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Editor's Note :

Today is Labor Day in the United States. Classes are not in session, and most campus offices, including the ISSS, are closed.

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If your friends have just begun their studies this semester and haven't yet subscribed, be sure to mention ISSS-BU News to them! Instructions for subscribing appear at the end of each issue.

Reading ISSS-BU News is essential in order to be informed regarding changing U.S. immigration regulations. ISSS-BU News is published every Monday, and is also posted to the “ISSS-BU News” section of the ISSS website, http://isss.binghamton.edu

ISSS-BU News also wants to congratulate Alexander Volynkin, PhD student in Computer Engineering, and the principal author of a paper that received the Best Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Information Assurance Workshop, held this summer. Alexander's accomplishment was mentioned in the August 24 edition of Inside BU, and the article may be read at: http://inside.binghamton.edu/news/newspage.cgi?issue=2006aug24&id=5

CONTENTS:

1. National Holidays for September
2. Welcome from the Graduate Student Organization (GSO)
3. Be Sure You Are Registered for a Full-Time Course Load!
4. Be Sure You Have Permission in Advance to Take Less Than a Full-Time Course Load, If
   Applicable to You
5. Meeting for Late-Arriving International Students
6. Update on Social Security Numbers for New International Students
7. Volunteer and Internship Fair September 12
8. International Student Festival Begins Later This Week!

1.  National Holidays for September

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

2. Welcome from the Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

On behalf of the newly elected GSO e-board, I will like commend the good job of the past GSO E-Board and to welcome you all to the beginning of the 2006/07 academic year at SUNY Binghamton. Your new officers are:

President: Wazi Apoh, PhD Candidate Anthropology
Vice President: Maria-Theresia Holub, PhD Candidate Comp-Litt
Treasurer: Nikolay Karkov, PhD Candidate, PIC
Office Manager: Aniruddha (Sunny) Lanke, M.S. Student, Computer Science
Assistant to President: Sanem Guvenc, PhD Student, Sociology
GVPMA: TBA

We are always ready and happy to serve your needs to the best of our abilities. You can access our website; http://gso-binghamton.org/ (still under construction), for more information about the GSO. To enable us to serve you better, we will appreciate it if you could spend a little time to respond to our survey questions on the dialogue page of the GSO website. We look forward to a productive academic year with you. Thank You.

Sincerely,
Wazi Apoh, President
Graduate Student Organization
Binghamton University
Box 514 Library North Tower LN 2441
Binghamton NY 13901
Tel: (607) 777 - 4247
Fax: (607) 777 - 4470

3. Be Sure You Are Registered for a Full-Time Course Load!

ISSS would like to take this opportunity to remind students in F-1 and J-1 status that you are required to be registered for a full-time course load each semester.

What constitutes a full-time course load varies according to academic level.
Minimum Full Time Course Loads:

•  Exchange Students: 12 credits per semester
•  Undergraduates: 12 credits per semester
•  Graduate Master's Level 1: 12 credits per semester
•  Graduate Master's Level 2 (completion of at least 24 credits): 9 credits per semester
•  Graduate Master's students who need only thesis or project to complete their program:
•  *1 credit or more per semester, that can be certified as full-time by department. Such students, if they are registered for less than 9 credits, must submit the Graduate School's "Certification of Full-Time Status for Students Not Receiving Tuition Scholarships" form to their department each semester for filing with the Graduate School. This form may be found at the following website:
http://gradschool.binghamt o n. e du/FTCForm.pdf
•  Graduate PhD students: 9 credits per semester
•  Graduate PhD students admitted to candidacy or who have pre-dissertation or dissertation research: *1 credit per semester that can be certified as full-time by the department. Such students, if they are registered for less than 9 credits, must submit the Graduate School's "Certification of Full-Time Status for Students Not Receiving Tuition Scholarships" form to their department each semester for filing with the Graduate School. This form may be found at the following website:
http://gradschool.binghamton.edu/FTCForm.pdf

There are some very limited exceptions to the full-time course requirement. See the next article, below. For complete information on full-time registration, stop by the ISSS to obtain a handout on Rules for Maintaining a Full-Time Course Load, or view the handout on the ISSS website at:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/imm/RuleFTload.htm

4. Be Sure You Have Permission in Advance to Take Less Than a Full-Time Course Load, If Applicable to You

There are very few exceptions to the full time course load rule for students in F-1 status. Those exceptions include academic difficulty, medical condition, and completion of study, and there are strict criteria for each. In every instance, you must obtain PRIOR authorization from the ISSS. Only once you receive this authorization from the ISSS can you then drop the course. A F-1 student who drops below a full course of study without the prior approval of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will be considered out of status , and must be reported in SEVIS as having dropped below a full-time course load without authorization.

