ISSO Newsletter: November 2006
The ISSO sends out a monthly web-based newsletter. As it contains the latest information about immigration and ISSO services, it is very important that you read it! We promise to try and keep it as short as possible. View the ISSO newsletter archive here.
Newsletter Contents:
- ISSO Closed During Thanksgiving Holiday
- Immigration News and Reminders
Diversity Lottery for Green Cards! Deadline: December 3, 2006
Graduating this semester? Apply EARLY for F-1 OPT!
Graduating this semester? Discuss Future Plans with ISSO!
Travel Reminders: Leaving the U.S. at Winter Break? - Leaving Town Over Break? Police can provide security check
- November ISSO Program Highlights
19th Annual Traditional American Thanksgiving Feast (11/23)
Winter Road Safety/Obtaining a NY State License (11/29)
Other Upcoming ISSO Programs - Congratulations to our Fall 2006 ISSO Book Award Winners!
- From Gannett: Five Ways You Can Protect Yourself from Influenza
- Let’s Talk: CAPS off-site counseling at ISSO
- Have Immigration Questions?: Come to ISSO Office Hours
ISSO Closed During Thanksgiving Holiday
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the ISSO will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd, and Friday, November 24th. To assist holiday travelers, we will, however, be open all day Wednesday, November 22nd. We will resume our normal office hours on Monday, November 27th.
Immigration News
The 2008 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2008)
Complete information can be found on
the DV 2008 web page. Deadline is noon Eastern Standard
Time (EST) (GMT-5) Sunday, December 3, 2006.
The annual Diversity Visa program makes 50,000 permanent residence visas available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States who meet the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. Applicants for Diversity Visas are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing. Go to the DV 2008 web page for all the details and how to apply.
Please Note: A few internationals have received spam emails from a group pretending to be the Diversity Lottery Office, supposedly notifying recipients that they have won the diversity lottery. These emails are definitely fake! If you are selected for a green card by the diversity lottery, the diversity lottery office will notify you by regular mail NOT by email.
Graduating this semester? Apply EARLY for F-1 OPT! If you are graduating this fall semester, and you want to work on F-1 OPT after graduating, APPLY EARLY for your F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorization. The application does go to the immigration service centers and these applications have slowed down a great deal in the last 5 months. It has been taking close to 4 months for most people to receive their OPT work cards. You may start applying NOW if you will graduate after this Fall semester. Please read about OPT, download an application from our OPT web pages, and come our F-1 work authorization workshop on November 28, 2006.
December/January Graduates: Discuss your Future Plans with ISSO! If you are graduating from Cornell this December (degree conferral date is actually January 17, 2007) and you plan to stay in the U.S. to either work or to pursue another degree, please come to the ISSO to discuss your plans. In order to maintain your valid immigration status in the U.S., there are specific procedures you will need to complete in order to do any of the following:
- to work while in F-1 status after you graduate
- to work while in J-1 student status after you graduate
- to go on to another degree at a Cornell
- to go on to another degree at a different school
Check with the ISSO advisor on duty about any of the above or any other plans you may have after you graduate.
Travel Reminders: Leaving the U.S. at Winter Break?
Make sure you have the correct Re-Entry Documents!!!
If you will be leaving and re-entering the U.S., PLEASE be sure that you have all
the documents for re-entry as described on these web pages:
- Documents you need to have to re-enter the U.S.
- If you need to apply for a new visa stamp, please read this web page.
Leaving Town Over Break? Police can provide security check
The Ithaca Police would like off-campus students who leave town for any length of time to let them know if they'd like their house/apartment building checked in their absence. A substantial number of burglaries take place over the breaks. Download the application form here.
November ISSO Program Highlights
19th Annual Traditional American Thanksgiving Feast
You are cordially invited to join other members of the Cornell community for a traditional American Thanksgiving Feast!!
Thursday, November 23rd, 12:00-3:00 PM
(with seatings at Noon and 1:30)
Robert Purcell Marketplace
$10 Adults, $8 Children 6-12 years old
Children 5 & younger eat for FREE!
Tickets MUST be purchased in advance.
What's on the Menu?
Roast turkey with giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, sausage stuffing, baked herbed
tofu, candied yams, rice pilaf, green bean casserole, dilled fresh carrots with butter, New England
corn chowder, garden salad, cranberry sauce, relish trays, fruit salad, fresh baked breads, pies and
cakes, assorted beverages and some surprises from the chef!
TICKETS ARE ON SALE November 14th-22nd
and can be purchased at the following locations:
- Hasbrouck, Maplewood, and Schuyler House Service Centers
- Holland International Living Center
- Dean of Students Office (401 WSH)
- Big Red Barn (after 2:00 PM, through 11/21)
- International Students and Scholars Office (B50 Caldwell Hall)
TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT THE DOOR!
~With~
The Office of Alumni Affairs; The College of Human Ecology; The Law School; Cornell United Religious Works; Empathy, Assistance, and Referral Service; Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs; Office of the Vice President for Human Resources; The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies; International Students Programming Board; The College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Office of International Programs; The Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics; The College of Engineering; The Cornell Campus Club; The Graduate School
If you have questions or wish to volunteer for the event, contact Mariah Sawyer at mjs51@cornell.edu or 255-5243.
"Winter Road Safety and Obtaining a New York State License"
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
4:30PM to 6:00PM
G90 Myron Taylor Hall (Law School)
Open to the public. Light refreshments provided.
