Two students will attend an international conference, thanks to Student Government Association.
Sadeq Al-Fayyadh and Serwan Bakey, nursing Ph.D. students and members of the Iraqi Student Organization, requested funds from SGA at the Student Senate meeting March 24 to attend the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry to present their research. Their research is a quantitative, phenomenological study titled “Experiences of Iraqi Nurses in Communities Impacted by War or Terrorist Threat.” The conference is hosted May 20-24 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The students requested $1,830. Senators were unable to make a decision until the next meeting on April 7 because the amount of money requested was higher than the SGA’s soft cap. The soft cap for SGA requests is $700. The amount was finally approved and given to them through SGA’s reserve fund, which is used for funds organizations may need that were not originally budgeted for.
“It is an honor and pleasure for us to have students representing our university,” said Mohammed Al-Jubouri, nursing Ph.D. student and president of the Iraqi Student Organization. “Such a scientific atmosphere will give them the opportunity to share about their research manuscript’s major findings and, at the same time, this will give them a valuable opportunity to highlight our university’s name as a cradle of finest scientific works, where students can actualize themselves in their academic fields in a meaningful way.”
Al-Fayyadh said he is happy to have the opportunity.
“It is one of the most prestigious conferences in our field so we are excited to go there and present our research,” Al-Fayyadh said.
It is not just about the organization, but about the university, Al-Fayyadh said.
“I would just like to express my profound appreciation to OCU for extending the support to international students,” Al-Fayyadh said. “This is huge for us. They believe in us and support us, and this is not an ordinary thing for us.
“Not just me, but speaking for the whole organization, we are excited about the support and we believe it’s something we need to actually cherish.”
The Iraqi Student Organization began in February 2014 and has 14 members. Some of the goals of the organization are:
– Provide support for new Iraqi students and help them transition to the culture of OKC,
– Build social connections among Iraqi students,
– Coordinate, assist and cooperate with efforts of the university and its community to serve the academic and nonacademic needs of Iraqi students,
– Celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of Iraqi students at OCU, and
–To represent Iraqi students’ best interest in official channels, such as The Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq and the Iraqi Cultural Office in the U.S.
Any Iraqi student interested in the organization can email Al-Jubouri at maaljubouri@my.okcu.edu or the organization’s adviser, Staci Swim, at smswim@okcu.edu.
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