SISS International Student Newsletter May 2013

Services for International Students & Scholars

(SISS)

We encourage all students and staff to “like” us on our Facebook: “UC Davis Services for International Students and Scholars”

Food Festival and Whole Earth Festival

SISS Coffee Break

OPT Workshops

Immigration Reminders

Intercultural Communication Presentation

Karaoke Night

Travel Signatures

International Student Committee

Graduation Reception for Undergrads and Grads

Volunteering for 2013 Orientations

SISS Coffee Break!

Date: Friday, May 17

Time: 9:00AM-12:00PM

Location: SISS Annex

Come by SISS for FREE coffee, tea and snacks. Relax and socialize with other international students and SISS Staff or just grab and go on your way to class or lab. We will have a few extra tables just outside the annex for this event so bring your friends and family. U.S. students and UC Davis staff and faculty are also welcome, so invite your advisors or professors, too.

Food Festival 11:00am—2:00pm International House

If you're a food lover or a cuisine explorer or just a fan of having a great time, this event is for YOU. We will prepare many delicious cross-cultural dishes to satisfy your appetite. YES friends, we will cook for you at a reasonable price at $1-3 per dish!!!!! We're looking forward to welcoming you and feeding your hungry stomachs. COME THROUGH TO HAVE A FANTASTIC LUNCH & learn more about other cuisines without having to travel out of the country. Bring a friend or two (or three or more) but please RSVP by leaving a comment at the International Student Club FB event of how many friends you are bringing. This way, we'll know how much food to prepare. Questions? Please ask and we'll get back to you ASAP. More information on the food will be updated. :)

Tour the Whole Earth Festival 2:00pm-4:00pm International House

Meet at the International House at 2:00pm. Some of the Global Ambassadors will bring interested students, their friends and families to the Whole Earth Festival on campus. Lots of food, music, performances and crafts for adults and children. It is one of the most popular annual festivals in Davis.

Saturday, May 11: Food Festival and the Whole Earth Festival

Page 2 SISS International Student Newsletter May 2013

SISS will begin offering OPT workshops every month throughout the academic year. We will have separate monthly

OPT workshops for our undergraduate and graduate students. All of our OPT workshops will take place in the SISS

Annex. No registration is required. If you are planning on completing your academic program soon, please attend

one of our OPT workshops for an overview of the OPT application process. SISS recommends applying for OPT 90

days prior to completing your academic program.

F-1 Graduate Students

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 1:00PM-2:00PM

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 4:30PM-5:30PM

F-1 Undergraduate Students

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 3:00PM-4:00PM

Thursday, June 6, 2013

4:00PM-5:00PM

Immigration Reminders

12 UNITS PER QUARTER

As a F-1 or J-1 international student you are required to register in at least 12 units every fall, winter and spring

quarters. You may be eligible for exception to full-time enrollment under special circumstances, but you need to

check with your SISS International Student Advisor prior to dropping below 12 units.

UPDATING YOUR ADDRESS

U.S. immigration regulations require that students in F-1 or J-1 status notify SISS of any change of address within 10

days. This should be done through SISWEB. You can update the SEVIS-USA address field in SISWEB by following the

instructions at http://siss.ucdavis.edu/address_students.cfm. Please remember to report a change of address as

soon as they occur.

Is your I-20 or DS-2019 going to expire within the next 60 days? If so, now is the time to extend it. You should re-

quest an extension of your I-20 or DS-2019 in order to complete your program of study, provided that the delay in

completion is caused by compelling academic or medical reasons.

Please check the program end date of your current I-20 (see #5 on page 1) or DS-2019 (see #3) to see when your

I-20/DS-2019 will expire. SISS can only process the extension before your I-20 or DS-2019 expires. Please complete

the Continuing Student I-20/DS-2019 Request Form, which you can download from this link: http://

siss.ucdavis.edu/forms.cfm. Your major professor or academic advisor will need to complete Section C on your

Continuing Student I-20/DS-2019 Request Form to verify your new program end date. Please attach proof of

financial support for the duration of your extension that has been calculated by your International Student Advisor

at SISS.

