Hundreds of students stepped off airplanes and into the Bryce Jordan Center last night for the Penn State International Student Services (ISS) Welcome and Information Fair

Over 700 new international students have arrived over the last two weeks, ISS program coordinator Rachel Helwig said.

New student Su-Wen Wu (graduate-human resources and employment relations) attended the fair with her friend and fellow Penn State student Wen-Min Hsieh (instructional systems). Both are originally from Taiwan. Hsieh moved to the United States from Taiwan in 2006, while Wu had just completed a 20-hour plane from Taiwan ride hours before the fair.

Hsieh encouraged Wu to attend the fair because she felt it was helpful for her when she first arrived at Penn State.

"It helps you get to know people," she said.

Over 40 on- and off-campus organizations set up booths on the first floor of the BJC. There were commercial booths set up by companies like AT&T and Tracfone, as well as university services like University Police and University Libraries. Student groups catering to foreign students, such as the Chinese Undergraduate Association (CUSA) and the Indian Graduate Student Association (IGSA) rounded out the booths.

The IGSU sets up a booth at the fair every year, club member Saumya Gopalkrishnan (graduate-biochemistry and molecular biology) said.

The group sponsors events throughout the year such as music and dance performances. Indians and non-Indians are welcome, she said.

"One of our themes is unity in diversity," she said, adding that India itself is a very diverse country.

Her message to new students is "you're not the only one," she said.

The intention of the fair is to increase new students' awareness of activities they can participate in, and to help them to get to know each other and become more comfortable with the university as a whole, Helwig said.

Daria Matkowska (junior-architectural engineering) is originally from Poland, but attended school in England before coming to Penn State. Yesterday was her first day in the United States, and Americans have already made an impression on her.

"People are very nice and friendly," she said.

Matkowska attended the fair hoping to meet new people and to get involved in sports, such as volleyball, she said.

Penn State has students from over 120 countries, Helwig said.