ISSS News 08 January 2007

An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Binghamton University, State University of New York

Editor's Note: Next Monday, January 15, 2007 is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Most university offices, including the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, will be closed. However, ISSS-BU News will publish its regular Monday issue on that day.

New students continue to arrive to begin their studies for the Spring 2007 semester. If you are assisting a new student, be sure to bring them to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services so that ISSS distribute its new student early arrival information. ISSS business hours are 9:00am to 4:3 0pm Monday - Wednesday and Fridays, and 11:30am to 4:30pm on Thursdays.

Orientation activities begin Thursday, January 18, and orientation packets will be distributed during orientation check-in, Thursday January 18 from 9:00am to 12:30pm in the University Union Tillman Lobby (in front of the Mandela Room in the Old University Union).

Thanks to the efforts of Arun Nair, ISSS graduate assistant, and Neha Fotaria, ISSS student assistant, the ISSS website tax pages have now been updated for the 2006 tax year, which has just concluded. You can view the pages by going to http://isss.binghamton.edu and clicking on "Taxes." Intersession is a good time to visit the Tax section of the ISSS website and familiarize yourself with some of the rules for tax filing.

Federal and NY State income tax forms will be available beginning in early February in the ISSS. An announcement will be published in ISSS-BU News as soon as the forms have arrived.

The ISSS is pleased to announce that for the second year, the University has purchased a license with CINTAX to allow BU international students, alumni, scholars and faculty to use CINTAX to compute and print the federal income tax forms. CINTAX is a web-based tax preparation system designed exclusively for international students, scholars and faculty who file forms 1040NR or 1040NR EZ as non-residents for tax purposes. More information on how to access CINTAX will be available in late January.

The University's BUSI registration system will be turned on for Spring 2007 course registration beginning Friday, January 19, 2007 for new and continuing students. The system will be available from 8:00am to 6:00am (22 hours per day) seven days a week until the evening of the course withdrawal deadline, which is March 23, 2007. Course adds will be accepted until the deadline of Friday, February 2. The system will accept course drops and deletes until the course drop deadline, Friday, February 2. After that date, the system will allow for course withdrawals until the course withdrawal deadline of March 23. Please note that students who drop courses in BUSI during the course withdrawal period will receive a grade of W. For complete information on registration procedures, visit: http://registrar.binghamton.edu/newinfo.html#regdates

The Schedule of Classes for Spring 2007 is available online at http://busi.binghamton.edu/schedule.html . The online schedule is the most up to date and accurate source of course information and is the only published version of the Schedule of Classes.

Students with outstanding debts to the University, and students who have not complied with University Health Service requirements will be blocked from registering. Students can also view their account balances and pay any outstanding debts through the BUSI Web Center, http://busi.binghamton.edu

Students are assigned starting times for spring registration according to their total cumulative credits, not including advance registration credits. Students can check their total cumulative credits by going to the BUSI Web Center http://busi.binghamton.edu and clicking on 'My Grades and Credits.' Check below for the schedule of starting times.

You can view and print your schedule from BUSI or the BUSI web at any time. Student schedules will not be mailed. Please look online for your classroom assignments.

* Classroom assignments are subject to change. Assignments on the BUSI web are the most accurate and up to date.

4. Spring 2007 International Spouses Program (ISP) English as a Second Language Classes

We are very happy to announce that ESL classes for family members and spouses of Binghamton University international students and scholars will begin on Monday, January 22nd. ISP membership consists of spouses and family members of international students and scholars from all over the world. In addition to providing free, weekly ESL instruction, ISP provides the opportunity to learn about day-to-day living in the US, socialize with other spouses, and share experiences.

Anyone who is interested in these classes should attend the placement evaluation. The placement evaluation will be held on Monday January 22 at 9:00am in SW 312. If you don't know where this room is, meet Amelia Shafer (the International Student Advisor) in front of the ISSS office at 8:45am. She will walk you to the classroom.

After the placement evaluation, until 12:15pm, there will be an opportunity for students to practice their English conversation skills and participate in ESL activities and games. This will occur in the same room, SW 312.

Three class levels will be offered during the spring semester. Classes will be held at the following times: All classes are held in Student Wing, Room 312

A $5.00 fee per semester per student is requested towards the copying of materials (no need to purchase a textbook for this class). The instructor will collect this fee.

Our ESL instructor is Ms. Julie McCarthy. She has a Bachelor's degree in Spanish from SUNY Buffalo, and a Master's of Education degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) from the University of Maryland. She has studied in Madrid, Spain and has many years experience teaching ESL. She is very nice and has received very good reviews from her previous students. We are happy she is part of the ISSS Team!

