international beat International Students and Scholars

Students should attend every class meeting for each course they are enrolled in. Many students are at risk for being dropped from their classes and some could be suspended from their academic program because of poor attendance. Miss-ing too many classes is unacceptable. It is important that students follow the guidelines give by their teachers at the start of the semester, and repeated many times during the semester regarding the mandatory attendance require-ment. For students in the English Language Program ( ELP or ESL) not attending class could result in an automatic expulsion from the program, and from the universi-ty. If students are dropped in the middle of the semester, then they will not have the option of transferring to another school, or staying in the dorms until the next semester. Students in ELP must be enrolled in at least 18 billable hours. Any student that is dropped from their academic program or from ELP will be told to leave Purdue and will have to return to their home country. Expulsion, suspension, and unauthorized drop below the full course of study are all grounds for the termination of a student record in SEVIS. Students’ form I-20s will be terminated and students will be required by law to depart from the Unit-ed States immediately, within 5 days.

Maintaining Legal Status

Maintain valid, unexpired immigra-tion documents;

Be enrolled full-time each semes-ter;

Do not engage in unauthorized employment;

Apply for an extension of your I-20 before your documents expire if you need more time to complete your program;

Contact ISS immediately if there are any changes to your I-20 or to your personal or academic situation:

Change of name or citizenship;

Change of school, major or degree level;

Withdrawal or termination from program due to academic or medi-cal reasons;

Departure from the U.S. for re-search, study or leave of absence;

Always abide by all US immigration laws, including new and changed regulations.

GRADUATING IN DECEMBER?

Don’t forget about OPT!

If you are graduating this December, you may be eligible to apply for Optional

Practical Training or OPT! OPT is work authorization granted to F-1 visa holders after they graduate to work for a period

of 1 year in the United States.

It may take 2-3 months to get OPT au-thorization from USCIS so do not waste

any more time– visit ISS and file your OPT application right away!

WE HAVE OPT WORKSHOPS THROUGH-OUT OCTOBER AND EARLY NOVEMBER–

SIGN UP TODAY IN CLO 176.

Hey… GET TO CLASS!!

The IPO/ISS offices will be closed on the following dates: November: 22nd, 23rd December: 24th, 25th, 31st January: 1st When the office is closed, there is no staff in the office to assist you in sign-ing the I-20 for you. If you need a travel signature and waited until the last minute, you may not be able to get one before you leave.

If you have any questions you’d like an-swered about immigration in a future is-sue of International Beat, please email us at iss@purduecal.edu. We are here to help you understand the rules and regulations surrounding your F-1 visa.

Dates the International Programs Office will be closed during Winter Break

Students planning to transfer out of Purdue University Calumet have to complete the transfer out process. First students must be sure that they have fulfilled all of the application requirements at the new school and that they have been admitted to the new school. The new school will issue a transfer release form that can only be com-pleted by an immigration advisor/DSO. Students must present their new admission letter from the new school when they bring the transfer re-lease form to the ISS office. Students will meet with an immigration advisor/DSO to discuss the release date of their SEVIS record to the new school. The ‘transfer re-lease date’ is the date on which the student’s SEVIS record will electroni-cally transfer to the new school. The new school will issue their I-20 to the transferring student after this release date. Please note: On or after this release date, students cannot change the transfer request in any way and they cannot continue to work on cam-pus after the release date (unless it is approved OPT). If students wish to return to PUC it may be necessary for they to apply for readmission. Transfers cannot be made officially until after the last day of classes.

International Students and Scholars Marsha Gordon 219-989-2559, Gor-don@purduecal.edu April Valentine 219-989-2905 april.valentine@purduecal.edu Katherine Haan 219-989-2082 Kathe-rine.walker@purduecal.edu Monday through Friday: Walk in Advising 11– 2 pm Appointments 2– 5 pm

Change of Educational Levels for students in the English Language Program

If you have COMPLETED the English Language Program by passing all Level 4 classes and will enter a FULL degree granting program at the beginning of next semester, you will begin a process called Change of Education Level at Purdue University Calumet. This is NOT an extension of your current I-20. If you are continuing on as a ‘Hybrid’ student, you are still in the Eng-lish Language Program and will not be eligible to go through the Change of Education Level process. If you completed all requirements to move into your degree program, you must work with the staff of two offices in order to have a new I-20.

Office of Admissions: Submit all requested documents with application and respond to all required questions on the un-dergraduate application. Contact Joann Infante, infante@purduecal.edu, for questions about admissions process

You must be admitted to your degree program before a new I-20 can be created

International Students and Scholars Office:

New original financial documents issued less than 6 months before the day you submit it to ISS showing a mini-mum amount of support of the equivalent of25,500 US dollars.

