Japan, Germany, Antigua, Nigeria, Spain, Latvia. What in the world do all these countries have to do with a small, private college in Iowa?

Surprisingly, Morningside College is home to international students from all of these countries and more. “We have 50 international students from 16 different countries,” says Mary Krejci. So why do so many choose to come to Iowa? Most international students will give you the same answer, money.

Morningside College awards large scholarships to each of its international students. The specific scholarship amount depends on each individual student’s previous grades and plans for athletic involvement.

According to Mary Krejci, who coordinates with international students at Morningside College, each international student receives a minimum amount of $10,000 towards his or her tuition each year. However, many receive at least 75% of their tuition paid for, just for being an international student. Others attend for free.

Although scholarship money is often what draws international students to Morningside College, there are other reasons that they decide to stay.

Fuzuki Ino from Japan enjoys attending a small college because her professors really take care of her. She adds that in Iowa, “people are so nice,” much nicer than people she’s met in other parts of the country, such as Texas, where she attended high school.

Johnathan Jupiter from Antigua also loves the people in Iowa, along with the snow and other seasonal weather we get here.

While international students typically have positive experiences while living in Iowa and attending Morningside College, there are a few changes they would make if they could. Fuzuki wishes there was more public transportation easily available in Sioux City, while Johnathan wishes there were more beaches and an ocean.

When asked if they would consider staying in Iowa after they graduate, most international students agreed that they would not. They’d rather attend grad school and then return to their own countries or live in a larger city if they do decide to stay in America. However, this is not because of negative experiences. Johnathan would consider living in Iowa for some time because he’d “probably want to send his son or daughter to Morningside.”

Overall, international students tend to come for the scholarship money, but stay for the people.

“Voters want some change.”

Chuck Todd emphasized this statement during his speech for the 17th annual Waitt Lecture at Morningside College on Tuesday night. Todd, who is the political director for NBC News and the host of “Meet the Press,” analyzed the upcoming 2016 Presidential election for Morningside students and members of the community.

Todd brought an intelligent, yet lighthearted presence to the auditorium. His speech began with his family history in Iowa as to relate to the audience. After engaging with the audience about his background, he gave an enthusiastic “Go Mustangs!” He then began discussing the presidential race.

He stressed that the 2016 election will be all about electing change. The majority of people believe that the country is currently headed in the wrong direction. Because of this, voters, specifically Republicans, are turning to candidates who are not politicians, hence the increasing success of Trump and Carson in the polls.  He commented that supporting unconventional candidates like Trump is many voters’ way of giving a “collective middle finger to Washington.”

As for a prediction of the Republican party, Todd says, “I have no idea who the Republican nominee is going to be. If anyone claims to know, they’re full of it.”

Todd also made some predictions for the Democratic party. As for Biden entering the election, Todd predicts that he will decide not to run and then regret his decision.

He noted that based on the recent debate, the strongest candidates are Clinton and Sanders. Todd joked that the Democrats had “more zombies on the debate stages than in the walking dead.” He was undoubtedly referring to Sanders’ old age and appearance by making this statement.

If the Democrat nominee does end up being Sanders, this could give the Republicans an edge. Todd noted that “we normally elect the younger candidate.”

Todd ended his speech by encouraging young, bright people to run for office. “I’ve watched the collective IQ of congress go down ten points every year.” This statement received a roaring applause. Although running is often humiliating, “we’re never going to change Washington if good people don’t run.”

Meet Dr. Patrick Blaine. He’s anything but your average college professor.

He drives to school on a motorcycle, makes his own beer, speaks multiple languages, and travels the world.

Patrick Blaine is a professor for the English and modern languages department at Morningside College. He is extremely involved in activities both in the community and on campus. As a member of the community, he partakes in providing language proficiency testing for the Sioux City Police Department, is President of the Friends of KWIT board, and is on the board for the Siouxland Institute of Film.

As for Morningside activities, he helps to oversee multiple student organizations including Film Club, International Students Association, Spanish Club, and ODK. He is also a part of the study abroad committee.

It is clear that Professor Blaine’s favorite thing to do is travel to new countries. He has spent time in Chile and Spain, and plans to travel to Italy next semester with a group of Morningside students to study abroad.

However, he has not enjoyed quite every place he has traveled to. In particular, he was not a fan of Kelso Washington. He only passed through the town once, but he believes we “should wipe it from the map” because there’s “no water and the people are all ugly.” Nevertheless, he aspires to continue traveling the world.

Although Professor Blaine leads a busy life, he also knows how to relax, something that is important for students to learn how to balance. He’s very involved in the community, but also enjoys binge-watching tv shows for six hours straight. In his words, “I work hard, and I play hard.”