If you have a family member who is interested in improving their English skills, they should attend the placement evaluation on January 22 or contact Amelia Shafer, the International Student Advisor, at ashafer@binghamton.edu

5. Grassroots Development Fellowships for Graduate Students Doing Research in Latin America and The Caribbean

Application Deadline: February 15, 2007.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) has partnered with the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) to administer its Grassroots Development Fellowship Program. The IAF was created in 1969 by the United States Congress to fund the self-help initiatives of the organized poor in Latin America and the Caribbean and the groups that directly support them.

The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) is reactivating its fellowship support for dissertation work by candidates for Ph.D. degrees from U.S. universities. The IAF expects to award up to 11 fellowships supporting research in Latin America and the Caribbean undertaken between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008.

The IAF is now accepting applications from students in the social sciences, physical sciences, technical fields and the professions as related to grassroots development issues. The awards provide international transportation to the field research site and a monthly stipend for a maximum period of 12 months. Fellows must have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy by the date they begin their IAF-sponsored research.

IAF's fellowships are awarded based on both development and scholarly criteria. They are intended to help build a community of professionals and scholars knowledgeable about grassroots development. Before discontinuing its program in 1999, the IAF had supported nearly 1,000 fellows from the United States and 28 countries. Fellows conducting field research in 36 countries were associated with some 4,000 development and applied research organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information on the awards, eligibility criteria and application procedures, visit www.iie.org/iaf or contact:

IAF Fellowships Program
Institute of International Education
1400 K Street, Suite 650
Washington, DC 20005
Email: iaffellowships@iie.org

Students in F or J status are reminded that in order for them to be in compliance with SEVIS requirements, they must register promptly for the Spring 2007 semester. The last day to add classes for Spring 2007 is February 2, 2007. No later than February 17, 2007, the University is required to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via SEVIS of any new Binghamton student who entered the United States on a Binghamton I-20 or DS-2019 but has not yet registered. No later than February 21, 2007, the University is required to notify the DHS of any continuing Binghamton student who was registered for Fall 2006 but who has not registered for Spring 2007 (and did not graduate, withdraw, take a leave of absence, or transfer to a new U.S. school).

Special Note for Graduate Students: Graduate students who register for thesis, pre-dissertation research, dissertation, project, or other course rubrics that are eligible to be certified as full-time even though the number of credits will be below the normal full-time course load must submit the Graduate School's "Certification of Full-Time Status for Students Not Receiving Tuition Scholarships" form each semester to their department for filing with the Graduate School. This form may be downloaded at: http://gradschool.binghamton.edu/documents/FTCForm.pdf

7. Income Tax Information: Statement of Interest Earnings From Your Bank, Form 1099-INT

This is part of a weekly series of "Income Tax Information" that appear in ISSS-BU News . To view back issues go to: http://isss.binghamton.edu and click on "ISSS-BU News."

Today's income tax article is about the statement of interest earnings (1099-INT) that you may soon receive from your bank.

If you have a checking or savings account in the United States which earns interest, a certificate of deposit (CD) or other cash investments, you may have already received or will soon receive a form from your bank or investment institution called a "1099-INT" which shows the interest or dividends you earned on your savings or investments for the 2006 calendar year. This information is provided to you for tax purposes, and is also reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by your bank or investment institution. It is important to save these interest statements, because in SOME instances, you may be required to report the interest or dividend income on your income tax forms.

Review the form carefully. Was income tax withheld from your interest earnings? If tax was withheld from your bank interest, and you are in F-1 or J-1 student status and have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for five years or less (entered the United States as F-1 or J-1 student in 2002 or later), interest may have been withheld in error. To correct this situation for future years, obtain form W-8BEN, fill it out, and give it to your bank or financial institution that issued the 1099-INT. W-8BEN forms with instructions are available in the ISSS. For more information on the W-8BEN, go to the following link on the ISSS website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/formw8.html

International students who have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for five years or less (entered the U.S as F-1 or J-1 2002 or later) generally file income tax forms as non-residents, and are usually not required to report interest as earnings, although dividend income MUST be reported.

International students who have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for MORE than five years (entered the U.S. as F-1 or J-1 2001 or earlier) generally file income tax forms as residents for tax purposes, and are taxed on all world-wide income, INCLUDING interest earnings. However, residents for tax purposes also have greater benefits under the tax laws, such as larger income deductions, deductions for dependents, etc.

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STUDENT LEVEL	EARLIEST START TIME
Graduate students (Degree & Non-Degree)	Monday, January 15 at 8:00 AM
Degree Undergraduate Students with 88 credits or more	January 19 at 11:30 AM
Degree Undergraduate Students with 57 - 87 credits	January 19 at 12:30 PM
Degree Undergraduate Students with 24 - 56 credits	January 19 at 1:30 PM
Degree Undergraduate Students with 0 - 23 credits	January 19 at 2:30 PM
Non-Degree Undergraduate Students (New & Returning)	January 19 at 3:30 PM