If you are an international student, you will automatically be a member of Castle’s International Committee, also known as UCIC- which is one of the main societies in the Castle JCR. The committee is an open committee, so any member of the JCR who wishes to join or be involved with it on a permanent or temporary basis – be they international students or not – is very much welcome to, just join the Facebook group ‘University College International Committee 2019/20’ for updates!
The committee are responsible for providing practical support to all internationals as and when needed, through the organisation of International Freshers’ Week, the International Welfare Officer’s drop-in sessions, and other means they deem appropriate.
The committee will work with the Campaigns Officer, the International Welfare Officer and the Welfare team as a whole to organise a variety of events, around two per term, aimed both at internationals and home students. These could include – but are by no means limited to – themed formals, cultural exchanges, events with other colleges’ International Committees, dinners and pub quizzes.
The committee is chaired by the International Committee President, Vice President, and the International Welfare Officer. The International Committee President (Chiara Di Battista, chiara.m.di-battista@durham.ac.uk) is responsible for organising International Freshers’ Week and all other international events throughout the year, writing the international freshers’ handbook, coordinating the activities of the Committee and working together with the International Welfare Officer to provide internationals with all the support they may need. The Vice President (To be decided) helps the President in achieving this. The International Welfare Officer (Ananya Nair, ananya.nair@durham.ac.uk ) is a member of the Welfare team, and will hold weekly drop-in sessions open to everyone, help students with any problems that may affect their well-being, and provide support throughout both Freshers’ Week and the entire academic year.
Furthermore, any member of the JCR will be able to run for committee roles such as Treasurer or Events Organiser in elections at the beginning of the academic year, in our first meeting. The committee meets twice a term and organises at least two fantastic events per term. It would be great to see as many international and non-international freshers at these as possible to help us build an even stronger international community in college.
Contact the committee here: castle.internationalcommittee@durham.ac.uk