Brazil Scientific Mobility Program: Student Relations Officer (SRO)

Introduction

Fall 2015

Agenda• Introduction • My role as your Student Relations Officer• Communication • Cultural Awareness • Scholarship Reminders • Frequently Asked Questions

Student Relations Officers’ Regions

Communication

How to Write an E-mail to your SRO

To expedite your response, please include the following information in every e-mail you send to me:• Your Full Name• IIE ID Number • Host Institution• A detailed explanation of your situation or inquiry

Communication – Professor or Advisor

• Professional situations (e.g., Dr. Smith, Professor Jones, Ms. Black) unless they request that you use their first name.

• Be clear and thorough (read the email before sending to make sure the recipient would understand)

• Watch your tone (No caps lock /exclamation points - remain professional and use a positive tone)

• Proofread (Double-check the spelling of names and grammar)

Cultural Awareness

• Be punctual in meetings, appointments, group work, classes etc.

• Diversity on campus (respect culture, ethnic or racial background, gender or gender identification, religion, sexual orientation etc.)

Scholarship Reminders

• Academic Expectations• Full-time academic status• Reporting Requirements• Code of Conduct• Boletim Mensal

Academic Expectations• Maintain a GPA ≥ 2.0• Enrolled in full-time status• Policies as outlined in your Terms of Appointment• Grounds for revocation or termination: • Violation of any law of the U.S• Any act of misconduct likely to give offense• Failure to observe satisfactory academic or

professional standards• Physical or mental incapacitation

Full-Time Academic Status• You must be registered as a full-time student.

• Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits (depending on host institution) for academic program:

• A majority of your credits must be directly related to your field of study as outlined in your TOA .

• You are not permitted to take non-academic courses and courses that are online.

• Inform IIE if you are having trouble meeting full-time requirements.

Academic Reporting Requirements

Students must upload the following documents to the Grantee Student Portal:• Proof of Enrollment at the beginning of each

term enrolled• Transcripts and GPA at the end of each term • Final Program Evaluation Survey

Code of Conduct

Grounds for revocation or termination: • Engaging in unauthorized income-producing activity• Material misrepresentation made by any

scholarship recipient in the application form or scholarship document

• Failure to provide all required documents to the administering agency prior to arrival in the U.S. and

• Failure to comply with the BSMP scholarship’s Terms and Conditions.

Monthly Newsletter

Frequently Asked Questions

• Scholarship Benefits• Stipends and EFTs

• Academic Training• Travel Policy

Scholarship BenefitsBSMP Scholarship

Covers:Funds from

CAPES/CNPq: Not Covered:

• Tuition• Housing/Meal

Plan• Health Insurance• Fees

(applications, deposits, and other mandatory fees)

• Monthly Stipend• High-cost city

stipend (if applicable)

• One-time allowances (airfare, settling-in, coursework aid)

• Co-pays, deductibles for health insurance charges

• Rental fees• Fees due to

negligence (late fees, lost keys or student IDs, room damage, etc.)

Stipends and EFTs• Monthly stipends are paid quarterly and

deposited into your account by CAPES and CNPq• Additional stipends may be provided over the

summer during Academic Training period from IIE• Must open and maintain a U.S. checking account• Submit the Bank Authorization (EFT) Form for

direct deposit

Budget & Planning• In addition to having room, board, and tuition covered by

your BSMP scholarship, each student receives a $300 monthly stipend from CAPES, which should be used on:• Books & supplies• Short break periods on campus (e.g. fall break, Thanksgiving)• Incidentals and fees due to negligence (e.g. losing your room key)• Extra meals• Extracurricular activities

• Plan and budget your monthly stipend according to your academic calendar and any upcoming break periods.

Academic Training• Academic Training (AT) is an internship, research, or

observership opportunity for a student on a J-1 visa and is defined as work or training related to a student’s field of study.

• Students are required to actively search for AT opportunities that last between 4 and 16 weeks and take place during the summer period (generally May – August).

• All AT must be approved in writing by IIE before the student may participate in any activities.

Travel Policy Reminder• BSMP students should remain in the U.S. for their entire

scholarship period.• If you choose to travel outside the U.S. during your program

you will be willfully breaking program policy and will be fully responsible for any consequences that are a result thereof.

• Travel Documents:• Visa allows entry into the U.S.• DS-2019 confirms your purpose in the U.S. and program.• DS-2019 dates should reflect your entire length of stay.

Resources

• BSMP Website:• http://

www.iie.org/Programs/Brazil-Scientific-Mobility• Your Student Relations Officer at IIE• Monthly Boletim Mensal• Webinars hosted by IIE• Your advisor at your host institution• Your International and Academic advisors at your host

institution

BSMP Website

THANK YOU!

iie.org/Programs/Brazil-Scientific-Mobility