The inaugural meeting of the International Student Society was held at the Multifunctional Lecture Hall of the School of International Education on May, 28, 2015. 95 representatives from different countries and officers from relevant departments attended the meeting. 20 representatives have been elected to form the International Student Society which would help provide better service for international students.

Cheng Zhen, the Vice Dean of the School of International Education explained in his speech that the International Student Society is founded with the purpose of fostering the mutual interaction between overseas students, to promote the integration between the Chinese and the overseas students, as well as to encourage overseas students to actively participate in activities held by the Chinese students. He added that the International Student Society would serve as a platform for students to interact and build up friendships.

Representatives of the International Students community, A Ke and Zhang Yisong also shared their experiences at WHU and expressed their expectations for this new organization.

During the election part, every representative voted 20 representatives to form the Student Society according to their academic performance and comprehensive capability. Only one representative can be elected per country otherwise the election becomes invalid. The outcome will be announced a few days later.

“I am studying for a master’s degree in International Economics and Trade. I was elected maybe because I was old enough to be a representative.” Kang Qiong Thammavong, the representative from Laos said with a smile, “This International Student Society is a very good thing.  We didn’t have such an organization before. It is a way to get more familiar with each other and better cater for the needs of all overseas students. We have common needs and interests.”

The establishment of the International Student Society is of great significance. As an organization mainly designed for overseas students, it will help solve their particular problems and build up a bridge to narrow the  cultural gap between the overseas students and their Chinese fellows. The idea of this Society came to be the last semester, and since then, the organizers had been working on the constitution of this organization, together with its code of conduct.

(Edited by Diana & Sijia Hu)