International Coffee Hour, a weekly event is held in the Center of International Student Education office in SC 237 from 3 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
“The International Coffee Hour aims to bring all international students together and experience other cultures,” said Isaac Yeboah, graduate assistant for the Center of International Education.
Attendees can sample different coffee every week, play games, participate in activities such as the recent fan-painting event, and get to know their classmates in a friendly environment.
The treats offered come from around the world recently offering a chocolate coin with a fortune for Lunar New Year. They offer candies such as lifesavers and tamarind flavored hard candy every week.
Yeboah said The Center of International Education aspires “to bring American and international students together like a big family.”
He said the club chose to serve coffee because it is a social drink in most cultures around the world. Yeboah, who is from Ghana, said Ghanaians have tea and coffee for social events. So, these drinks being available helps create a familiar social environment from many cultures to get people to start conversation.
Clubs and faculty co-sponsor the event and share what their services are and how they can help the students that go to the event, along with providing the treats for that week.
The Center of International Education does more than just coffee. They have many ways of making international students feel welcome.
Every year during graduation they have a sash ceremony where they give international students a sash of their country’s colors to wear and represent where they come from. They also sponsor trips around the Midwest area for international students to allow them to get to know America. The last trip they took was to Souix Falls.
The organization throws community events too, such as World Fest, where students display different cultures through customs, food and clothing. This is held in the Red Baron Arena and open to the public.
The next International Coffee hour will be Feb. 21. It will be co-sponsored by the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship/SMAC, a campus organization that focuses on marketing outreach.
