January Highlights include:

1.        1.  Announcements & Reminders for New International Students

2.        2.  View Photos from International Student Orientation Week!

3.        3.  Spring Semester International Coffee Hour Begins this Thursday!

4.        4.  Welcome Party for New International Students this Friday!

5.        5.  Friendship & Culture Exchange applications Due Feb. 1^st

6.        6.  Reminder to maintain fulltime status!

 7.  ‘Into the Streets’ celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

  8.     The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund Scholarship
 

1.      1.  Announcements & Reminders for New International Students

·          .  If you are a new student & did not attend the required international student orientation then you must attend a make-up session on Wednesday, Jan. 14^th at 4pm in CHHS 278.  If you have class at that time, then you will need to sign-up for a meeting with either Denise or Marian in the ISSO in the College of Health & Human Services Building, Room 202.  Please bring your passport, I-94 card and I-20 at that time.

.   If you have or will have an on-campus job, the ISSO will need to complete an I-9 for you (resulting in a ‘blue card’).  If possible, please arrange to attend the following meeting:

o         Wednesday, Jan. 14^th at 5pm in CHHS 278 

·          .  Remember to get your immunizations into the Student Health Center by February 12^h.  If you do not, you will be dropped from all of your classes!  This is a North Carolina state law.  Go to the Student Health Center if you have any questions about this. 

·          .  Remember to pay tuition and fees by the Jan. 14^th deadline ONLY IF YOU REGISTERED FOR CLASSES PRIOR TO JANUARY 7^TH.  If you registered after Jan 7^th then you need to pay your bill as soon as you can but will not be dropped from classes. 

2.      2.  View Photos from International Student Orientation Week!

To see photos taken during the various international student orientation week events, go to www.isso.uncc.edu

 

3.  Spring Semester International Coffee Hour Begins this Thursday!

Get out of the lab, take a break from the library – come and meet people from around the world, share ideas, and relax with coffee, refreshments and world music!  International Coffee Hour begins this Thursday, January 15^th then continues on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays of each month while classes are in session.  It takes place in the Faculty/Staff Dining Room of the Prospector cafeteria from 4:00-6:00pm.  Open to all International and US students, faculty and staff.  Bring a friend or meet one there! 

4.      4. Welcome Party for New International Students this Friday!

Looking for an opportunity to meet new people from all over the world, listen to great music, dance and hang out with friends?  Then don’t miss the welcome party for new international students this Friday, Jan. 16^th from 7:30-11:00pm in Cone Center After Hours!  Feel free to bring friends or classmates - this event is open to the entire campus community!  

5.      5.  Friendship & Culture Exchange applications Due Feb. 1^st

Get your applications in now to participate in the Friendship & Culture Exchange Program, a program that matches internationals with U.S. Americans for informal, one-on-one conversation once a week.  For more information go to

http://www.isso.uncc.edu/ProgramEvents.htm#International%20Conversation%20Partner%20Program

To submit your application go to http://www.isso.uncc.edu/FriendshipandCultureExchange.htm

6.      6. Reminder to maintain fulltime status!

This is a reminder to maintain fulltime status throughout your entire academic program in order to maintain valid F1 status.  Again, fulltime is defined as the following: 

Undergraduate = at least 12 credits
Graduate = at least 9 credits
Graduate with approved assistantship (not including GASP)  = at least 6 credits

Graduate who has completed coursework and working on thesis or project only = no minimum required but must be registered for “thesis”, “project”, or “dissertation”. 

EXCEPTIONS are limited to initial difficulties adapting to the English language or US teaching methods, improper course-level placement, medical problem, or last semester of coursework.  All of these exceptions require prior ISSO approval so please make an appointment to speak with Marian or Denise. 

7.      ‘Into the Streets’ celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a day of volunteer service will be held on Jan. 19^th.  Those interested will volunteer with University Adult Care, Hind’s Feet Farm, and Presbyterian Hospice.  For more information, send an email to volservices@unc.edu  

There are no classes at UNC Charlotte on Jan. 19^th in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 8.      The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund Scholarship

Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund is an outreach program of the World Bank Family Network. The fund provides financial assistance to women from developing countries during their studies in the United States or Canada. The MMMF annually awards about six to ten grants of approximately $12,000 each

The application must be filled out online on our website at www.mmmf-grants.org .  Application forms will be available starting December 1, 2008 and the deadline for applications is February 28, 2009. For further information regarding the MMMF grant   program, visit the website or send email to mmmf@worldbank.org  or at (202) 473-8751.