There is a special form for each of the three exceptions, available in the ISSS and as a downloadable document on the ISSS website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/index.html

Each form must be completed by the student (and in the case of reduction in course load due to academic difficulty or due to completion of study, completed by the student's academic advisor) and approved by the ISSS before the course may be dropped.

For detailed information on the rules that allow for a course load reduction for F-1 students, stop by the ISSS to obtain a handout on “Permissible Reasons Under F-1 Regulations to Register for Less Than a Full Time Course Load” or view the handout on the ISSS website at: http://isss.binghamton.edu/imm/lesscourse.htm Questions or concerns regarding this requirement? Come to the ISSS or send an e-mail message to isss@binghamton.edu

5. Meeting for Late-Arriving International Students

The ISSS has scheduled a special new student orientation meeting for students who were not able to attend the regular international student orientation August 21-23. The meeting will be Thursday, September 7 at 3:00pm in the Hinman Commons. Come to the ISSS and we will direct you to the meeting's location.

6. Update on Social Security Numbers for New International Students

A large number of international students applied for Social Security cards this August. Many students are checking in with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to see if their card has arrived. As you will recall from the information you received when you applied, your Social Security card will not be available for at least four-six weeks from the date of application.

Social Security cards cannot be issued until the Social Security Administration confirms with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that you are in the United States legally. You need to be in the United States at least 10 days for the USCIS to confirm your legal presence to the Social Security Administration.

Your card will then be issued and mailed to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services. You will be notified by e-mail of the card's arrival, and advised to come to the ISSS with your Binghamton University ID to pick up your card. You will also be notified if any problem arises that delays the issuing of your card.

As you can see, this is a complicated process and your patience is requested.

7. Volunteer and Internship Fair September 12

Off Campus College is sponsoring a volunteer and internship fair on Tuesday, September 12. Co-sponsoring the fair are Residential Life and Discovery Program

This event hosts locally based non-profit, profit organizations and government sponsored groups seeking students for primarily unpaid, credit and non-credit community service and human service opportunities.

WHEN : Tuesday, September 12 th
TIME : 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
WHERE : Mandela Room and Tillman Lobby, University Union

This event is open to all undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff interested in community service and internships within the human service field.

For more information, contact MaryBeth Willis or Tanya Robinson in Off Campus College at 777-4273. International students should also consult with the ISSS to see if prior authorization from the ISSS is required before the activity can commence.

8. International Student Festival Begins Later This Week!

What will you be doing between September 8 and September 17?

We hope that you will spend part of your time at the sixth annual International Student Festival! Preliminary and semi-final sports competitions in soccer (East Gym fields), volleyball and basketball (East Gym) will take place September 8-10.

See the complete schedule at: http://isss.binghamton.edu/prog/ISF.html

Table tennis competitions will take place Wednesday-Friday, September 13-15, 2006 in the University Union. The championship game in soccer will take place Saturday, September 16 at 11:00am n the soccer fields below the East Gym. Volleyball and basketball will take place Sunday September 17 in the East Gym beginning at 6:00pm The BIG event is the Cultural Showcase beginning Saturday, September 16 at 7:30pm in the University Union Mandela Room. Come on out and have a great time!

Major sponsors are the Graduate Student Organization (pending approval), the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Late Nite, and the Harpur College Dean's Office along with seventeen other University offices and programs.

Participating organizations are the Binghamton University Japanese Association (BUJA), Binghamton University Korean Undergraduate Student Association, Binghamton University Turkish Student Association (BU-TSA), the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), the European Student Association, the Graduate African Student Organization (GASO), Hong Kong Exchange Square, the Indian Graduate Student Organization (IGSO), the Korean Graduate Student Association (KGSA), the Taiwan Student Association, and the Turkish Cultural Association (TURCA).

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