January

17 Jan – Met CRE to discuss needs of Black students in education and how to meet them.

18 Jan – Met Judas Jamal and Faisal Hanjra about supporting FOSIS activities in term ahead.

19 Jan – Attended debate at Westminster University to defend Race Relations Officer post from being subsumed into larger Equal Opportunities Officer role (we won!).

20 Jan – Met NUS Events team about provision of halal and kosher food at NUS annual conference; attended NUS NEC meeting about trade union partnership work and develop idea of establishing an NUS activist academy.

23 Jan – Did media work about my withdrawal from RUSI‘s Education & Extremism Conference because Prof Glees and his researcher, Chris Pope, were involved in organising it. Their frame-work was completely unhelpful so I refused to allow NUS to endorse it. Did preparation work for MB2 appeal hearing; produced letter and briefing for NUS mailing.

24 Jan – Met NHS Organ Donors campaign team to do publicity work for them and get the Black community to donate; met One Voice Movement over the Arab-Israeli conflict and efforts to engage in progressive dialogue on this issue; met Lord Adonis, Schools Education Minister, at the DFES, to discuss anonymous marking, school curriculum and the MB2 case.

25 Jan – Visited MANCAT College, Manchester, spoke to student councillors and staff about good governance; met Shaida Nabi PhD student at Manchester University about political engagement of British Muslims; spoke at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Unite Against Fascism (UAF) meeting.

26 Jan – Spoke at Hemel Hempstead school; met Nathan Lewis-Wilson, Communication Officer at Canterbury College; led MB2 appeal hearing with Salma Yacoub, in Birmingham.

27 Jan – Finished Black Students’ Officer in Every Union briefing for NUS mailing; attended Black LGBT peoples’ meeting at Lambeth Town Hall.

30 Jan – Attended NUS NEC meeting at Birkbeck College, London; visited Nike Akinde, Race Equality Officer at Essex University.

31 Jan – Attended meeting about increasing Black school governors; attended rally in Parliament to mark the death of 100th British soldier.

February

1 Feb – Met Kirsty Lloyd, student chair of British Medical Association to discussed collaboration; organised MB2 protest in Birmingham, gave interviews to Channel 4 and BBC news and local media; attended Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism meeting.

2 Feb – Attended Unite Against Fascism meeting at ULU; liaised with Ebb&Flo team about voter registration campaign posters/music recording and video.

3 Feb – Met Equality Challenge Unit to discuss project about racism in education being led by Liverpool John Moores University; met National Assembly Against Racism to plan term.

5 Feb – Spoke at Students United Against War day school at ULU.

6 Feb – Attended NUS North East Regional Conference in Huddersfield University; produced letters and materials for NUS mailing.

7 Feb – Attended NUS East Midlands Regional Conference in Loughborough University.

8 Feb – Attended NUS East Anglia Regional Conference at Buckingham Chilterns University.

9 Feb – Attended NUS South East Regional Conference in Bognor Regis.

10 Feb – Met Harriet Harman MP about funding for national student voter registration campaign; met with Black sabbatical officers’ network; wrote amendments on racism and equality in education for colleges to present to NUS national conference; met SAAR (Student Assembly Against Racism) to look at UAF conference and student anti-BNP activities.

11 Feb – Attended Palestine Solidarity Campaign Conference at ULU.

13 Feb – Prepared fair-trade campaign briefing and press releases about Student Volunteering Week and UAF conference.

14 Feb – Attended NUS National Council meeting – spoke to motion on civil liberties and MB2; met David Lammy MP to discuss skills development for excluded young Black men.

15 Feb – Attended FE Lobby of Parliament briefing; spoke at Chester University on racism in higher education; attended Involving Black Students in Your Union event at Coventry University.

16 Feb – Assisted in planning NUS Involving Black Women’s Day event at Bradford University.

17 Feb – Finished off SAAR, STAR (Student Action for Refugees) and NUS briefing for the Day of Action for Student Refugees (23 Feb).

18 Feb – Attended NUS LGBT Committee and spoke on listening to the Black perspective in LGBT affairs, and also to engage in dialogue with the MCB and other religious groups; led student anti-racism session at the UAF national conference with Kat Fletcher, NUS President.

20-21 Feb – Attended NUS SWD conference in Blackpool; held NUS Anti-Racism Committee meeting but postponed because of poor attendance.

22 Feb – Prepared briefing on involving Muslim students in your union for NUS mailing; attended MB2 protest in Birmingham; attended protest at Lambeth Town Hall against Council’s decision not to run voter registration campaign.

23 Feb – NUS Day of Action for Refugee Students – attended community event in Kennington.

24 Feb – Worked from home to catch up on paperwork and other NUS admin duties.

25 Feb – Attended War on Want Annual AGM; involved in interviews to get Black students off to America as volunteers.

26 Feb – Attended Brixton inter-faith conference on Religious Sensitivities & Freedom of Speech

27 Feb – Attended HEFCE meeting about Equality work at NUS HQ.

28 Feb – Ran Clubs and Societies’ Training Day at Manchester University in partnership with PriceWaterhouseCoopers; attended West Midlands Area NUS hustings at Birmingham College.

March

1 Mar – Organised Medical Students lobby of Parliament to present minister with petition on fees; also spoke at NUS education lobby of Parliament; and attended Climate Change lobby of Parliament organised by People & Planet.

