Newsletter 167
Contents
Action of the Week
Petition for Iraqi Refugees
Please help avert a humanitarian crisis by signing the online petition initiated by a Medsin student and supported by Medact. This is to lobby the British government to give assistance to more than 2 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria and Jordan together with a further 2 million refugees displaced within Iraq. The petition will take no more than 1 minute to sign and can be found here
The aim is to get at least 10,000 online signatures to let the government know that this is not an issue that can simply be side-stepped
National News and Events
Anything Else
Website and News
The website is for YOUR events being held by YOUR branches, projects and campaigns. It is really, really easy to submit events and news, so please do, and let everyone know what wonderful things you are up to! Join in Medsin discussions at http://www.medsin.org/discuss
National News and Events
Wanted: VPE
Want to be Medsin's Vice President for External Affairs?
Due to the demands of her final year, Selina has decided to to leave the National Committee and to handover her role as the Vice-President for External Affairs to a suitable candidate. Sel has done a fantastic job this year and has been a great friend to us all. We are sad to see Sel go and wish her every success in her final exams.
Subsequently, nominations for this position have been reopened. The position will be selected as follows:
Anyone interested in this position is encouraged to submit a letter of motivation (max. of 500 words) explaining why they would like to do this job, relevant experience and what they would hope to achieve.
Letters of motivation should be sent to the National Committee by midnight of Sunday 23rd December .
The National Committee collectively, will appoint a new VPE before Sunday 30th December. This decision will be ratified at the voting session during the GHC 2008.
The new VPE will begin their role in January, following a handover.
Please note: If selected, you will need to present a candidature form, signed by your branch president to the National Committee at your first meeting, otherwise your election will be invalid.
More infomation can be found here or contace Selina
National Conference 2008 Hosts
Congratulations to UCL who have won their bid to host the National Conference 2008!
A great turn-out at the polls, thanks to all those branches, projects and campaigns that took the time to vote.
Not just any old Christmas Cards
Every year, many of you Christmas cards to send to family and friends. This year please help Medsin without spending any extra money, and buy your Christmas cards from www.studio51.com. We receive a ground-breaking 51p in every £1 you spend…..
Studio51 have a fabulous collection of high-quality cards at fair prices; starting at £3.99 for 20 and up to £6.50 for 10. The website is very easy to use: just select your cards, select Medsin as your chosen charity, pay online or by cheque and the cards will then be delivered to you by first class post within a few days.
Please, please support us by shopping here, and please pass this on to all your family and friends so they can support Medsin too.
MSC Motions
The deadline for submission of MSC Conference motions is 12 midday on 16th January 2008. That gives Medsin 5 weeks to get our thinking caps on. We can submit motions which will be balloted, and we can also get MSC reps at our medical schools to submit a medsin motion as one of their priority motions.
In the past we've been quite successful with motions - Newcastle motion on GH education was passed in 2006, a motion about interaction between pharmaceutical reps and med students was passed in 2007 as well as a motion on Reed-Elsevier and the Arms Trade, and we managed to push motions on climate change through the Annual Representatives meeting. With some coordinated effort, we can push even more of GH into the BMA's agenda this year.
If you have any suggestions for Medsin's motions this year, e-mail them to the committee
Anything Else?
The following aren't officially affilliated with Medsin, but we thought you might be interested.
Essay Prize
Do you doubt, or can you believe in, "the prospect of a world in which medicines and medicine produce more ill-health than health, and when medical progress does more harm than good"?
Up to 5000 Euros is available for the first prize submission of a 350 word abstract. Whether you agree or disagree, write it up! Closing date: 31st December 2007.
For more information, click here
Books without Borders: An appeal for books for Palestine
There is a shortage of books of all kinds in academic and research institutions in Palestine – especially up-to-date technical, science, nursing and medical-related texts; teaching English as a second/foreign language, English literature; information technology and so on.
You can help by:
- donating books – all kinds and levels welcome, but introductory textbooks are particularly needed - up-to-date and in excellent condition please;
- donating money – so that books that are specifically requested can be bought and also help towards shipping costs;
- acting as a local agent - as a focal point for donations in your college, university or department.
Books are being collected for shipment early in 2008. UCU has kindly agreed for them to be stored and sorted at the union offices in London (27 Britannia Street, WC1X 9JP). Books that are not suitable will be sold and the funds used for the project as a whole. Please contact us if you have any queries about the suitability of books, suggestions or are willing to help the project in any way. Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (FFIPP) is a network of Palestinian, Israeli, and International academics and researchers, with an affiliated international student network, working for an end to the occupation and for a just peace.
Last updated on Tuesday 18 December 2007 at 16:59.
