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Support. Represent. Empower.

Having served in this role for the past year, I have improved the International Welcome information session, set a series of events to celebrate different cultures in Leeds, get university agree on look into different option for tuition fee payment, establish a strong platform for international students voice to be heard, and advocate to against Cut of Graduate Visa and International Fee Levy on Parliament; These works help me developed a deeper understanding of the challenges international students face.

I have seen both the progress we have made and the issues that still need attention, as well as new challenges that have emerged. If re-elected, I will continue working to address these issues and push for meaningful improvements to the international student experience.

Improve Financial & Employability Support  

International students face both financial pressure and additional challenges when preparing for careers in the UK. I will work to improve financial flexibility and expand career support to help international students succeed during and after their studies.

I will work on:

• More flexible tuition fee payment options: to help students better manage financial commitments and challenges related to international transfers or exchange rate fluctuations.

 • Strengthen employability support for international students: including career guidance, visa support, networking opportunities, and workshops to help students navigate the UK job market and prepare for life after graduation.

 • Greater accommodation support for international students: ensuring students can access affordable, safe, and suitable housing during their studies. And support on student to know their renting right. 

Protect International Student Rights 

International students bring £42 billion to the UK economy; we must have our voice in decisions and national conversations that affect our education and future opportunities.

I will work with the Students’ Union and national student networks to:

• Oppose cuts to the Graduate Route visa, which provides essential opportunities for international students to gain work experience after graduation.
• Challenge proposals for an international student fee levy, which would place additional financial burdens on international students.
• Stand against discrimination towards international students and promote equality within the university community.
• Increase international student representation, creating more opportunities for international students to take part in decision-making,leadership positions, and voluntary roles within the Students’ Union and university.

“It is all about trying to make it home, or at least something close.”

Hi, I am Chien Lu魯謙. And I absolutely understand how being far from home is like. That’s basically all you need to know, that someone like you is trying to make a difference.

It is not easy living here, the weather, the price of stuff, the blending in, and everything around a new life. Well, I have realized it should not be about trying to be like this place, but to create something that resembles us, that resembles YOUR home.

All I am aiming for is to

1. Bring more people like us in the decision making,
2. Bring food from everywhere in daily, not just for cool events
3. Go into YOUR community and listening to them, making the department a branch, not a management
4. Bring your language in
5. Contribute in creating information tunnels straight to you, ESPECIALLY ABOUT LIVING, rent is just crazy expensive and difficult. 

Hey, I’m Dubem Okeke.

I’m running because I know the gap between being “welcomed” and actually being

supported. When you’re trying to focus on your course, you’re often also dealing with the

things nobody really prepares you for: finding housing without a guarantor, sorting banking

and other UK basics, and sometimes being judged or underestimated because you don’t

sound British.

I’m not running to look good on a poster. I’m running to make the international student

experience at Leeds more fair, practical, and human.

If elected, I’ll deliver the 3S Agenda:

Shelter: fairer renting and real guarantor alternatives, including pushing for a universityverified guarantor pool so international students can rent more easily and safely.

Settling: a University-Verified Settling Pack with clear steps and trusted info for UK basics

like banking, GP registration, and renting.

Speaking: tackling accent bias with a Union and University-backed Respect &

Communication Code. Training will be open to all students, and mandatory for staff and key

student leaders (society presidents and reps), plus a clear route to report microaggressions.

Leeds should feel like home in real life, not just in theory.

Don’t just be OK… Vote Okeke.

Point 1: Diversifying International Cuisine at LUU

LUU is the go-to dining spot for most students, offering a safer and more convenient environment than off-campus options. However, our current food selection is too limited and fails to reflect the cultural diversity of our global community.

I propose introducing a wider range of international cuisines, including authentic Chinese, Malaysian, and Thai dishes. Food is one of the most powerful ways to share culture and feel at home. By diversifying our menus, we can ensure that international students find a "taste of home" while domestic students experience flavors from around the world.

Let’s turn LUU into a truly inclusive space where every student’s background is celebrated through the food we share! 

Point 2: Rate your professor- empowering Students through Two-Way Feedback 

I propose a two-way evaluation mechanism to transform our classrooms from one-way lectures into interactive learning experiences.

By giving students the right to rate teaching quality—focusing on content, clarity, and interaction—we encourage lecturers to refine their methods and stay responsive to our needs. I advocate for a clear, quantitative scoring system (e.g., 0–100 or grades) to make feedback objective and easy to track.

To ensure fairness, this system will be strictly anonymous, protecting students while providing teachers with professional, actionable insights. Let’s build a culture of mutual accountability to elevate the academic standard at Leeds! 

