/3/12

Monday 27/2/2012: Half-Semester Dessert Potluck, 7-10 pm @ ISC Lounge


Bring a dessert from your home country or anywhere, if you are short on time for cooking, buying something will also do! Event page, http://www.facebook.com/events/329896700389964/

-Registration for Trip to Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel which is on 10/3/2012 : 6.30pm


To attend the Trip to Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel this Saturday you MUST register at : http://iscrosslyn.eventbrite.co.uk/ . 15% extra tickets are released on eventbrite so preregistration does not guarantee a space!Ticket collection is at the ISC Lounge on Wednesday 7th March 6.30-7.30 pm. Please also bring 15 pounds and your matric card for ticket collection. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/100348333430152/



-Registration for Trip to Edinburgh Castle which is on 14/3/2012 or 18/3/12: 7.30pm

We are taking people to the Castle on 2 days, the 14th and 18th. On both days there are 2 time slots- on the 14th, the two time slots are: 1.30pm and 2pm. On the 18th the 2 time slots are: 12pm and 1pm. You will be allowed to remain in the castle until closing time at 5pm. You NEED to be at the ISC 30 minutes prior to your slot! Tickets cost 3 pounds.


To pre-register for the 14th of March: http://iscedicastle14.eventbrite.com/. To pre-register for the 18th of March: http://iscedicastle18.eventbrite.com/

After successfully pre registering you need to collect your tickets at the ISC Lounge on Thursday 8th March 7pm whether you re going on the 14th or 18th. Please bring 3 pounds cash!!


Event page: 14th March trip: http://www.facebook.com/events/396652647027637/

18th March trip: http://www.facebook.com/events/140169982771800/


Tuesday 6/3/2012: Coffee Evening, 4pm-6 pm @ ISC Lounge


This is our weekly coffee evening- every week we have coffee evening on Tuesdays at 4pm. Free tea, coffee and biscuits (sometimes cheese!) are always served. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet lots of people from around the world! We are also trying to promote people baking their own cake, so coffee evening can have a different flavour every week!


- ISC Clothing Sale- 6pm-9pm @ ISC Lounge


Always wanted an ISC hoodie but never had the time to get them during the day? Now is your chance! Prices: Hoodies: £13, £9 for volunteers and T-shirts: £7, £ 5 for volunteers. Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/171363852979179/


Wednesday 7/3/2012: Trip to Melrose Abbey & Rosslyn Chapel ticket collection, 6.30-7.30 pm @ ISC Lounge


Ticket collection for Melrose Abbey & Rosslyn Chapel trip: £15 cash only and don't forget your matic card!

Thursday 8/3/2012: Pub Night, 9 pm - 1am @ Greenmantle Pub


We're back on to our regular pub night this week from wine night last week! Regular drink and food deals available as usual, just mention you're with the ISC. Address: 44 West Crosscauseway.


Saturday 10/3/2012: Trip to Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel, 8am - 6.30pm


Only available to ticket holders! Depart 8am from ISC Lounge 22b Buccleuch Place. For more information : http://www.facebook.com/events/100348333430152/


- Board Games Night, 6pm-10pm @ ISC Lounge


With the addition of our new House Manager, Clemens, comes our weekly board games night which will be hosted by him! There are various European style board games available in addition to your standard ones.


WE ARE ALSO SELLING ISC CLOTHING- HOODIES ETC WHEN THE LOUNGE IS OPEN!!

Our lounge will be open this week 12pm-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm-6pm on Tuesday and 12pm-3pm on Friday.

Monday, 27 February 2012

Happenings of Week 7: 27/2/12- 4/3/12

Monday 27/2/2012: Film Night : 8.00-11.00 pm @ ISC Lounge


The ISC is screening Braveheart tonight. Event is free of charge including tea, coffee and snacks!


Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/395563490469720/


- Registration for Trip to Stirling which is on 3/4/2012 : 6.30pm


To attend the Trip to Stirling this Saturday you MUST register at : http://iscstirling.eventbrite.co.uk/ . 15% extra tickets are released on eventbrite so preregistration does not guarantee a space!Ticket collection is at the ISC Lounge on Wednesday 29th February 6.30-7.30 pm. Please also bring 10 pounds and your matric card for ticket collection. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/368817286470169/



Tuesday 28/2/2012: Coffee Evening, 4pm-6 pm @ ISC Lounge



This is our weekly coffee evening- every week we have coffee evening on Tuesdays at 4pm. Free tea, coffee and biscuits (sometimes cheese!) are always served. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet lots of people from around the world! We are also trying to promote people baking their own cake, so coffee evening can have a different flavour every week!