A must for all drivers new to driving in snowy, icy conditions! Cornell Police Officer George Sutfin will present tips on driving safely in winter on Ithaca's hilly streets. Afterwards, international and non-New York State drivers can learn how to obtain a New York State Drivers license.
Sponsored by:
Cornell Law School Graduate Legal Studies Program
Cornell Police Department
International Students & Scholars Office
Questions? Please contact Mary Schlarb, 255-5243 or mhs13@cornell.edu.
November 28th (Tuesday): F-1 Student Employment Authorization Workshop
3-4:00 PM, 100 Caldwell Hall
Plus, every Thursday while classes are in session...
International Coffee Hour
3:30-5:30, the Big Red Barn
Make new friends or catch up with old ones as you enjoy coffee, tea, & light refreshments. This weekly event is free and all are welcome!
Congratulations to our Fall 2006 ISSO Book Award Winners!
The ISSO Book Award was established in 2001 to recognize the vast contributions that the international student population adds to Cornell. It is awarded each semester to international students who have made significant contributions, through extracurricular and academic pursuits, to the international community at Cornell, and have promoted international education and communication on campus, in the Ithaca community, and beyond.
We are delighted to announce the winners of the Fall 2006 ISSO Book Award... Congratulations to our undergraduate winner Hume Akahori Stroud-Drinkwater, and our graduate student winner Wasif Syed. Below is a brief sampling of their individual contributions and achievements:
Hume Akahori Stroud-Drinkwater, of Japan, is a senior the College of Arts & Sciences, majoring in Computational Biology. Over the years he has acted as an A&S Peer Advisor, participated in the EARS program, has served as a President for the Traditional Karate Club, and is currently Sergeant-at-Arms for the Japanese Karate Club. He has also been heavily involved in several research projects modeling the human heart and ventricular tissue.
Wasif Syed, of Pakistan, is a PhD student in Applied Physics. During his time at Cornell, Wasif has been involved in organizing several events hosted by the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association (MECA) and the Near Eastern Studies department, particularly in conjunction with the annual Islam Awareness Week. Two of his most notable accomplishments are his organization of an event entitled “An American Woman’s Jihad” held last February, for which he was awarded the 2005 Outstanding Publicity Campaign award by the Student Activities Office, and his successful campaign to invite Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to speak at Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College this past September.
We would also like to take a moment to congratulate our honorable mention winners, undergraduate Paolomi Merchant, and graduate student Fatemeh Mastouri.
From Gannett: Five Ways You Can Protect Yourself from Influenza
While the last few weeks of the fall semester are quite hectic for most of us, there is one thing many people are sure to make time for each year—influenza vaccine. On campus, an outbreak of influenza (or flu) typically develops just before or after winter break, and lasts for a few weeks. From October through January, members of the Cornell community begin thinking about ways to reduce their risk of infection. Here are few suggestions:
- Getting a flu shot is still the most important thing you can do to reduce your chances of
getting the flu this winter (and missing out on a week of whatever you had planned). And remember:
-you cannot get the flu (influenza) from the vaccine—the vaccine contains “dead” virus
You can either make an appointment at Gannett to receive the vaccine or attend one of the campus flu clinics for faculty, staff and students. (Students are charged a fee of $25.)
-never having had the flu does not mean you won't get it this year
-if you get the flu after having had the vaccination, it will be a shorter and milder case
-the small amount of discomfort from the vaccination is much less than the many days of fever and body aches that accompany influenza - Hand-washing is another essential component of flu prevention. Thankfully, it's relatively easy to do. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and keep alcohol-based sanitizers at the ready for times you can’t.
- Practice healthy habits. Chances are you are exposed daily to people who have colds or flu, so give your immune system a fighting chance. Take good care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and eat healthy meals.
- When you are sick, cover your mouth and nose every time you cough or sneeze. Coughs and sneezes spread virus into the air, and then onto surfaces. Please cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Or, if you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve (not your hands). Help keep our campus environment flu-free, by practicing this technique consistently.
- Your work is important. So is staying out of class and public places when you are sick. In fact, it's one of the best ways to limit the spread of colds and flu within the Cornell community. If you are sick, and possibly contagious to others, please don't expose others to your germs. Stay in bed and recover.
Submitted by:
Janis Talbot (jit@cornell.edu) 255-4782
Health Educator, International Student Health Advocate
http://www.gannett.cornell.edu
Let's Talk: CAPS off-site counseling at ISSO
Each Thursday from 1:30-4:30 pm, Wai-Kwong Wong will be available at the ISSO for free and confidential counselling and consultation. No appointment is necessary! Graduate students, undergraduate students, and family members are welcome to come talk to Wai about:
- personal growth and challenges
- depression, anxiety and stress
- relationship issues
- family issues
- cultural, racial and ethnic issues
- sexual health concerns
- negotiating academic environment
- any other issues of concern
- referral and information
For more information about Counselling and Psychological Services and a schedule of available times for off-site, walk-in consultations visit: http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/CAPS/offsiteSupport.html.
Have Immigration Questions?
Come to ISSO Office Hours
ISSO Advising Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 9-12:00; 1:00-4:30
Wednesday 1:00-4:30
Advisors are available on a walk-in basis except from 12-1 P.M. daily, or by appointment. You may stop by to see us during office hours, check out our website, email us at isso@cornell.edu, or call us at 255-5243.