Point 3: SPACE on the University of Leeds website to share your experience

I propose creating an official online community on the University or LUU website where students can share verified, high-quality information. Using real-name authentication will ensure the content remains reliable, positive, and helpful for everyone.

This platform will be a "one-stop hub" for study tips, travel guides, Leeds life, part-time jobs, and campus news. It will be especially valuable for new students adjusting to university life.

Furthermore, I advocate opening this community to alumni, allowing them to share career advice and industry insights with current students. By connecting our past and present, we can build a long-term, supportive network that makes our Leeds community stronger and more connected! 

Housing support and cost of living.

○ It is also important to ensure clear and transparent rental contracts to protect students from

misleading arrangements.

○ Quality housing: Ensure clear and transparent rental contracts. Protect students from misleading housing agreements. Promote safe, fair, and quality student accommodation.

○ Partnering with local bus services, taxi providers, and convenience stores to offer student discounts could also help reduce daily expenses. Additionally, simple initiatives such as offering free breakfast on campus at least twice a week would support student wellbeing and ease financial pressure.

Time table issues.

○ Instead of having most of the assessment weight concentrated at the end of the semester, distributing it through smaller assessments across the term could reduce stress and help students perform more consistently.

○ Timetable scheduling can sometimes clash with students’ part-time work commitments, which many international students rely on to support their living expenses. More balanced and flexible scheduling would help students manage both their academic responsibilities and part-time jobs effectively.

○ Universities could also consider incorporating more skill-based and practical assessments instead of relying mainly on long essay-based evaluations.

Global Mixer.

○ Many international students tend to stay within groups from their own country or culture, which can limit cross-cultural interaction. Universities could encourage better integration by organizing global mixers, cross-cultural fairs, networking events, and global food festivals where students from different backgrounds can connect and share their cultures. These initiatives could also help improve interaction between international and UK students.

○ Additionally, providing counselling services in multiple languages would make it easier for students from different countries to access support and express their concerns comfortably.

Better career opportunities.

○ International students should be provided with better access to career opportunities, including internships and placement programs, even without prior UK work experience. A dedicated career support team can help them understand the UK job market, improve their job application strategies, and confidently succeed in interviews

No Buzzwords. Just Results.

These three policies aren't wishful thinking. They're specific, achievable, and overdue.

1. No More Hide and Seek with Support

You're paying international fees for support that disappears after induction week- buried in emails you'll never re-read. That's not good enough.

How will I fix it?

One Link, Always On: A single, permanently accessible Linktree directing you to every resource, service, and contact- updated, visible, and actually easy to use. No more excavating through mountains of emails.

Language & Writing Support, Everywhere: Language Zone access and school-specific writing support, Royal Literary Fellows for essays, LUU Essentials for living costs and Library services for dissertations- visible to every student from day one, not just the ones who stumble across it.

Opportunities in Your Inbox: A weekly school-specific newsletter on placements, internships, and opportunities- modelled on what some schools already do well. If it works in one faculty, it should work in all of them.

2. Make Your Investment Count

You didn't pay international tuition to leave with a generic CV and no idea how the UK job market works. Some schools already offer sector-specific careers support, mentorship schemes, and skills development embedded into the curriculum. You deserve the same- regardless of your faculty.

How will I fix it?

School-Based Opportunities Teams: Careers and opportunities support embedded within schools, which will be subject and industry specific.

Skills That Actually Count: Updated and AI-centric practical skills development programmes- extended to all students so your degree prepares you for the real world.

Visa-Smart Careers Guidance: Targeted workshops on Post-Study Work visa routes and employer sponsorship.

3. We Belong Here- All of us

Being an international or mature student means navigating a new country and a student culture that wasn't built with you in mind. That changes now. We need Meaningful Connections, Not Tick-Box Inclusion.

Societies That Actually Include You: I'll work with clubs to introduce a working class, mature and international student tier, lower cost access that includes talks, networking events, dinners, and professional programmes. Maintaining Society and Club independence and lower costs with more participation. You shouldn't have to choose between belonging and your budget.

Cultural Belonging with Teeth: I'll work with Cultural Societies to create real, structural change- including pushing to have cultural exclusion treated with the same seriousness as other forms of discrimination, and delivering proper training for society committees so "everyone is welcome" actually means something.

Meaningful Connections, Not Tick-Box Inclusion

I've been in the room since September. I have been a Faculty Officer and I know the administrative structures and never stopped fighting for students like us. I've already pushed for amber-coded assignment warnings for Law School essays and launched a microaggressions awareness campaign with the FSS EDI Student Advisory Board. I know which levers to pull, and I've already started pulling them. Vote for someone who doesn't need a learning curve. Vote Arushi Guha #1 for International Experience Executive.