Wednesday 29/2/2012: Trip to Stirling ticket collection, 6.30-7.30 pm @ ISC Lounge



Ticket collection for Stirling trip: £10 cash only and don't forget your matic card!




Thursday 1/3/2012: Pub Night, 9 pm - 1am @ Greenmantle Pub



We're back on to our regular pub night this week from wine night last week! Regular drink and food deals available as usual, just mention you're with the ISC. Address: 44 West Crosscauseway.



Saturday 2/3/2012: Trip to Stirling, 9am - 6.00pm



Only available to ticket holders! Depart 8am from ISC Lounge 22b Buccleuch Place. For more information : http://www.facebook.com/events/368817286470169/



- Trip to Lake District, 7am on 3rd March to 4th March at 10pm



BEAR IN MIND THAT THE TICKETS DO NOT SAY THE CORRECT DATE AND THIS IS THE CORRECT ONE!! The buses WILL LEAVE ISC at 7am so PLEASE ARRIVE BEFORE THAT or when you arrive the buses will have gone or will be pulling away!! For itinerary/ more info: http://www.facebook.com/events/290194681036421/



- Board Games Night, 6pm-10pm @ ISC Lounge



With the addition of our new House Manager, Clemens, comes our weekly board games night which will be hosted by him! There are various European style board games available in addition to your standard ones.



WE ARE ALSO SELLING ISC CLOTHING- HOODIES ETC WHEN THE LOUNGE IS OPEN!!

Our lounge will be open this week 12pm-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm-6pm on Tuesday and 12pm-3pm on Friday.

Monday, 20 February 2012

Happenings of Week 6: 20/2/12 - 26/2/12

Monday 20/2/2012: Poker Night : 8.00-11.00 pm @ ISC Lounge

Free for all students of the University of Edinburgh- chilled out poker night, if you don't know how to play, come anyway guaranteed there'll be someone there to teach you how!

Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/187835234654901/


- Ticket sale for India Night which is on 22/2/2012: 6pm -7 pm

We are still selling tickets for India Night, our big cultural night of the term which is also part of Global Horizons Week. Tickets still cost £3 pounds, don't miss out! No pre registration required just pop by to the Lounge!


- Registration for Trip to Durham which is on 25/2/2012 : 6.30pm

To attend the Trip to Durham this Saturday you MUST register at : http://iscdurham.eventbrite.co.uk/ . 15% extra tickets are released on eventbrite so preregistration does not guarantee a space!Ticket collection is at the ISC Lounge on Wednesday 22nd February 6.30-7.30 pm. Ticket price includes transportation. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/302125876514925/


Tuesday 21/2/2012: Coffee Evening, 4pm-6 pm @ ISC Lounge

This is our weekly coffee evening- every week we have coffee evening on Tuesdays at 4pm. Free tea, coffee and biscuits (sometimes cheese!) are always served. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet lots of people from around the world! We are also trying to promote people baking their own cake, so coffee evening can have a different flavour every week!


Wednesday 22/2/2012: India Night, 7pm- 10pm @ Rainy Hall, New College

Don't miss out on our big culture night of the term- India Night! The night promises to give you yummy authentic food, henna, a Bollywood film and for something different- a Bhangra dance workshop run by the Edinburgh Bhangra Society!


- Trip to Durham ticket collection, 6.30-7.30 pm @ ISC Lounge

Ticket collection for Durham trip: £12 cash only!


Thursday 23/2/2012: Wine Night, 9 pm - 1am @ Greenmantle Pub

Wine night is just another spin on our weekly pub night at the Greenmantle's- you can get

wine deals, with £7.50 on a bottle, £3 for a large glass of wine and £2 for a small glass! If wine isn't your thing you can also get anything else that you want- all will still be on sale. Location: 44 West Crosscauseway.


Saturday 25/2/2012: Trip to Durham, 8am - 6.30pm

Only available to ticket holders! Depart 8am from ISC Lounge 22b Buccleuch Place. For more information : http://www.facebook.com/events/302125876514925/


- Board Games Night, 6pm-10pm @ ISC Lounge

With the addition of our new House Manager, Clemens, comes our weekly board games night which will be hosted by him! There are various European style board games available in addition to your standard ones.


WE ARE ALSO SELLING ISC CLOTHING- HOODIES ETC WHEN THE LOUNGE IS OPEN!!

Our lounge will be open this week 12pm-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm-6pm on Tuesday and 12pm-3pm on Friday.

Sunday, 5 February 2012

Happenings of Week 4- 6/2/12 to 12/2/12

Monday 6/2/2012: Swiss Night : 8.00-11.00 pm @ ISC Lounge

Indulge in delicious authentic Swiss goodies, like Nusstorte and fondue! A short presentation about the culture and history of Switzerland will tell you all you nee to know and a popular Swiss movie will also be shown at the end of the night. For ticket holders only!

