International students show national pride at iSo Olympics

Monday, October 12, 2015

Women stood on the sidelines waving an Iranian flag while fans of the African team chanted aloud as its members raised a trophy in the air. This is how students thousands of miles from home share their own national pride during the International Olympics at Oklahoma State University.

“The Olympics allow international students to express their own national pride while still being a part of Oklahoma State University. They enjoy it very much,” said Tim Huff, who has been the iSo adviser since 1998. 

Thirteen area clubs participated in the International Student Organization’s (iSo) annual sporting event, which included 8-ball pool, badminton, basketball, tennis, soccer, table tennis, tug-of-war and volleyball. The most popular event was soccer, with the African Student Organization beating the Iranian Student Association to win the finals.

The Olympics not only allows students to show pride in their heritage, but also provides an opportunity for new students to meet each other and get to know the other area clubs better. 

However, Huff admits that even friendly competition can sometimes be a difficult start to the academic year.

“You’re starting with competition among the area clubs and it gets everyone’s blood boiling right off the bat,” he said. “Then you spend the rest of the year with everyone getting along swimmingly.”

The games are also good for spectators who enjoy witnessing the patriotism international students show for their home countries.

“I was amazed at how much pride the different teams had and how they weren’t afraid to show it,” said sophomore Kelsey Brown, strategic communications major.  “I think it’s awesome that they can still do that here in America.”

iSo is the parent organization to over 20 different area clubs on campus and it hosts several events throughout the year, explained Huff.

While international students are not required to join the clubs or attend iSo events, they offer a majority of the younger students an opportunity to interact with each other.  

“Area clubs provide them with an instant support system to help them get acclimated to the campus and make adjustments they need to make to be successful here,” said Huff, who works directly with iSo officers and area clubs.

“Organizing such a big event requires lots of planning and preparation in advance,” said Arezoo Zare, iSo president and a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering from Iran. 

Zare said she worked on the event schedule, made reservations, invited area clubs to participate, hired referees, reviewed game rules, and among other tasks.

Sachin Kumar, the sports coordinator for iSo, described the Olympics as one of the biggest sporting events on campus for the international students with about 500 participating in the different events this year.

“One of the rules discussed this year was allowing teams to have two students from other countries play on soccer, basketball and volleyball teams. For instance, two American students played on the ASO soccer team,” said Kumar, who is from India and admits he really misses his family and the food from home.

“The goal for iSo and events such as the Olympics is to provide cultural familiarity for students and help them adapt to a different country,” said Huff, adding, “The area clubs are just there to say, ‘Hey, we were in your shoes not so long ago. We understand what you’re going through and are here to support you.’”