Did you know we now have a full team of part-time representatives working to make sure your voice is heard at DMU and beyond? We’ll introduce you to all six of them this week, and next up is your International Representative!
Did you know we now have a full team of part-time representatives working to make sure your voice is heard at DMU and beyond? We’ll introduce you to all six of them this week, and next up is your International Representative!
Vivian Nwagboso, from Nigeria and a first-year Biomedical Science student, is your International Representative at De Montfort Students’ Union.
A keen traveller, Vivian said that she wanted to run for International Representative as she feels that international students are often treated differently in terms of what they pay for in fees, particularly considering they are not eligible for student loans.
She said: “I am an international student and I have the feeling that we are treated differently because I pay £12,250 and a home student pays £9,000 [a year for tuition].
“I pay that amount but don’t get a loan. I don’t get support or a maintenance grant.
“Someone who pays £9,000 [is eligible for] all that. I can’t really justify why someone has to pay £12,250 and they don’t get any help, while the person who pays £9,000 gets all the help in the world.
“I have the passion to say ‘no, that’s not right’, and speak out and make changes.”
Vivian said that lobbying against the disparity in fees and trying to make them equal is her main mandate in her time as a rep.
She said: “I hope to make the fees equal and everyone pay the same thing. We should all pay the same thing to make sure there is equality between everyone.
“If you look at it critically, we are not getting any more attention or education than [domestic students] are.
Vivian said that she welcomes approaches from students and hopes that she has their support in her campaign to have fees for international students reduced.
“All students are free to approach me, and I hope they see my logic and see the logic behind my actions.
“I will need the students’ support as well because it’s not something I can do on my own.”
You can find out more about Vivian on her page here.
Head back tomorrow for the next instalment in our ‘Meet Your Part-Time Officers’ series! And if representing your fellow students is something that sounds up your street, then make sure you get involved with #LeadYourDSU day at #Refreshers16!
