An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services atBinghamtonUniversity, State University of New York
Visit ISSS on the Web! http://isss.binghamton.edu
Editor’s Note:
The ISSS will curtail services for the holiday break at the close of business at 3:45pm on Friday, December 23. The office will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:30am. During the holiday curtailment period, e-mail, voice mail and faxes will be checked, but not every day. If you have a medical or safety emergency, please call University Police at 607-777-2393. We hope that our readers enjoy their holiday.
CONTENTS:
1. View Fall 2011 International Student Graduation Reception and Commencement Ceremony Photos
2. Planning to Take a Cruise?
3. ISSS Operational Hours to the Public Change on Monday, December 19
4. ISSS Staff Not Available After 2:15pm on Monday, December 19
5. ISSS Office Hour Curtailment on Wednesday December 21
6. OCC Transport Fall Semester Service Ends; ITC Shuttles to Continue
7. This Week’s Campus and Community Connections Newsletter
8. Campus Recreation is Moving
9. No International Coffee Hour in January
10. Consumer Corner: How To Obtain a Free Credit Report
11. Attention Income Tax Filers: Non-Resident Tax Forms Cannot Be Filed Electronically
1. View Fall 2011 International Student Graduation and Commencement Ceremony Reception Photos
Visit the ISSS Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ISSS.BinghamtonUniversity to view 56 photos from the December 10, 2011 International Student Graduation Reception and 64 photos from the December 11, 2011 Commencement Ceremony. Scroll down to view both photo albums. See how many people you recognize!!
Please remember to “like us” when you visit the Facebook page!
An increasing number of international students are finding good prices for short cruise vacations during holiday breaks and are asking staff in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services whether there are any special issues associated with cruise travel to other countries.
The answer is yes! Please read the new article on Cruise Travel posted at:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/isss/travel/cruise.html
3. ISSS Operational Hours to the Public Change on Monday, December 19
Beginning Monday, December 19 and continuing through Friday, January 20, many University offices will operate with reduced hours. For the ISSS, hours to the public during this time period will be weekdays from 9:30am to 3:45pm, except Thursdays, when the hours will be 11:30am to 3:45pm. Phones will be answered from 8:00am to 4:00pm weekdays. The ISSS will resume regular academic year operational hours on Monday, January 23. Be sure to note the ISSS holiday curtailment hours. The ISSS will curtail services for the holiday break at the close of business at 3:45pm on Friday, December 23. The office will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:30am.
4. ISSS Staff Not Available After 2:15pm on Monday, December 19
Staff in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will not be available after 2:15pm on Monday, December 19 so that they can attend a presentation by the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE). However the front desk will be staffed and phones answered until closing.
5. ISSS Office Hour Curtailment on Wednesday December 21
On Wednesday, December 21, office hours in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will end at 3:00pm so that staff can attend a recognition event.
6. OCC Transport Fall Semester Service Ends; ITC Shuttles to Continue
OCC Transport Fall 2011 service ended on Friday night, December 16. The ITC Shuttle will continue during the intersession and winter break periods. Shuttles will be every 20 minutes Monday through Friday beginning at 8 a.m. and ending with the 5:40 p.m. shuttle. ITC shuttles will leave from the Mohawk Bus Shelter and will be performed in the dark blue OCC Transport van. There will be no shuttles from Dec. 26-Jan. 2. Shuttles will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Contact Public Relations Coordinator Jonathan Yousefzadeh at pr@occtransport.org with any questions or concerns.
7. This Week’s Campus and Community Connections Newsletter
The latest Campus and Community Connections newsletter has been posted at:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/connect/CCC-Fall2011-19.docx.pdf
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) publishes Campus and Community Connections to provide BU students with information on ways to participate in activities both on campus and in the local community, including:
* Upcoming Campus & Community Events
* Volunteer & Service Opportunities
* Internships (Credit & Non-Credit)
* Community-Based Research Project
Previous newsletters are archived at: http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/campusconnect.html
For more information on the Center for Civic Engagement, visit http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/
8. Campus Recreation is Moving
Campus Recreation has closed its temporary office locations in the University Union. During the week of December 19-23, the offices will be closed as the department relocates back to the East Gym. As of January 3, all offices will be located in the East Gym. During this timeframe, membership sales will continue to be available online for students, faculty and staff with valid PODS login. In-person membership sales will resume the week of January 9. In addition, all activity spaces in the University Union have closed and will not reopen during the winter or January break. The grand opening to the Recreation Center at the East Gym will take place on Saturday and Sunday, January 28-29. For more information, go to http://campusrecreation.binghamton.edu or call the office at 777-2113.
9. No International Coffee Hour in January
There will be no International Coffee Hour in January. Instead, the regular international coffee hour schedule will resume Friday, February 3, 2012 at 3:30pm in the University Union. Watch for the announcement in an upcoming edition of ISSS-BU News.
10. Consumer Corner: How To Obtain a Free Credit Report
Some students worry about their credit card records, especially if it is possible that a credit card has been lost or stolen, or if they suspect that their identity information has been compromised. There is some very good information on this subject at the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, an official government agency. Read their materials at:
http://www.ftc.gov/freereports
"Annual Credit Report.com” is the only official source for truly free credit reports. Visit their web site at:
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
11. Attention Income Tax Filers: Non-Resident Tax Forms Cannot be Filed Electronically
Many students who visit the websites of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Tax Department find announcements that encourage tax filers to use e-filing to submit their income tax forms electronically to these two agencies. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services reminds students that if you are a non-resident for tax purposes, you cannot file electronically, but must file paper forms.
Who is considered to be a non-resident for tax purposes? International students in F or J status for 5 years or less (since 2007 or later) and their F-2 or J-2 dependents, file tax forms as non-residents. Research scholars or faculty in J-1 status for 2 years or less (since 2010 or later) also file as non-residents. Non-residents file different tax forms than residents.
The ISSS provides access to free income tax compliance software, known as Glacier Tax Prep (formerly known as CINTAX), to all international students, international faculty and scholars, and international alumni who are eligible to be considered as non-residents for tax purposes. Glacier Tax Prepprovides an easy to use web interface for entering information regarding your income tax liability, and then enters the information onto the required forms so that you can print them. Glacier Tax Prepis password-protected so that only you have access to the information. So, Do not attempt to complete your income tax forms using the e-filing options recommended by the Internal Revenue Service. It is not possible to e-file tax returns if you are a non-resident for tax purposes. Information about how to access and use Glacier Tax Prep will be announced in late January.
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