ISSS News 28 September 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

Due to the religious holiday, classes are not in session on Monday September 28. Classes resume on Tuesday, September 29. University offices, including the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, remain open.

The following countries are celebrating national holidays during the month of October:

Good company! Free refreshments! Celebrate the beginning of the Fall season by coming to this month's International Coffee Hour on Friday, October 2 from 3:30-5pm in the recently remodeled Old Union Hall, next to the Mandela Room. This month's sponsor is The Watson School.

The Coffee Hour strives to be a space where the entire Binghamton University community, including international students, U.S. students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome. The coffee hours are informal and provide an opportunity to meet and learn more about each other in a relaxed atmosphere. They are held on the first Friday of every month in the University Union Old Union Hall from 3:30pm-5pm. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages and cookies, sponsored by a different department on campus.

Beginning Tuesday, September 29, walk-in hours for International Student Health Insurance will change to every Tuesday from 10:15am–12:00pm. Please come to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services to check-in. You will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Many students have requested morning walk-in hours, so we hope this day and time change will be helpful.

*If your question is complicated and requires more than 5 minutes to answer, then you will need to make an appointment by visiting or calling the main office at (607) 777-2510.

Each semester, awards of up to $500 are made to a small number of international students who have a severe financial need. To be eligible, students must be in F-1 or J-1 status, have been in attendance at Binghamton University at least one year (began their studies at Binghamton University in Fall 2008 or earlier), document need, have no outstanding obligations to the university, and be full-time students in good standing.

Some students may find themselves in financial difficulty through no fault of their own. Examples can include reduced support from a sponsor, or unanticipated expenses. Applicants are strongly advised to carefully document their financial situation when submitting the application form, as there are always more students seeking assistance than there are funds.

Applications are available now in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and must be submitted no later than Monday, October 5, 2009.

Each week, the ISSS receives an email from the Career Development Center, containing valuable information about upcoming CDC services, programs, and meetings. Due to the length of the email, the ISSS will now send it out separately, as a stand-alone email to ISSS-BU Subscribers. There were no CDC announcements available as of our publication deadline for this week’s issue. Once the CDC announcement is posted, we will send it as a separate email to our subscribers.

Applications for positions on the Student Conduct Board are now available in the Office of Student Conduct (Tuscarora Office Building 3rd Floor- CIW) and from the Office of Student Conduct website. Application deadline is Thursday, October 15. Undergraduate and Graduate students in good conduct standing with the University are eligible (May and December 2010 Graduates are not eligible). For further information visit the Office of Student Conduct website: http://studentconduct.binghamton.edu/university_judicial_board2.html or contact the Office of Student Conduct at 607-777-6210 via e-mail briggs@binghamton.edu.

XCEL - The Center for Excellence in Student Leadership is pleased to present the Fall 2009 “Learn to Lead” Workshop Series! This semester, we are offering over 30 workshops and 5 certificate tracks for undergraduate and graduate students to choose from.
Visit http://xcel.binghamton.edu/services/workshops/ for more information.

Questions? Contact Grace Fama, Coordinator for Leadership Development & Special Programs gfama@binghamton.edu 607.777.7281

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services wishes to warn international students of the consequences of not completing in a timely manner the required work for a course for which they have been issued an "Incomplete" grade. For example, a student who receives a grade of "incomplete" in a graduate or undergraduate course for the Spring 2009 semester has until the end of the Fall 2009 semester to turn in the required work so that the professor can issue the appropriate final grade. However, if the Spring 2009 course work is not completed, or if the professor does not submit a grade change form, then at the conclusion of the Fall 2009 semester, the Incomplete will change to "W" or withdrawn for graduate students, and to "F" or failure for undergraduate students.

Graduate students should be aware that a grade of Incomplete ("I") is automatically assigned in any course for which an instructor has not submitted a grade. Graduate students who are given a grade of "I" are normally given the opportunity to complete the work during the following semester (excluding summer). It is the normal expectation that, within the limits set forth above, faculty will take no longer than one month to file a final letter grade for the course. Students must therefore submit work at least one month before the Incomplete deadline.

For students studying at the Undergraduate level, unless the student completes the course work and the instructor submits a final letter grade within 6 months, a grade of "I" changes to a grade of Failure ("F").

For students studying at the Graduate level, unless the student completes the course work and the instructor submits a final letter grade within 6 months, a grade of "I" changes to a grade of Withdrawn ("W"). Once an I has changed to a W, the student has no further opportunity to complete the course and the course will appear on the final transcript as Withdrawn.