I-20 or DS-2019 Extension

Upcoming F-1 OPT Workshops

Why is it challenging to communicate with someone from a different culture?

Intercultural Communication Tuesday, May 14 5:15pm-6:45pm North Hall, 132

Attend this fun and interesting presentation! Find out how our culture influences how we communicate.

The instructor will engage participants in interactive exercises and discussion. This session is especially designed for international students and students going to or returning from abroad, but all students are welcomed! For more information, contact Moira Delgado, who will be teaching this workshop: madelgado@ucdavis.edu.

Registration is NOT required. Sponsored by the Center for Leadership Learning. Attend any of the their workshops. Check out their Spring 2013 calendar.

SISS May 2013 Newsletter

Karaoke Night

Page 3

SISS International Student Advisor Contact Information

Holly Snyder Thompson Wes Young Sarah Ligday Last name begins with A to I Last name begins with J to Q Last name begins with R to Z School of Law, Medicine & Nursing Graduate School of Management School of Veterinary Medicine hasnyderthompson@ucdavis.edu wryoung@ucdavis.edu sligday@ucdavis.edu

Thursday, May 23 7:00pm-9:00pm International House

Get Excited for KARAOKE! Do you love to sing your heart out in the shower? Do you like singing in your car? Do you sing as a hobby? Or DO YOU JUST LIKE SINGING?! Well here is your chance to show off your awesome singing skills! It will be a judge free zone and we wel-come singers of all types! ... Come sing your heart out with the Global Ambassadors! This is will even be open to the community, so we encourage everyone to come and join us! This will be a family friendly event, so bring your friends, family, and acquaintances. We will be taking song requests! Here is a link to our document where you can enter your song choices and later a playlist will be made of all the songs chosen: Song sign up.

We hope to see many of you there! Don’t be shy, come out and have some fun! RSVP on Facebook.

Travel Signature Day

Tuesday, June 4 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-3:00pm SISS Annex

Are you planning to travel during the summer? Please remember that you must obtain a travel signature from SISS on your I-20 or DS2019, and that travel signatures are valid for 6 months. Please stop by if you need an updated travel signature and enjoy some snacks and tea/coffee. Please bring your most recent I-20 or DS-2019 with you so that we can provide you with an updated travel signature.

Volunteers Needed!: Fall 2013 International Student Orientations

We are already beginning to prepare for International Student

Orientations on the week of September 17. Last fall, we had

over 150 amazing volunteers and we could not have done the

orientations without them. Volunteer training will most

likely take place on September 12 and 13. If you are

interested in volunteering, please sign up at this link by

June 15, 2013.

Save the Date: June 6, 2013 for the Graduation Reception

Opportunity to Advocate for International Students

Serve on the International Undergraduate Student Committee Deadline to Apply: May 15, 2013

Purpose: To bring together members of the UC Davis community, including both international and domestic stu-dents, and develop plans to voice the concerns of international students. Specifically, the committee will act as a resource for international students. It will programmatically work with clubs and organizations that support interna-tional students, institutionalize necessary resources at UC Davis, and make international students more aware of the resources ASUCD and the University have to offer. The committee will also listen to the grievances of international students, advocate on their behalf to the administration, celebrate the diversity on campus, provide an information system that aids in answering their questions, and collaborate with the appropriate departments, including ASUCD, in ways to better provide for international students. Go to the job description and application.

Thursday, June 6 5:00pm-7:00pm International House Celebrate your graduation! SISS is hosting a graduation reception for international undergraduate and graduate students. This special event is reserved for graduating students. As there is a limited amount of space, we request a maxi-mum of 2 guests per student. Please RSVP at this link.

SISS May 2013 Newsletter SISS International Student Newsletter May 2013 Page 4

A group of enthusiastic 2012 SISS Volunteers

Bring your own lunch. These informal presentations will be interactive and provide time for discussion. All sessions

are in North Hall Library, Room 232 from 12:00pm-1:00pm.

Monday, May 13 How to Get Connected in the Davis Community

Monday, May 20 Common Pitfalls and Academic Issues: How to make the best of your experience

International Graduate Student and Scholar Discussion Series