Anthony Neri, The Daily Iowan
The University of Iowa’s Graduate and Professional Student Government selected Juan Arendse as its first director of the new International Affairs Committee on Nov. 2.
Arendse, a UI College of Law student from South Africa, said GPSG realized they were not representing international students and recognizing hardships that those students face, which is what motivated them to create the committee.
“It’s to give them a voice and to carry forward issues that might be troubling to them in a very supportive environment,” he said.
Arendse said the committee hopes to establish listening sessions in the next year and create a tab on its website where international students can anonymously submit their concerns.
Among the difficulties these students face are linguistic and cultural differences, Arendse said.