Travel the world with VISP culture night

Celebrate the cultures of Australia, South Korea, Ghana,
 Brazil, Venezuela, Italy, Spain,and Bulgaria
  with food, music, and more!

Tuesday March 5, 6-8pm
Diana 2nd Floor Cafe
 

Sponsored by the Office of International Programs

OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING  

WORKSHOP

Thursday, February 21

5:30 - 7 pm

Mehler Parlor, Lobby of Elliot Hall

119th and Claremont Ave

 

Join Dean Ani Bournoutian to review Optional Practical Training, or OPT, in which every F-1 international student is allowed 12 months of paid work in a position that is related to her major (not the minor).  While most international students choose to save up their 12 months of OPT for working after graduation, some Barnard international students do use part before they graduate.

TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH 

VISP CULTURE NIGHT  

Celebrate the cultures of China, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Singapore, France and Russia with food, music, and more!
               
                         Wednesday February 13, 6-8pm
                              Diana 2nd Floor Cafe
 
           Sponsored by the Office of International Programs

Would you like to have Thanksgiving Dinner with a Barnard alumna and her family? 

If so, please go to
https://docs.google.com/a/barnard.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZCa0Y3TTcxU0hjWEQzU3ljeXh1cnc6MQ#gid=0

to sign up through the Barnard Student Government Association’s Thanksgiving with Alumnae Program. Spaces will be limited, so act quickly.

What Else Can You Do on Thanksgiving Weekend?

Thanksgiving Day, go to New York’s biggest parade of the year, the 86^th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Go to the colorful website below to get all the information that you need to view the parade.  Be sure to click on the FAQ’s and find out how you can see the huge balloon inflation the night before the parade. Every New Yorker either goes in person to the parade or watches it on television.  Be a “real New Yorker,” and become part of that tradition.    Be sure to check the weather report before you go---it can get cold outside!

http://social.macys.com/parade2012_kaws/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n#/home

The Rest of the Weekend:  The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday,” simply because that is when crowds of New Yorkers go out and begin their Christmas/Hannukah/Holiday shopping.  Midtown on Fifth Avenue will be packed with shoppers, the large department stores will be beautifully decorated for the Holidays (be sure to check out Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor’s window displays!), and there should be plenty of sales.  Be careful not to lose your friends in the crowd, and BE SURE to keep any money you bring in a safe place (the inside pocket of a coat, pants or shirt is good), as there are often “pick-pockets” about, looking for bags to snatch or outside pockets to pick.  While you are walking on Fifth Avenue, you might also want to try another New York fall and winter tradition:  eating roasted chestnuts that the street vendors will be selling.

 

  I-20 TRAVEL SIGNATURES

All F-1 visa holders who are planning to travel outside of the United States over the Winter Break must come into the Dean of Studies Office for a travel signature on their Form I-20.  We have had several incidents this fall of students who did not have recent travel signatures, who were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol personnel and issued I-515’s.

This requires you to surrender your I-20, complete several forms and pay a fee of $75 to process paperwork and have your I-20 returned to you.  Avoid any chance of this happening to you by coming in for a quick signature.  No appointments are necessary.  PLEASE be sure to come in the BEGINNING of December --- once final exams and end-of-term paper deadlines arrive, it will be easy to forget!   

Also, please be aware that our office will close for the Holidays on December 21; after that date you will not be able to obtain a signature until after January 2.

  CALLING ALL SENIOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS!!

There will be a very important meeting regarding Post-Completion Optional Practical Training for all senior international students who are planning on working in the United States for a period of 12 months or less after graduation.

Applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT) is relatively simple; however, it is a costly process (there is a $380 application fee) and how you time your application and job search can make all the difference between a frustrating experience and an easy one.  There will be two sessions of this meeting, to accommodate as many class schedules as possible. 

Thursday, November 8

At 12 noon, Room 318 Milbank

AND

At 5:30 P.M. in Room 302 Milbank

Thursday Lunchtime Discussion

We will resume holding our Thursday discussions at 12 noon in Room 318 Milbank. This week’s topic on Thursday October 11 

will be

 Paper Writing: Research and Academic Integrity

·  What exactly is expected of you in a research paper assignment?

·  Where to get help (and where not to get help) when writing a research paper.

·  When to collaborate with friends and when not to collaborate.

·  How poor knowledge of citation rules can lead to charges of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Research papers will be part of your academic life for at least the next four years. 

Now  is the time to learn some of the strategies for successful research.

 Are you too busy to take a break from studying for mid-terms?  You have to eat lunch sometime, so why not have it with your fellow international students??

This will also be a great time to discuss what topics you want to see in future lunchtime meetings.