The International Student Office is looking to globalize Gannon University’s campus with a coffee shop staffed by international students and American student volunteers.
This goal will be accomplished in two ways. First, the coffee shop is looking to bring authentic international cuisine to Gannon each day, including one ethnic wrap and one dessert.
The office is also going to try to educate the customers and people who are just passing by about the centrality of the food to the culture.
The goal is for American and international students to work together, which, in turn, will build the excitement of this effort around Gannon’s campus.
Jason Steinberg, associate director of the ISO, will oversee the management of the coffee shop.
Although he said he’s not sure when things will get started, he expects the effort to increase connections between American and international students.
“We measure success in terms of the degree of collaboration between American and international students,” he said. “In that context, we are already very successful and hope to be only more successful as time comes.”
The ISO has done many different events to reach that goal, including this year’s Knight of Dancing held in November and the annual International Night, which occurs each spring.
“I feel the International Student Organization has put together some wonderful events this year,” Steinberg said. He mentioned Knight of Dancing as a particularly big success.
“We had nearly a couple hundred people who came to dance and open themselves to Indian culture and food,” he said.
Students said they were excited that there will be an on-campus coffee house with an international flair.
“I think this will be a very beneficial place for Gannon to have on their campus because of the fact that there will be coffee there and a place to socialize,” freshman social work major Kayla Ruddy said.
Other students shared similar thoughts.
“Anything that brings students another place to socialize to have coffee and brings camaraderie sounds like a good place to me,” freshman journalism communications major Alex Womer said. “I will for sure be checking this place out because I like places like coffee houses – and it will also be a good place for students to get their homework done, as well.”
