For commuter students getting up in the morning and driving to campus is just an acquired habit of being part of a college population.
Some students though, not only have cross continental borders to get here but cultural borders as well.
The International Student Organization (ISO) is a student-lead organization made up of those who had gone to great lengths to get a university education in a new country.
This can be a great chance to see another culture up close, but these same students also bring their respective cultures with them, adding to the cultural diversity that is part of the college experience.
“We are a window for Americans to other cultures,” said Voy Marczynski, ISO president.
The ISO was first created in 1988, a few years before the Office of International Student Services was created in the early 1990s.
Since many of these students were new to the university setting, let alone the cultural setting, the ISO was intended to help international students find campus events and activities that would be beneficial to their experience here.
For the past twelve years the event that has put the ISO on the map has been the International Food Festival.
This is a chance to enjoy foods from several countries represented by international student as well as observe different styles of fashion, music and dance.
This year the International Food Festival will be on April 17 starting at 3 p.m.
While the International Food Festival is the most well known event the ISO puts together there are several other endeavors that do not get the same notice among the student body-at-large.
The ISO works with Notre Dame students on the Virtues of Unity program.
According to the numbers from the 2008/2009 academic year IUSB has approximately 223 students (this does not include non-degree seeking students or people in optional practical training programs) from about 68 countries worldwide.
The majority of the International Student population comes from countries in the Middle East and East Asia. There are students of Indiana University South Bend come from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as a variety of other countries (from the Office of International Student Services and http://www.istart.iu.edu).
You can check out the ISO on Facebook or go to http://www.iusb.edu/~iso for more information.
International Student Organization: Helping bridge the cultural gap
Published: Sunday, February 21, 2010
Updated: Sunday, February 21, 2010
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