Under exceptional circumstances only, the six-month grace period for incomplete grades for graduate students may be extended for a maximum period of one year. Requests for extensions of incomplete grades require the approval of the course instructor and the Dean of the Graduate School or designee. Requests must be made at least one month before the deadline. This policy has specific implications for international students on student visas and students who are receiving a tuition scholarship, since in both cases, students must be registered full time. A grade change to "W" is very detrimental to any F-1 or J-1 student, because if the course was being counted towards a full-time course load, the W grade means that the course was not completed successfully, dropping the student from full-time to part-time.

A F grade for an undergraduate will negatively impact a student's grade point average, possibly leading to academic probation or an academic warning, or even suspension or termination.

Once a change to "W" occurs, the F-1 or J-1 student could then be in violation of U.S. immigration requirements governing a full-time course load. Thus, some international students suddenly find themselves in violation of their F-1 status based on a course taken as long as two semesters ago. Students who violate a provision of F-1 regulations lose all F-1 benefits, including the ability to work on campus. In order to return to valid status, they must either apply for reinstatement with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (if eligible to do so), OR depart the United States and make a new entry.

When a graduate student receives a tuition scholarship, the institution pays for tuition for all courses taken by that student. In the case where an incomplete grade converts to a "W," the institution has paid for tuition for a course that was not completed; further, the student may have violated the conditions outlined in the Terms and Conditions for Acceptance of Tuition Scholarship by dropping below full-time registration. Students receiving tuition scholarships should be aware that the university may seek repayment of tuition that was paid for incompleted courses.

International students in F-1 or J-1 status are strongly cautioned to be certain to complete within the required deadlines any required work for a course for which they received an incomplete grade.

10. Planning to Graduate in Fall 2009? Winter 2010?

All undergraduate students who anticipate completing their degree requirements in fall 2009 must submit an Application for Undergraduate Degree (AFD) by Friday, Oct. 30. The AFD is available on the Commencement website at
http://www2.binghamton.edu/commencement/fall/application-for-degree.html
The Graduate Application for degree was due by September 25, 2009.

Planning to Graduate in Spring 2010? The Application for Undergraduate Degree and the Graduate Application for degree, for students who anticipate completing their degree requirements in Spring 2010 will be available Jan. 25-March 26, 2010.

Questions? Visit the Commencement website at http://commencement.binghamton.edu

DISCO International invites you to the world's largest job fair for Japanese-English bilingual students.

The 22nd annual BOSTON CAREER FORUM will take place Friday, November 20– Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), 415 Summer Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Current BU students from Japan with on-campus or a local address have been sent a paper mailing about this event.

Boston Career Forum is for anyone who is:
- Japanese-English bilingual and looking for a full-time or internship position
- interested in working for one of the more than 100 companies expected to participate such as:
Amazon Japan K.K. / Barclays Capital / Ernst & Young LLP / Credit Suisse /Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu /Deutsch Bank / Goldman Sachs Japan / Merrill Lynch Japan /and more!

Companies will be holding interviews at their booth during the event and some may give out offers by the end of the three day event. Registration and attending the event is free. Travel Scholarships are also available to help defray to cost of traveling. Applications are currently being accepted online.

Christmas International House (CIH) is a Christian ministry, founded by the Presbyterian Church. CIH is based on friendship evangelism, peacemaking, hospitality, and believing that God loves all persons. Its ministry involves meeting student needs in terms of housing, food and interaction with others. It provides the opportunity for both students and hosts to gain a better understanding of people around the world. The program is open to students of all faiths.

CIH is an organization that offers a “home away from home” in private homes in many areas of the United States for two weeks at Christmas each year. The dates for this year’s Christmas International House are December 19, 2009 to January 2, 2010.

Applications will be accepted by mail beginning October 1, 2009 and will close November 20, 2009. Students who sign the application statement commit themselves to participate in all organized activities and stay the entire length of the program. Lodging and meals are provided for free by the hosts, transportation costs are the responsibility of the student.

A registration fee of $90.00 for singles ($125.00 for couples or families) is due with applications if postmarked before November 1. After that date, a fee of $140.00 for singles ($175.00 for couples or families) must accompany the application form. Please make checks or money orders payable to AMIS/Christmas International House (Cash is not accepted). This fee will be refunded only if you are not placed. If you are placed, there is NO refund.

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Country	Date
China	1-Oct
Cyprus	1-Oct
Nigeria	1-Oct
Guinea	2-Oct
India	2-Oct
Germany	3-Oct
Lesotho	4-Oct
Uganda	9-Oct
Fiji	10-Oct
Taiwan	10-Oct
Equatorial Guinea	12-Oct
Spain	12-Oct
Somalia	21-Oct
Zambia	24-Oct
Kazakhstan	25-Oct
Austria	26-Oct
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	27-Oct
Turkmenistan	27-Oct
Czech Republic	28-Oct
Turkey	29-Oct