A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
First up were Sofia Asatridi and Tim Ang. Asatridi noted that she was responsible for the design and typesetting of her college magazine at Oxford College. Of their policies, the two said they want to spread the word about the ISA and attract attention. They hope to collaborate with the media and enhance the reputation of the association.
Asatridi and Ang were followed by Sally Ngo and Mary Jane Obodozie, who said: "York is very diverse so showing students they have a place to come and relax and interact is very important." Ngo and Obodozie want to use Facebook and promote the association through other societies. They also want to work more closely with campus media.
Daria Pawlowska and Vanessa Lim noted their experience, having been in the committee for one and two years respectively. Pawlowska is current European representative and Lim is Internal Activities Officer. Pawlowska pointed out she was also International Representative for Derwent and commented that this has shown her some of the welfare issues international students face.
Powlowska and Lim want to foster relationships with JCRC International Representatives and the YUSU Racial Equality Officers. They also want to cater more to different segments of the ISA, such as hosting family events with the GSA.
Standing as a lone candidate, Yan Hei Li spoke of her personal experience as a international psychology student being treated differently and feeling she had no one to turn to. She said she wants to get involved and support those in a similar position. She also wants to get in touch with societies on campus and invite Presidents for a meeting.
The first of two pairs standing for this position were Vishnu Naidu and Vincent Shuai Yuan. They said they both have experience running societies in schools back home, and want to plan more trips to England and Europe.
Naidu and Yuan also want to plan trips to other universities to help foster links with other international students' associations, in a kind of exchange programme where they host the York ISA and York hosts them when they visit. In addition, the two candidates stressed the need for feedback from members to see what has worked, what hasn't, and what they would like to see.
Next up were Deone Alipranti and Corina Chalkiadaki. Of their experience, they said that they had organised their school’s annual trip to Barcelona. They also pointed out that they have links with other societies such as Capoeira.
The two said they want more trips, especially a trip to a European capital. They mentioned Rome as a possible destination. They also said that they want to link trips to events, for example going to London and watching a play, or going to watch a football game.
Satnislava Kunovska and Sema Gaith said they both have experience in school and JCRCs, and want to include home students more by working in co-operation with other societies and JCRCs. They stressed this inclusion of British students, saying: "We want to make it more about multiculturalism and break down barriers and stereotypes people may have."
Dario Palumbo and Igne Pupelyte also highlighted their experience at university and school levels, and said they want to move Fiesta to Roger Kirk to make it bigger. They also suggested karaoke nights, talks and lectures on cultural and diversity issues by guest lecturers, and working with other societies more.
Patricia Sanjoto and Helen Zhao Wei also said they were very experienced, pointing out that they had organised Integration, a Chinese Students and Scholars Association event which over 230 people attended. They also highlighted their contrasting personalities, one more of a party girl, the other more serious, which they say would be the perfect balance. They stressed the need for fun, party-type events, but also more welfare-geared events.
Psychology student Peony Tsz Yi Wong said she did not have a lot of experience with accountancy and finance, but as Social Secretary for the Travel Society she knows how a society works. She highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability and talked about the need to provide more services students want, such as a second-hand book fair.
Management student Joey Duy Le, the current treasurer for the Afro-Caribbean Society, noted he is also a former York Tennis Club Treasurer, Vanbrugh College International Rep, and has interned at an investment bank in Vietnam. He added that as part of his degree he studies accounting and finance, and promised if elected to improve transparency and to look for sponsorship deals to help raise money.
Marian Heng highlighted her experience, having been a club secretary and a legal assistant at a law firm. Heng added that she has participated in many groups and societies throughout the years, including the largest youth group organisation in Hong Kong, for whom she helped organise events.
Cristina Dimakoulea noted that she was Hellenic Society Secretary, a PPE Board of Studies representative, and international student ambassador. She also highlighted important changes the ISA will face next year and the key role the secretary will play in that.
The lone candidate for Vice President is Wan Shukri, current Vice President of the Malaysian Association. Shukri highlighted what the ISA has done for him, and said he wants to help offer the same kind of fun and support to other students. He added that the most important thing is to be a team player and be able to do many different things.
Current ISA Welfare Rep George Papadofragakis was first to stand. He noted that he has helped organise 20 ISA events and represented the ISA in YUSU's Welfare Committee. He added that he is also involved in other societies, helped organise the Humanitarian Aid for Gaza walk, and the protest against the university’s investment in the arms trade.
Papadofragakis said of the ISA: "Next year is a real turning point for our association - it is a make or break opportunity which will greatly affect the way that the ISA continues to function." He also said he wants to work more with campus media and societies and encourage them to advertise their events through the ISA.
Papadofragakis' opponent, Albert Chan, said: "The ISA has been a tremendous cause with great potential and I am very keen to get involved." He emphasized his connection to colleges, being the current Welfare Rep for Vanbrugh and added: "I believe I can lead and offer that different synergy to this organisation."
Chan said he wants to work with the Languages For All programme and promote language tutoring through international societies to foster international and national interaction.
What's Albert's history in the ISA? George has been involved in over 20 events and the like so has Albert done anything similar?
When can we vote? It's not on the YUSU website yet, is that a glitch or does it just start later?
#1: albert is vanbrugh's male welfare rep.. he has not been involved with the isa so far.
#2 You can only vote if you're registered as an international student. If you are an international student but you still can't vote, I suggest you contact the ISA (isa@york.ac.uk).
Although not an ISA committee member, Albert was involved with Vanbrugh College's collaboration with the ISA at Fiesta afterparty earlier this year, so yes technically he has been involved in the ISA. He also did try to stand for External Activities Officer last year, but lost out during the election.
George is ISA Welfare Rep, Albert is Vanbrugh Welfare Rep - they essentially have fairly similar experience.
I think their main difference is not so much their involvement but their agenda - George's focus is politics, Albert's focus is people.
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comment deleted by the author anon7 - "similar" doesn't mean "same"!
on that note i think people should not just focus on the 20 events thing but rather what each candidate has to offer (and they both claim to offer very different things!) and what appeals to you the most. after all, without negating george's help in organising all our events, these two candidates are running for president, not internal activities, and event organisation is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the entire position itself entails.
awww George chill! it's just what people infer from yours and Albert's statement/speeches/policies etc, and in comparing you two, compartmentalization is perhaps the only way to distinguish between two very fine and very different candidates 
Thanks Van, I hope we all leave it at that. I also hope that every ISA member will check out each candidate's proposed policies before they cast their vote - democracy doesn't mean much if people don't make informed decisions.
OH and a correction to this article, Albert is Vanbrugh college's WELFARE rep not international rep. In fact, treasurer candidate Joey is Vanbrugh's international rep
"a ridiculous comment" and "false and biased comments such as 'george's focus is politics, albert's focus is people'" is quite harsh.
the statement pretty much just says A sells oranges and B sells apples: it doesn't mean they don't sell anything else, it doesn't mean apples are better than oranges or vice versa, it just means that apples and oranges are different although they both grow on trees.
that said, the nutritional content of apples and oranges both overlaps in places but also differs, and A and B are very different salesmen although at some point they were both welfare trained by the same company, so yes, it is definitely very important that consumers think carefully before they purchase.
EDIT: the "a ridiculous comment" comment has now been removed, and the "false and biased comments" comment has now been edited.
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