For SPONSORED STUDENTS, like those that have scholarships from SACM, your guarantee MUST be current through the next semester to have a new I-20 created for you. Start the renewal process NOW for the new SACM guarantee.

Provide us with your complete mailing address and best contact telephone number for the FedEx shipment. This should be an address that you can reach easily. Please send the shipping information via email to iss@purduecal.edu.

The I-20 cannot be created until you provide the new original financial document. If you leave the United States at the end of the current semester and have completed the English Language Program require-ments, you CANNOT re-enter the United States on the I-20 issued to you for ELP. It will no longer be valid. If your visa has expired, you will need to have the new I-20 to renew your visa. And to enter back into the country.

It is highly recommended you complete ALL of the steps to successfully transition to the university BEFORE you leave the country.

Traveling Outside the United States?

Are you traveling home over winter break? You need to have your I-20 SIGNED for travel by either Marsha Gordon, April Valentine, or Katherine Haan. You need to get the travel signature at least TWO WEEKS before you leave to go home. There is no guarantee that the staff will be in the office to sign your I-20 because many people tend to take some days off during winter break. Need to renew your visa too? Fill out a STUDENT REQUEST form requesting a visa renewal letter to be composed on your behalf to take with you to renew your visa.

Are You Transferring to a Different University?

Events on Campus

November: November 1st: International Coffee Hour 4 pm– 5:30 pm in CLO 176 November 3rd Adler Planetarium Trip– See STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR MORE INFORMATION November 7th: World on Wednesday! 5 pm in CLO 176 November 9th PUC’s Got Talent 6-8 pm in SULB see STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR MORE INFORMATION November 12th-16th International Education Week– Events to be announced in International Programs Office CLO 176 November 15th: Korean Language Circles 5 pm in CLO 176 November 15th-16th Campout for Hunger– see STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR MORE INFORMATION November 17th World on Wednesday! 5 pm in CLO 176 November 28th World on Wednesday! 5 pm in CLO 176

December: December 3rd– Pancake Study Break 6-8 pm in the Cafeteria see STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Did You Know?

Driving in the United States If you are on an F-1 visa studying in the United States, you can apply for a driver’s license. You may be eligible for this benefit, but remember that it is illegal to drive in the United States without a driver’s license. Online Courses As an F –1 student, you may only count one online or distance education course or equivalent to three credits towards a full course of study per academic term. Students in ELP may not count online courses towards a full course of study.

Are you graduating this Fall 2012 semester?

If you are graduating this semester from your degree program, congratulations! There are things you will need to know and understand regarding your immigration status once you have completed your studies at Purdue Uni-versity Calumet. All students have a 60 day grace period upon graduating from their degree program in which to decide what their next step is in regards to their immigration status. Students can do one of the following:

Transfer to another school

If students want to transfer to a different school, they will need to complete the SEVIS transfer pro-cess, in where they indicate to the International Students and Scholars Office that they are going to attend a program at a different school. Students will need to provide us with an acceptance letter for the other school, a completed Departure form from Purdue University Calumet, and a SEVIS transfer form from the other school.

Change their educational level (Bachelor’s to Master’s)

Students will need to be admitted to their new degree program and provide updated financial docu-ments for the I-20 to be created for their new degree program.

Apply for Optional Practical Training

Students can apply for OPT after they graduate as long as they complete and send in all OPT applica-tion materials within the 60 day grace period. PLEASE note we do not advise students to do this as it can take up to 3 months to have your OPT authorized and you cannot start working until you get approved and have your EAD card in hand even if your OPT date has come and gone.

Leave the United States

Please complete a departure form with the International Students and Scholars Office before leav-ing.

American Figures of Speech: With a Grain of Salt

Meaning: Not to take something that someone has said too seriously; not to take what the speaker said literally. History of idiom: The phrase comes from Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison. In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poi-son were thus to be taken "with a grain of salt," and therefore less seriously.

Raining Cats and Dogs Meaning: very heavy unexpected rain.

History of idiom: current accepted theory is that, due to the prim-itive drainage systems used in the 17th century, a heavy rainstorm could cause gutters to overflow with much debris, including gar-bage, sewage, and dead animals. Other possibilities include the notion that a severe storm could be considered similar to cats and dogs fighting, or that in Northern European mythology, it is be-

lieved that cats influence the weather and dogs represent wind. .

Events on Campus