An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Editor's Note: Today is the first day of classes for the Fall 2011 semester. ISSS-BU News wishes all of our student, staff and faculty subscribers a successful and productive Fall semester!
Next Monday, September 5 is Labor Day in the United States. Classes will not be in session, and most University offices, including International Student and Scholar Services, will be closed. University offices will re-open on Tuesday September 6, and classes will resume the same day.
Beginning next week, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will start subscribing new students to ISSS-BU News. Some new students have already subscribed themselves, using their binghamton.edu e-mail account. Our issues can also be read on the internet, and are usually posted the same day as the e-mail version. Just go to http://isss.binghamton.edu and select “ISSS-BU News.”
CONTENTS:
1. Hurricane Irene and Travel Related Difficulties
2. New International Students Still Checking In With the ISSS
3. Fall 2011 International Spouses Program (ISP) English as a Second Language Classes
4. Essential Requirement: You Must “Confirm” Your Fall 2011 Enrollment in BU Brain or Risk Having Your Registration Cancelled
5. First International Coffee Hour of the School Year is Friday, September 2
6. Emergency Alert Messages
7. Attention Current International Students Who Have Returned from a Trip Abroad
8. Secure Your I-94 Card!
9. Academic Calendar for Fall 2011
10. Consenting to Sex
1. Hurricane Irene and Travel Related Difficulties
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services has heard from a number of international students who are not able to reach Binghamton to begin classes today due to travel difficulties caused by Hurricane Irene. Some students already in the United States could not travel this weekend due to bus or plane cancellations, or flooded highways. Others who held tickets to fly to the United States this weekend from abroad learned that their flights were cancelled.
The Binghamton area had rain and wind this weekend, and some localized flooding, but this area was not as badly affected as other parts of the Northeastern United States.
If you are a student whose travel plans were disrupted by the storm, and you are not here for the first day of classes, please contact your professors by email, to let them know of your delayed arrival, including when you expect to attend class. To look up the email addresses of faculty, go to http://www.telecom.binghamton.edu/directory/directory.search to look them up by last name, OR go to: http://www.telecom.binghamton.edu/directory/directory.deptlist and click on the department link to obtain a list of faculty.
Since many faculty post class assignments and the course syllabus on Blackboard (http://blackboard.binghamton.edu) you may be able to get a head-start on assignments by checking Blackboard.
The Provost has requested that faculty make accommodations for any students in this situation.
If you are aware of any other BU students affected by travel delays caused by the hurricane, please have them send us an email message, we are compiling a list.
2. New International Students Still Checking In With the ISSS
Nearly 500 new international students took part in International Student Orientation activities August 22-24. A few new students have only just arrived, or will arrive this week. If you meet a newly arrived international student, please remind them to report to the office of International Student and Scholar Services so that staff can photocopy and sign their visa documents, give them a new student folder, and provide other important information.
The ISSS has scheduled a series of special new student orientation meeting for students who were not able to attend the regular international student orientation August 22-24. Students will be scheduled for those sessions when they come to the ISSS.
3. Fall 2011 International Spouses Program (ISP) English as a Second Language Classes
These are non-credit bearing classes for spouses of BU international students, faculty and staff. BU Research Scholars are welcome to join as well. These classes are NOT intended for current BU students. The focus is to practice conversation, reading, grammar skills and daily living in the United States.
Classes begin on Monday August 29th but students are welcomed at any time
Two classes and a Discussion Group will be offered this semester at the following times:
Basic Conversational English (Beginner- Pre-Intermediate):
Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:45pm to 3:15pm
Location: Student Wing Room 306
Time is spent on all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). There is work done using material out of various ESL text books that include a focus on grammar and sentence structure, while conversation is always incorporated into the lessons as well.
Intermediate-Advanced English
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:45pm to 3:15pm
Location: Tuesdays, Student Wing Room 312
Location: Thursdays, Student Wing Room 306
There is an ongoing focus on grammar and sentence structure while tenses such as the passive, past perfect, future perfect may also be covered. Additional topics may include verb patterns, everyone’s favorite verb “get”, reported speech as well as other topics in between. Articles covering topics of interest will also be discussed.
Discussion Group
Fridays 1:45pm to 3:15pm
Location: Hinman Commons Conference Room, Room 120B
Open to all levels of English and native English
A $5.00 fee per semester per student is requested towards the copying of materials (no need to purchase a textbook for these classes). The instructor will collect this fee.
Our ESL instructor is Ms. Myriam Stanton. Myriam has many years experience teaching English overseas and ESL here in the United States. This is her fourth year as our ISP ESL instructor.
If you have any questions about the ESL classes, please contact the instructor at mstanton@binghamton.edu
4. Essential Requirement: You Must “Confirm” Your Fall 2011 Enrollment in BU Brain or Risk Having Your Registration Cancelled
Students must confirm enrollment by Friday, September 2. If you do not confirm your enrollment, your courses will be automatically cancelled whether or not your semester bill is paid.
To confirm your enrollment follow the steps explained at this link:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/registrar/students/course-registration/confirmation-enrollment.html
The Registrar’s Office also provides a helpful link to check for start of the semester requirements for both new and continuing students. Visit it at:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/self-service/start_of_term.html
5. First International Coffee Hour of the School Year is Friday, September 2
Meet new and returning students! Good company! Free refreshments! Celebrate the beginning of the Fall semester by coming to this month's International Coffee Hour on Friday, September 2 from 3:30pm-5:00pm in University Union, Old Union Hall. This month's sponsor is United University Professions (UUP).
The Coffee Hour strives to be a space where the entire Binghamton University community, including international students, U.S. students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome. The coffee hours are informal and provide an opportunity to meet and learn more about each other in a relaxed atmosphere. They are held on the first Friday of every month during the academic year. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages, cookies, vegan bars and breads, sponsored by a different department on campus.
Do you want to know when classes are cancelled, or if there is an emergency condition on campus or in the community? The RAVE Emergency Alert System You can have messages sent to your mobile phone and to your email account. All students are urged to register with RAVE.
To learn more about RAVE, visit:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/registrar/students/rave.html
To register for RAVE and set up your account, visit:
https://www.getrave.com/login/binghamton
7. Attention Current International Students Who Have Returned from a Trip Abroad
Many continuing international students were fortunate to be able to travel abroad during the summer vacation. If you obtained a new visa while you were away or entered the United States using your new SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019, please come to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services with your passport and visa documents so we can make copies for your files. Thank you!
The I-94 departure card (the small white card that is stamped and returned to you after your immigration inspection upon entry to the United States) is a very important immigration document, that costs $330 to replace if lost! Generally, the immigration inspector staples the card to an empty passport page, usually the page facing your US student visa stamp. Sometimes however, the card is returned “loose.” The Office of International Student and Scholar Services urges international students to check your I-94 departure card. If it is not stapled into your passport, you are urged to do so yourself to avoid loss. Or, come to the ISSS and staff will be happy to staple it into your passport for you.
9. Academic Calendar for Fall 2011
For a copy of this semester’s academic calendar, please visit the following link:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/about/pdfs/f11s12.pdf
The following information is provided by the University Counseling Center.
As you begin the fall semester, lots of fun events and social gatherings are going on. We would like to bring your attention to some important things you should know and remember if YOU decide to initiate or participate in any kind of sexual behavior.
The University Counseling Center is located on the first floor of the Bartle Library Lobby, Room LN Room 1202. Telephone: 607-777-2772.
http://www2.binghamton.edu/counseling/
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