Event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/169037103199993/

- Registration for Oban Trip which is on 11/2/2012 : 6.30pm

To attend the Oban Trip this Saturday you MUST register at : http://iscoban.eventbrite.co.uk/ . Following successful registration, you must pay 10 pounds and pay for your ticket at the ISC Lounge on Wednesday 8th February 6.30-7.30 pm. Ticket price includes bus, castle, chapel at Oban

For more information: http://www.facebook.com/events/359640344048087/

Tuesday 7/2/2012: Coffee Evening, 4pm-6 pm @ ISC Lounge

This is our weekly coffee evening- every week we have coffee evening on Tuesdays at 4pm. Free tea, coffee and biscuits (sometimes cheese!) are always served. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet lots of people from around the world!

7pm: Extraordinary General Meeting @ ISC Lounge

This meeting is for voting our new House Manager (see post below). Please come and vote- as long as you are a matriculated student you have the right to!

Wednesday 8/2/2012: Oban Trip ticket collection, 6.30-7.30 pm @ ISC Lounge

If you have successfully pre-registered online (not on waiting list!) for the Oban Trip, you MUST come to pay for and collect your ticket at the ISC Lounge. 10 pounds- cash only!!

- Registration for West African Night which is on 13/2/2012 : 7.30pm

Our event the following Monday is West African Night! Play traditional African games, eat authentic foods & listen to a performance by the African Drumming Society! To attend, you MUST register at : http://iscwafricanight.eventbrite.com/ . Following successful registration, you must pay 3 pounds and pay for your ticket at the ISC Lounge on Thursday 9th February 6.30 pm.

For more info: http://www.facebook.com/events/342986849065614/

Thursday 9/2/2012: West African Night ticket collection, 6.30pm @ ISC Lounge

If you have registered online to attend West African night, please collect your ticket at the ISC Lounge and pay 3 pounds in cash!

-Pub Night, 9 pm - 1am @ Greenmantle Pub

Weekly pub night for the ISC held at the Greenmantle at 44 West Crosscauseway- this will be regular time every week. Chill out with old or new friends, with special offers on drinks and food courtesy of the International Student Centre and the Greenmantle. There are also wine deals, with 7.50 pounds on a bottle, 3 pounds for a large glass of wine and 2 pounds for a small glass.

Saturday 11/2/2012: Oban Trip, 9am

Only available to ticket holders! Depart 9am from ISC Lounge 22b Buccleuch Place. For more information : http://www.facebook.com/events/359640344048087/

Our lounge will be open this week 12pm-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm-6pm on Tuesday and 12pm-3pm on Friday.

Saturday, 4 February 2012

Election and Candidates for House Manager


Dear all

Here are the details of our upcoming election to be House Manager of the ISC:

When and Where?
On Tuesday the 7th of February at 6pm at the International Student Centre (22b Buccleuch Place).

Who can vote?
Anyone that turns up, provided you are a student at the University of Edinburgh - I.e. have a UoE Student Card.

How will it work?
Once we are all gathered each of the candidates will in turn get a chance to tell you why they wish to be House Manager - aka why you should vote for them. They will have 5 minutes MAX each. Afterwards we will have a vote which will be by secret ballot. Whoever gets a majority wins.
Afterwards we will have a short Q/A session regarding the new ISC Constitution.

Who's the candiates?
Glad you asked, we have 5 (!) candidates: Jessie, Clemens, Xuebin, Kerttu and Clara. Please see below for a short statement of intent from each:

Jessie Holbek:
Hello,
I already spend quite a bit of time at the ISC, and am familiar with the core committee members and how the ISC works. Being an exchange student, this would be my one chance to be part of the core committee at ISC. Oh, and I would make sure the ISC is always fully stocked - including fresh milk! ;)

Xuebin Lu (aka Leo):
As one of the student representatives in the department, I often listen to students about their concerns for the quality of teaching, and resolve conflicts between teachers and students by using my interpersonal skills. This role allows me to be more responsible.
The reason why I want to take this role is that I regard this is a opportunity to be more involved in ISC's operation. This may enhance my problems solving skills in different situations. And I am willing to learn more from ISC, such as event organization, by participating the meeting and activities in ISC event organization and improve myself.
If I can take this role, I am willing to make sure the sufficiency of food and office supplies and they are well-organised. Also I am willing to study about different tastes of the tea or biscuits, and ensure maximum of the value of money as my obligation, and try to keep the total cost and expense down.

