Poster: "Culture and Cuisine Collide: The International Student Organization Peace Dinner"
The ISO (International Student Organization) Peace Dinner is one of Auburn’s newest
traditions! It was first held in 2014 with 800 people attending. Since then, it has been held almost
every Fall. The Peace Dinner is a chance to make international students feel welcome in the
United States. As of 2024, Auburn has over 2,500 international students from over 100 countries
who go to school here.
The number of international students increased as the industrial revolution made travel
easier. Most went to Europe. But after World War II, the U.S. became their number one
destination. The government encouraged international students to attend American schools in
order to spread its cultural influence. The September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 complicated
this, though. The government became more restrictive on who could enter the country, including
students. More recently, China has begun to challenged the United States for the leading
destination for international students.
The Auburn ISO first appeared in 2014. For many students, college was their first time
outside their country. The ISO helped to give these students a community where they could feel
at home. The dinner was created the same year in order to “celebrate culture through cuisine.”
Dinner was prepared to represent many of the countries that students were from. The first ISO
Dinner required $1 to participate. All the money was given to the Beat Bama Food Drive, and
$800 were raised!
The next Dinner in 2015 saw even more – over 1,000 attendees. Unfortunately, the ISO
Peace Dinner was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the first and only time it
was ever cancelled. The next year, 2021, the ISO Peace Dinner returned. It took a few years for
the Peace Dinner to return to pre-COVID attendance levels, but by 2024, the Dinner was once
again going strong!
The 2025 Peace Dinner held particular significance. After becoming President again,
Donald Trump wanted non-American students out of the country. At Auburn, fifteen students
almost had to leave because of small things like a traffic ticket. The 2025 dinner also had an
impressive marketing campaign on social media. Reels posted to instagram referenced viral
trends, like the “6-7” meme, and encouraged people to come eat. Because of things like this, the
2025 ISO Peace Dinner was the most attended so far. Over 1,000 people attended, according to
the ISO’s former president, Ian Yang. The tradition is only expected to grow over the next few
years!
-Anderson Loudon
Peace Dinner Graphic
Promotional Graphic for the ISO Peace Dinner 2018 (Original Graphic Created 2014)
International Students Dining
| Auburn International Students Gather for the 2024 ISO Peace Dinner |
Unity on campus
| people handing out nametags |