Twelve steps … landing … 11 steps … landing … turn … two more steps … turn … 10 steps. Jayoung finally reached the basement of Hamilton Hall, where the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is located.

Jayoung Lee, a senior in hotel and restaurant management from Korea, visited the OISS for counseling regarding her academic affairs. However, she, along with many other international students, had trouble locating the office.

“I had some troubles to find this office. There is no sign advising about OISS except a very tiny [one with] writing of International Services & Study Abroad on a signpost in front of Hamilton Hall,” Lee said.

Many incoming international students experience the same frustration when they arrive on campus and cannot find the office.

OISS was moved to the basement of Hamilton Hall from the English Office building, which is located between Carver Hall and Beardshear Hall. Two years ago, the EO building was identified as the “international students’ office.”

The location of Hamilton Hall, at the far east side of campus, does not provide easy accessibility for many international students.

Amelia Wong, a graduate student majoring in international business from Hong Kong, has studied at ISU for nearly four years. Wong said, “The EO building is [much more] convenient compared to Hamilton Hall, because it is in the center of main campus.”

The role of the OISS is very important to ISU’s nearly 3,000 international students and visiting scholars and their families, representing 127 countries from across the world.

The OISS provides service and informative programming for international students. OISS helps these students meet the challenges of study and work in the United States by providing pre-arrival assistance, information on housing, visas, work and financial opportunities, and by advising on personal and cross-cultural matters.

“I usually go there whenever I need to pick up an I-20, or other documents to stay in the U.S.,” said Hossaim MD Forhad, a graduate student in mechanical engineering from Bangladesh.

“When I came here in ISU in the beginning, I used to participate in an orientation program which OISS offered new international students, and some of programs helped me adjust to campus life in the U.S,” Forhad said.

The average international student pays tuition costs of $10,000 to $12,000 per year. The university receives about $30 million to $36 million a year through international students’ tuition.

Wong said, “we basically pay three times [more than] in-state students’ fee per year. I know the educational system of ISU is good, but I think the state of international students should improve.”

Dennis Peterson, director of the OISS, said “when we were told to move to Hamilton Hall from the former hall, EO building, two years ago, we were also told it would be temporary. We are looking forward to returning to the center of campus and also having a building where we can be on the first floor and not in the basement. I believe our time in Hamilton Hall is only temporary.”