Best wishes,
Leo

Clemens Wolff:
Why do I want to be House Manager?
1. I love the ISC and would enjoy being more involved/giving back.
2. I am well organized and rigorous to the point of being
obsessive-compulsive (call it 'German', for short) and thus well
suited for a janitorial/inventory-management position.
3. I generally have fairly strong ideas about a lot of things and will
thus add another perspective and active discussion element to the
core-committee.
4. I tend to be fairly approachable and like to think that I am a
decent ambassador for the ISC - I should thus be a decent ambassador
for the core-committee too.
5. I have been asked to run for the position.

What do I intend to do if I get the position?
1. I will represent the liberal/green/hippie vote on the committee,
supporting stances such as (but not limited to):
1.a) Encouraging more recycling/reducing waste by not buying
over-packaged products and by making recycling easier (larger/more
bins, add a third bin for packaging alongside the existing bins for
paper and landfill).
1.b) Exploring how interested people would be in switching the ICS's
offerings to organic/fair trade/ethical produce.
1.c) Possibly offering healthy alternatives at Coffee Evening (fruit,
hummous with veggie dippers, etc.).
1.d) Possibly offering special dietary requirement alternatives at
coffee evening (vegan, gluten-free...) - can easily be made to overlap
with point 1.c) above.
2. I will encourage more diversity at Coffee Evening by not buying the
same(ish) biscuits, sweets and cheese every week.
3. I will promote volunteer participation in the running of Coffee
Evening by encouraging volunteers with baking skills to step forward
and create stuff for Coffee Evening instead of only buying commercial
produce all the time. The cost of ingredients (but only the cost of
ingredients) will be reimbursed from the Coffee Evening budget - but
considering how ridiculously cheap it is to bake cakes and pastry,
there should still be plenty money left for cheese/commercial produce.
I'd be happy to kick-start this initiative myself but I am fairly
optimistic that something along these lines could gain traction.
4. I will initiate a discussion of considering the ISC's budget as one
entity rather than keeping separate books for events/trips/house. This
would allow for possible surpluses from trips/events to be used to
make Coffee Evening and the Lounge even more awesome (e.g. buying more
games/fancy coffee machine, possibly having Coffee Evening more than
once per week, etc.) all while eliminating the small-change-problem
from ticket sales due to not having to feel guilty about rounding to
the next reasonable number any more.

Clara Sophie Kantner:
Why I am really interested in becoming the new House Manager
The ISC has definitely become something of a second home to me during the last semester.
Obviously, I am there during my “official” volunteer shift, fulfilling all my duties and trying to
be welcoming for everyone who comes in. But I also spend a lot of my free time there – after
lectures and tutorials, when I am supposed to be studying, and generally, to relax and find
some peace.
So if I took up the position of House Manager and joined the Committee, I feel like the time
I sit around and drink coffee could be spent slightly more productive. I generally like to keep
the place clean – or at least cleared of dishes and trash – and organize the kitchen area. I
have done stocking before and once I know where to find all the necessary things like coffee,
tee, filters, milk etc, I am sure that I would have no problems keeping an eye on the stock
and buying supplies, within the given budget.
I would generally love to be more involved in pub nights, events and whatever necessary
since I feel like I should give something back to the ISC. Without it, I would never enjoyed my
first semester here so much.

One last thing: I am a huge caffeine addict, so I have a strong personal interest that there is
always coffee. Also, I now know where the recycling is.

Clara

Kerttu Kaikkonen:
I would like to state my intent of running for the position of House Manager in the International Student Centre. I am an active user of the ISC services (lounge, events and trips) and a member of the events sub-committee as well as a lounge volunteer, but I would very much like to become even more involved in running the ISC. This is my only chance of doing so, since I am unfortunately going back to Finland in June to finish my degree.

I believe I would make a good House Manager for the ISC. I am reliable and honest, and I already have an idea of how the ISC works as well as what is required of the House Manager. As House Manager, I would take care the lounge never runs out of things and, since I already am at the lounge on a daily basis, keeping an eye on the stock would be easy for me to do. I would look into getting a working recycling system to the lounge, listen to what people want for the coffee evenings and make an effort to provide accordingly.

I feel I have something to give for the ISC with my prior experience in being a member of the board of a society and it would be easy for me to get on top of things. I was just before Christmas re-elected as Information Coordinator for our student organisation back in Finland, making this my third consecutive year as a board member. Also, as a visiting student, I could provide the Committee with a valuable visiting student’s point of view on things.

Kerttu Kaikkonen




Good luck to all the candidates and thanks for the overwhelming interest!

Hope to see a lot of you there!

Rasmus Dall
- President