Campus Cousin Program Pairs Domestic and International Students

University of Arkansas

The Office of International Students and Scholars is seeking students to participate in the university's iFriend program. The iFriend program provides opportunities for international students at the U of A to meet with American families or individuals.

With the increase of remote learning and working, the need to strengthen networking opportunities for international students has increased as well, said Christina Foor, iFriend program coordinator. One solution is Campus Cousins, an iFriend initiative that matches international students with domestic University of Arkansas students to establish a peer friendship. The students have the opportunity to share campus life and events, as well as their cultures of origin.

The goal of the program is to connect international students and scholars with the Northwest Arkansas community and U of A students for cultural exchange and development of cross-cultural friendships," said Foor.

Domestic students have the opportunity to welcome new international students and be volunteer hosts known as Campus Cousins, meeting at least once a month throughout the school year.

Due to COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines, the Campus Cousins program staff highly encourage students to meet virtually. Domestic or international students who are interested can complete an application form to start the matching process.

Applications for the 2020-21 academic year are open on the iFriend website.