ISSS News 24 August 2009

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

Editor’s Note: Staff in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will not be available in the office on Wednesday, August 26, as they will all be assisting new students at Orientation. Diane Sliwinski will not be available for walk-in health insurance hours on Wednesday. Voice mail will take phone messages, and staff will return to the office on Thursday, August 27.

Also, walk-in hours for employment resume Tuesday, September 1, from 1:30pm to 3:15pm.

Today, Monday, August 24 is the first day of new international student orientation. Orientation check- in will be in the University Union Food Court (to the left of the Book Store) from 10:00am to 2:30pm. New students arriving in the late evening on August 24 should report to the Appalachian Dining Hall in Moutainview College on Tuesday morning, August 25 at 8:00am. The entire orientation program schedule may be viewed at: http://isss.binghamton.edu/orientation/fall/orient.htm

The staff of International Student and Scholar Services thanks the many current students who have assisted the new students upon their arrival. Your efforts are greatly appreciated in welcoming our newest and largest-ever entering class!

Summer hours have ended, and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has resumed its academic year work schedule. The office hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 10:00am to 4:30pm
Thursday: 11:30am to 4:30pm

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services will be open for regular office hours throughout the week of August 24, except for Wednesday, August 26. However, most staff will be away from the office during much of the week, participating in various New Student Orientation activities.

Tuesday walk-in hours for Employment are postponed until September 1. Diane Sliwinski will not have her usual walk-in hours on the afternoon Wednesday, August 26 because of her presence at International Student Orientation that day.

Obtaining appointments, document processing and responses to e-mails may take a few days longer than usual while staff takes care of the newest class of international students. ISSS thanks you for your patience and understanding!

The Registrar's Office has posted the Fall 2098 course registration times and other helpful registration information on its web site. To view it, please visit:
http://registrar.binghamton.edu/registration.htm

Registration begins on Monday, August 24, 2009 for graduate students and on Friday, August 28, 2009 for undergraduate students. After the initial registration times have passed, BU Brain will be available seven days a week until the course-withdrawal deadline of October 30, 2009.

Confirming Enrollment: Students must confirm enrollment by Friday, September 4. If you do not confirm your enrollment, you will be removed from your Fall 2009 classes.
To confirm your enrollment follow the steps explained at this link:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/self-service/announce_registrar.html

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services is pleased to announce that the latest edition of the BU International Student Handbook is now on-line! This is the same handbook we make available to new students at Orientation.

The advantage of the on-line handbook is that much of the information is very valuable to students prior to orientation, so new students can now view it easily. Further, current students who have outdated copies of the Handbook from when they participated in Orientation can now have the advantage of viewing the latest materials with ease.

Volunteers are needed for this year’s University Fest to be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29 on the Peace Quad between the University Union and the Couper Administration Building. The Campus Life office is still looking for volunteers for the University Fest book tent area. Shift times needed are 6am-8am, 12-2pm, and 2-4pm. All volunteers get meal tickets and a free t-shirt. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Jennifer Keegin at jkeegin@binghamton.edu

In its 16th year, University Fest is a great event that brings the campus and the Binghamton community together. Welcome students back to campus and help making this year’s University Fest the best ever!

Representatives of the Binghamton Office of the Social Security Administration will be on campus Wednesday, September 2, from 9:30-11:30am to accept applications for Social Security Numbers. The location for this event will be announced soon.

International students on F or J visas should note that you must be employed (such as on-campus employment) or have a job offer in order to apply for a U.S. Social Security Number.

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