The International Student Soci– ety, founded in September 2001 by nine international students, kicked off its first full year as an organiza– tion this fall. "We wanted to form some group for the international students," se– nio r Gabbi lacoboaie, one of the founders, said. "We thought of cre– ating our own social club, but that p rocess was complica ted, so we settled on a soc~ety." The ISS had an induction process and activities like other groups on campus. "We plan on competing in sport– ing events and we had a fa ll ban– quet," Iacoboaie said. "Our goal is to share ou r cultures with the Ameri– can students and to get to know each others' cultures." Senior Endri Baduni, ISS presi– dent, had big plans for the society's first fu ll year. "My goal is to help the interna– tional students, especially the new students, adapt to the America n cul– ture," Baduni said. "We try to give them rides and show them where to Freshman Dustin Campbell strings Christmas lights in front of the Benson Auditorium Nov. 21. The freshman class officers organized the service. (Photo by Renee Lewis) Junior Robert Meyer competes in the Student Activities Committee-sponsored spades tournament Oct. 18 while sopho– more Teague Houseman encourages him. More than 30teams competed in the tournament. (Photo by Renee Lewis) • • 210 organizations buy stuff. The society is all about friendsh ip and introducing ou r cul– tures to each other and the rest of the student body at Harding." The ISS represented more than 15 countries, including Albania, Rus– sia, Peru,Mexico, Honduras, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. "Our main goal is to integrate as much as possible wi th the student body," Baduni sa id. "We don't want to separate ou rselves, but rather let the rest of Ha rding know where we come from. We a ll have a lot to learn from each other." The society planned many events for the yea r, induding ice-skating, a trip to the opera, a Halloween party, a Ch ristmas formal, cookouts and sporting events. Terrie Sm ith, ISS sponsor, be– lieved the group was important for the students, especially considering how far they were from home. "Man y of these students come to Harding and do not return home until they have finished their educa– tion," Smith sa id . "I can't even imag– ine what they sacrifice to come here. They are d edicated and d etermined and they have decid ed to share this wi th Harding." Smith, director of ca tering for Aramark, employed more than 20 international students. "I got to know many of the fiter– national students th rough catering and they have been such a blessin g to me," Smith said. " I was excited to be asked to be a sponsor and it has beengrea t getting to know each o ther and learn ing about each other's cul tures." Because international stud ents often had a d ifferent perspecti ve than American stud ents, the ISS provided a support system for stu– d en ts w ith simil ar experiences. "Internationa l students have dif– feren t needs th an American stu– den ts," Smith said . "They are fa r away from home dealing with visa issues and adjustin g to a new envi– ronment. I am glad they have a group to act as family, because tha t's really what the International Student Society is about." - Kerri Dutile -
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