“International students can get isolated,” Briggs said. “When they are new here, they’re not as connected so they want to explore everything.”

He said the coffee hour is an “informal place” for students to interact, connect and network with each other.

OISS community outreach coordinator Joy Walter said it’s important to stress the fact that the coffee hour welcomes both international and domestic students.

“In fact, I think it’s the best when it’s a mix of both international and domestic students because they’re both learning from each other,” she said.

Physiology junior Grace Barrett, who came to the coffee hour for the first time, said she learned about the event this semester through her boss at work.

Barrett said coming to the coffee hour made her think about lives in different countries and cultures and ask questions that lead her to learning new information about those countries.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking coming alone, but I jumped into a group and it was nice,” she said. “I met a few people who are coming back next week so I’ll mark my calendar.”

Walter, who is usually present at coffee hour, said she has been seeing new faces and well as old faces, or “regulars,” come in.

One of those regulars was Symbatt Payayeva, president of the International Students Association.

Payayeva, who is an economics junior, said coffee hour is a good place for her to get more people involved with ISA.

“I always come here,” Payayeva said. “It’s really cool because you get to meet so many new people; you can know more countries, more cultures.”

Payayeva said the weekly coffee hour is a good way for incoming students to interact with new people and to work on practicing their English. She also said it has helped make a lot of friends.

She said ISA plans to sponsor a few coffee hours this semester, including a welcome coffee hour, a Halloween-themed coffee hour and a Christmas-themed one, as part of the association’s tradition.