Start your UMN experience in the best possible way with Global Gopher Events! This is a special opportunity for you to meet other new international students, prepare for classes, discover the University’s amazing services, and get advice from experienced international student leaders. Go to z.umn.edu/ggumn to see the schedule and register.

Small World Coffee Hour (SWCH) is a bi-weekly event where international and globally-minded students come together to enjoy coffee and food and learn about cultures from around the world. Come to this Small World Coffee Hour event to learn about this fun program and the amazing events you can experience throughout the year! SWCH is sponsored by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Student Services Fees, Student Unions and Activities (SUA), the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), Global Minnesota, and Dunn Brothers. This event is offered in cooperation with Minnesota Student Association and the Orientation and First Year Program's Welcome Week.

LOCATION: Yudof Hall

Join the Latin International Student Association and Latin Dance Club of UMN for our first Small World Coffee Hour of the semester! Get ready to move your bodies, learn about the strength it takes to dance, and enjoy delicious Latin American food.

TIME: 4:00-6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Yudof Hall

Small World Coffee Hour is sponsored by International Student and Scholar Services. International and domestic students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend their weekly events and discover new cultures (and food) in a fun, social atmosphere.

The International Buddy Program (IBP) Welcome Party is a great way to celebrate the start of a new year at the University of Minnesota. Students new and old can gather to play games, eat food, and get to know each other.

TIME: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Whole Music Club, Coffman Union

The University of Minnesota Women's Center, in collaboration with Culture Corps, is proud to present Saeide Mirzaei at the AHA! Art Gallery opening.

"Other" debuts a collection of oil paintings by Saeide Mirzaei. Saeide is pursuing a PhD in English at the University of Minnesota, and she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama. Her itinerary as a writer and artist began in a small conservative town in the South of Iran. As a child, she had to crawl into ill-lit corners of her parents’ house to draw and write, hiding from her disapproving (but loving) father who deemed creative arts as unworthy of his children’s time. Saeide taught herself how to draw and paint until she took her first and last art class (oil painting) at the University of Alabama in 2013. Her artwork explores the experiences of immigrant women in the United States. Each piece tells a story about the hardships of navigating this American life as a female ‘Other.’

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 20, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: UMN Women’s Center, Appleby Hall, Room 64
FOR MORE INFORMATION: See the Facebook Event

MAVNI stands for Military Accessions Vital to National Interest. It’s a special recruitment program that allows legal noncitizens to join the U.S. military to gain citizenship. The program has existed 2009, but it recently closed with some issues.

The MAVNI Advisory Committee is holding its second meeting. If you're a MAVNI soldier, we recommend that you attend, and others are welcome to attend to learn more. At the session, you will be receiving the latest and credible information including updates on the Counter-Intelligence (CI) interview that every enlistee will eventually go through. There will also be:

• The opportunity to meet other MAVNI students and make friends
• Free food
• Tips for the CI interview
• Discussion with professional attorneys and ISSS staff
• Q & A section to learn about current lawsuits regarding MAVNI

DATE/TIME: Friday, September 22, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Heller Hall, Room 110

Join the Eritrean Student Association and a special guest from Germany for our event: Small World Coffee Hour Presents Fermented Food. This is your chance to try fermented foods (even if you do not know what they are) while enjoying activities like fun icebreaker activities and trying some of the delicious Eritrean or German food. Which will it be? Come and see!

DATE/TIME: Friday, September 22, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Coffey Hall (St. Paul campus)