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November
Newsletter
1.
International Coffee Hour Dates in November
2.
Change your
clocks on Nov. 4th!
3.
Arun Gandhi to speak November 6, 7 pm in McKnight Auditorium
4.
Video Contest for Chinese and Indian Nationals Studying in
the U.S.
5.
Early
Registration for Spring 2008
6.
Beginning a New Degree Program at UNC Charlotte?
7.
OPT for December
Graduates - Don't Forget!
8.
Orientation
Volunteers Needed
9.
Go Kayaking or Skiing!
10.
Thanksgiving Holiday and ISSO Office Hours
11.
Christmas International House Sign-Up
12.
International Education Week is Nov. 12-16
13.
Check the End Date on your Immigration Documents
14.
How to request forms
Online
15.
Planning
Dec/Jan. Travel Outside the U.S. - Important Reminders!
16.
Diversity “Green Card” Lottery
1. International Coffee
Hour Dates in November
Thursday, November 1st, 4-6pm.
Thursday, November 15th, 4-6pm (celebrating International Education
Week!).
2. Change your clocks on Nov. 4th!
Don’t forget to change your clocks, watches, etc. Sunday, November 4th
at 2:00am. Since it’s now Fall, we “fall” behind 1 hour and sadly lose more
light. For more information, see
http://webexhibits.org/day/lightsaving/b.html
3.
Arun Gandhi to speak November 6, 7 pm in McKnight Auditorium
The Distinguished Lecture Forum will host Arun Gandhi. Mr.
Gandhi, founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and grandson of
Mohandas Gandhi, will focus on lessons he derived from his grandfather as well
as his viewpoints on a nonviolent response to end terrorism. A
copy of the announcement is found at
www.provost.uncc.edu/SpecialProjEvents/gandhi.htm
4. Video Contest for Chinese and Indian Nationals Studying in the U.S.
Submission deadline November 9, 2007. The Departments of Commerce and State
invite Chinese and Indian nationals studying at U.S. colleges and universities
to submit short videos highlighting their experiences with U.S. higher
education.
Read more...
5. Early Registration for Spring
2008
Spring 2008 registration begins in November. Make sure to register for classes
as soon as possible and schedule an appointment with your academic advisor if
necessary! If you have any registration holds please read them carefully and
take care of them as soon as possible.
6. Beginning a New
Degree Program at UNC Charlotte?
If you are moving from a Bachelor to a Master, Master to PhD, or PhD to
Master in the spring semester, it is critical that your immigration record
reflect this change and a new I-20 or DS-2019 be created for you. Please pick
up your new document at the beginning of the spring semester in the ISSO, or
if you are traveling outside the U.S. during the winter break, pick it up prior
to your departure, as you MUST use this new document to re-enter the U.S.
7. OPT for December Graduates
Remember - students who are interested in and eligible for Optional Practical
Training (OPT) must apply PRIOR TO GRADUATION. For December graduates, this is
December 3rd 2007. More information is available at
aor in the ISSO.
8. Orientation Volunteers Needed
New
international students will soon be arriving! We will hold orientation programs
on Saturday, January 5th and we could use your help in welcoming and
orienting them. If you are interested and will be available, please contact
Denise at dvmedei@uncc.edu.
9. Go Kayaking or Skiing!
UNC Charlotte Venture is sponsoring the following programs and trips. For more
information, Contact Sarah Fox, assistant director for trips, at ext. 7-3398 or
e-mail slfox1@uncc.edu
Kayak Polo –
Thursday, Nov. 8
Come try this exciting sport for free from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Belk Pool. No
experience is necessary. Members of the Carolina Kayak Polo Club will instruct.
Kayak polo is a team sport where the objective is to score a ball in the
opponent’s net - think basketball in a kayak.
Ski Trip to
Winter Park, Colo. – Dec. 15–22
Spend winter break skiing or snowboarding in Colorado. For $600, participants
receive a trip that includes five nights at Winter Park and four days of lift
tickets. Transportation to Colorado is via a luxury charter bus. UNC Charlotte
Venture is partnering with Western Carolina University and UNC Asheville for
this trip. To register, contact the Venture office; a $100 deposit is required
by Nov. 16.
10. Thanksgiving Holiday and
Office Hours
As you may or may not know, there are no classes from Wednesday, Nov.21st
through Sunday, Nov. 25th and the ISSO will be closed on Thursday and
Friday of that week.
The actual
Thanksgiving holiday is on Thursday, Nov. 22. For more information about this
and other U.S. holidays, you can visit
www.holidays.net
11. Christmas
International House Information
If you are interested in spending the Christmas holiday with an American family
in another part of the U.S. consider applying for Christmas International House,
an ecumenical program started in 1965 by the Presbyterian Church (USA). For
more information and an application, visit
http://www.christmasih.org.
Applications will be accepted from October 1st through November 22,
2007.
12. “International
Education Week”: November 12-16
Preparations are underway nationwide for the 8th Annual International
Education Week, November 12-16, part of the implementation of former
President Clinton’s directive calling for an International education policy for
the United States. Your being here in the United States is an important part of
this commitment to the mutual exchange of ideas, leading toward intercultural
understanding and more peaceful relations in the world. For more information,
go to
http://iew.state.gov
13. Check the End
Date on your Immigration Documents
Just a reminder to take a look at the ending date on your I-20 (item #5) or
DS-2019 (item #3). If you still need more time to finish your program, you MUST
fill out a Program Extension Form from the ISSO prior to the end date on your
document so that we can produce a new document for you. Remember, this is your
responsibility.
14. Requesting Forms Online
Did you know you can obtain forms such as OPT/CPT, letters of enrollment,
letters for invitations, etc. online? Visit the ISSO website;
www.isso.uncc.edu , click on the link in
the left hand column titled “Request Forms”, and request the forms you need.
Please allow 2 to 3 days processing time.
15. Planning International Travel?
The holidays are approaching and if you are traveling outside the U.S. you
should take a look at your immigration documents to make sure everything is in
order for your re-entry. Is your passport valid? Is your visa valid? Is your
I-20 or DS-2019 valid? Has it been signed on p.3 (I-20s) or p.1 (DS-2019s) by
either Marian or Denise in the last year? If you need a signature, please bring
it to the ISSO in early December and leave 2-3 days processing time rather than
waiting until the LAST MINUTE to get this done!
16. “Green Card Diversity
Lottery” Begins
The Diversity Visa (DV) 2009 Lottery online entry begins
at Noon EDT on October 3, 2007, and ends at Noon EST on December 2, 2007.
Each year, the
Diversity Lottery Program makes 55,000 immigrant visas available through a
lottery to people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the
United States. The State Department holds the lottery every year, and randomly
selects approximately 110,000 applicants from all qualified entries. For more
information and to apply, to go
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html
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