Walter Lain, assistant dean of multicultural and international affairs, is the adviser for the International Students Organization.

What is the International Student Organization?
It is a campus-wide organization that celebrates cultures from around the globe. Not only does it benefit students who are studying here at Simpson away from their home countries, but I think it benefits the students at Simpson who is interested in globalization. I think it’s a good fit for Simpson to have such an organization on campus.

Who is the president of ISO?

Reza Mohammadi. He was a recent transfer student from Afghanistan. During first semester, he was elected to be president of the group. I think they have done and planned some great things.

How long has ISO been an organization on campus?
To my knowledge, Simpson has had international students for a very long time, going back to, I want to say, the ’60s and possibly even the 1950s. So I don’t have the origin information of when the club first was organized as a student organization, but it certainly predated my arrival here in 2003.

What are some events that you have had this year?
One of the largest events was the clothing and toy drive. We took a group of about the 12 of us down to Mexico over Christmas break and donated everything we received. We also celebrated International Education Week, during the second week or so of November, where we showcased different countries and cultures of our students.

When do you meet?

I know that the ISO meets regularly. I know they just recently met on Friday and had a pizza party. I don’t know how well they publicized it, but I know Reza has them meet at least every other week.

Why should students join ISO?
Just understanding that we live in a global world with different cultures. I think that
anyone who’s interested in life outside of Iowa and the United States would enjoy this organization. It’s nice to have people who relate to each other from other places. Also, I think adding the opportunity to meet people who have different perspective from different countries expands our own understanding of what the world is like. I think that that’s very important.

The Multicultural Student Association, along with International Student Organization, Latinos Unidos, Black Student Union and Pride are hosting an end-of-the-year barbecue 4-6 p.m. on April 29 at the Carver Cultural Center.