2 Mar – Went to campaign in the Aberdeen University affiliation referendum (in the snow!).

3 Mar – Met ActionAid to discuss HIV/Aids work and e-campaign to lobby government for help.

4-5 Mar – Attended NUS Scotland Conference: spoke at NUS UK report back session, and the NUS Scotland Black Students’ Campaign meeting – Kainde Manji elected new Scottish BSO.

6 Mar – Prepared letters and materials for NUS mailing.

7 Mar – Went to campaign in the Portsmouth University affiliation referendum (in the rain!).

8 Mar – Met Team Chavez on internationalism campaigns; did BBC5 Live interview on the Learning Skills Council; did media interviews on Frank Ellis at Leeds University campaign.

9 Mar – Had UAF student meeting; went to Birmingham for the Operation Black Vote Question Time and Election husting event as part of the young voter engagement drive.

10 Mar – Did interview with Yvonne Ridley on Islam Channel about politics and young people; met Pulkit Agrawal from NHSF (the National Hindu Students’ Forum) about needs of Hindu students; attended Buckingham Chiltern University to take part in their NUS-ActionAid Coffee Break Day activities.

11 Mar – Attended NUS Wales National Conference to speak at the presidential hustings.

12 Mar – Attended NUS compositing event – ensured Black students, international students, equality and anti-racism issues were prioritised for debate at NUS national conference.

13 Mar – Chaired Central School of Speech and Drama’s inaugural Black Caucus meeting.

14 Mar – Had lunch interview with The Guardian newspaper journalist Donald McLeod.

15 Mar – Campaigned at Westminster University for a Black student officer; hosted the NUS Internationalism and NUS anti-racism committee meetings in Sheffield – both were postponed due to non-attendance of NEC and committee members – except Ben Soffa and Jenny Brickdale; spoke at the Sheffield Hallam University UAF rally.

16 Mar – Campaigned at Bradford University for a Black student officer; spoke to more than 200 students at the Leeds University protest against racist academic Frank Ellis; wrote article for BLINK web site on the protest.

17 Mar – Day off – did NUS Presidential election campaign work.

18 Mar – Attended 3rd anniversary anti-war march in London against the occupation of Iraq.

20 Mar – Met National Assembly Against Racism about campaigns work; write short piece on NUS for The Guardian.

21 Mar – Spoke at London Black School Governors’ training event.

22 Mar – Spoke at NUS-WaterAid Day of Action event in Vauxhall; spoke at Lambeth College protest against course closures; attended London Met University rally against new constitution; spoke alongside TUC, Natfhe and UAF at Young Labour event in Parliament against the BNP.

23 Mar – Attended NUS NEC meeting about a new 10-year Strategic Plan.

24 Mar – Did panel interview with the Islam channel interview; prepared Black Students’ and Anti-Racism materials for NUS national conference.

27 Mar – NUS NEC meeting, Blackpool – talked through outline of national conference.

28–30 Mar – NUS National Conference, Blackpool – spoke in strong and active unions, education and welfare debates; stood for national president and lost by 28 votes (analysis of election to follow); spoke at the Unite Against Fascism, Oxfam Control Arms and Palestine Solidarity Campaign fringe meetings; spoke on behalf of Rosemary Emodi and got her elected onto NUS Elections Committee (first Black woman-ever), and made my NUS leaving speech.

31 Mar – Day off

April

3 – 4 Apr – Day off

5 Apr – Met Les Ebdon, VC of Luton University, about a new UUK guidance on Black students; met ActionAid for meeting on HIV/Aids campaign work.

6 Apr – Met Equality Challenge Unit about a Commission for Black Staff in HE to tackle racism; also addressed drop-out rates, graduate jobs and reform of universities application process.

7 Apr – Attended Liberation Officers’ meeting at NUS HQ about summer training programme; did interview with The Guardian newspaper about NUS elections, allegations of homophobia and Islamophobia.

8 Apr – Attended NUS–CIS International Students’ Festival, Manchester, and ran workshop.

10 Apr – Chased speakers and stall-holders for NUS Black Students’ Conference.

11 Apr – Casework with Josh Sancheo, president of Sandwell College, West Midlands.

12 Apr – Attended anti-racism theatre in education production at Corpus Christi, Oxford.

13 Apr – Met Mark Watts and Muge Djinder at GLA to discuss research into Muslim students’ educational experiences in London.

14 Apr – Attended community church in Tottenham to debate stop and search policing: new figures show Black people still facing discrimination in this area.

17 Apr – Made arrangements for the NUS Black Students’ Conference; caught up with emails.

18 Apr – Prepared letter and posters for NUS mailing, attended local council husting in Brixton

19 Apr – Attended community forum with Mayor of London and Black community leaders in Stockwell; met with SAAR to discuss campaigns after Easter break; wrote job references for former committee members.

20 Apr – Did interview with Observer newspaper about NUS elections, allegations of homo-phobia and Islamophobia; prepared for Committee meeting – booking accommodation; wrote submission for Home Office consultation on young Black people and the criminal justice system.

21 Apr – Spoke at HMP Brixton Prison to young Black inmates to engage them into education; wrote officer’s report and finance report for meeting, and prepared conference amendments.

The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students

The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/pavakhtar/272359.aspx