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Editor's Note : Classes are not in session today. Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 3. However, all University offices are open.

CONTENTS:

1. National Holidays for October
2. Next International Coffee Hour Friday, October 6
3. International Students and Grades of Incomplete
4. USCIS Eliminates Interim Employment Authorization Cards at District Offices
5. IEEE Sponsors Student Professional Awareness and Leadership Conference October 27, 2006
6. Christmas International House Now Accepting Applications

1. National Holidays for October

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

2. Next International Coffee Hour Friday, October 6

Good company! Free refreshments! Celebrate the beginning of the Fall season by coming to this month's International Coffee Hour on Friday, October 6 from 3:30-5pm in the University Union Old Union Hall (next to the University Union Mandela Room). Just enter the Old Union Hall from the (old) University Union Main Lobby. 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 Mini Mall Greenhouse from 3:30pm-5pm. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages and cookies, sponsored by a different department on campus.

3. International Students and Grades of Incomplete

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 2006 semester has until the end of the Fall 2006 semester to turn in the required work so that the professor can issue the appropriate final grade. However, if the Spring 2006 course work is not completed, or if the professor does not submit a grade change form, then at the conclusion of the Fall 2006 semester, the Incomplete will change to "W" or withdrawn for graduate students, and to "F" or failure for undergraduate students.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.

4. USCIS Eliminates Interim Employment Authorization Cards from District Offices

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will no longer issue interim Employment Authorization Cards at its district offices in the United States. This change took effect on October 1, 2006. The reasons for the change are that the manually-produced EAD cards at district offices (known at I-688B) have quality control concerns, and there are limited security features on the card. The EAD card issued by the Service Centers is known as I-766 and is produced in Corbin, Kentucky.

USCIS is required by federal law to adjudicate all pending I-765 Applications for Employment Authorization within 90 days from the date of receipt. While students who do not receive their Employment Authorization Cards within 90 days from the date of receipt and whose applications are still pending (and who have not received any requests for additional evidence) may still use the InfoPass appointment scheduler to travel in person to their district USCIS office to apply for an interim Employment Authorization Card, that card will now be sent from the service centers, NOT prepared in the USCIS district office.

During the appointment, the local USCIS office will investigate the case, and if the 90-day limit has been reached and the application is still pending, the USCIS office will contact the Service Center by telephone and request that the Employment Authorization Card be issued. It will then be the responsibility of the Service Center to issue the card and mail it to the applicant.

To read the USCIS public announcement on this topic, visit:
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/statements/eadfilingch072806pn.pdf

For additional details read the interoffice memorandum:
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handbook/elimi688b_081806r.pdf

5. IEEE Sponsors Student Professional Awareness and Leadership Conference October 27, 2006

The Binghamton Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will hold a one-day conference on Technical Leadership on Friday, October 27, 2006. The conference will take place at the BU Innovative Technologies Complex at 101 Murray Hill Road in Vestal. There will be a variety of conference sessions, as well as a networking reception and a keynote address by Dr. Barry Schoop, US Army Colonel and Science Advisor to the US Department of Defense. Col. Schoop's topic will be “Technical Leadership, A National Need.”

To register, contact Gururpasad Madhavan at guru@binghamton.edu For more information on the conference, visit http://www.ieee.org/binghamton

6. Christmas International House Now Accepting Applications

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.

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 18 to January 2.

Applications are now being accepted by mail and will close November 22, 2006.

Students who sign the application statement commit themselves to participate in all organized activities and stay the entire length of the program . 

There is a registration fee of $80 for those applications filed prior to November 1. Beginning November 1, the fee increases to $100.

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