1. International Student Festival Sports Championships Results and Thank Yous
2. Ramadan Breakfast Service from Sodexho Dining Services Continues
3. Fall Job and Internship Fair is September 27
4. European Student Association Movie Night September 27
5. Serve on the University Judicial Board
6. Diversity Visa Lottery 2009 Announcement
7. Be Careful: Diversity Visa Lottery Scams

1. International Student Festival Sports Championships Results and Thank Yous

BU's 7th annual International Student Festival was a great success! Beginning Friday, September 7 and ending Sunday night September 23, it began with a series of preliminary sports competitions, the completion of the championship table tennis matches this past Thursday, and concluded with championship soccer, volleyball, basketball and badminton this past weekend. Sunday night featured the popular Cultural Showcase with performances by students from Africa, South Korea, China, and India, a Salsa demonstration by the Salsa Music Appreciation Club and nine attractive and informative cultural displays.

Here are the results of this past week's championship games:
Table Tennis (Thursday, September 20):
Men’s Singles Championship
Vijit Bedi of the International Team defeated Sambhav Jain of the India team in straight sets, 21-11 and 21-13.Men’s Doubles Championship
Ashok Pachamuthu and Sambhav Jain of the India team defeated Zhenging Li and Peng Zhang of the China team in straight sets, 21-14 and 21-17.
Women’s Singles Championship
Enping Li of the China team defeated Dan Xu of the China team in straight sets, 21-9 and 21-17.
Women’s Doubles Championship
Dan Xu and Yan Zhang of the China team defeated Xue Wang and Enping Li of the China team in straight sets, 21-16 and 25-23.
Mixed Doubles Championship
Ning Zhang and Dan Xu of the China team defeated Sambhav Jain and Apoorva Phadke of the India team in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-18.

Volleyball Championship (Friday, September 21):
Turkey defeated India in two games, 22-20 and 21-16

Basketball Championship (Friday, September 21):
Africa defeated China by a score of 57-35

Soccer Championship (Saturday, September 22):
Africa defeated South Korea by a score of 2 - 1

Badminton Championship (Saturday, September 22):
Women’s Singles Championship
Apoorva Phadke of India defeated Yan Zhang of China in straight sets, 16-14 and 15-8
Men’s Singles Championship
Pranav Kaluskar of India defeated Jim Yu of China in straight sets, 15-10 and 15-5.
Doubles Championship
Li Xinyu and Liu Ming of China defeated Saurabh Athavale and Ashok Pachamuthu in straight sets, 15-4 and 15-9.

Thank you to BU’s ten participating student organizations: Binghamton University Japanese Association * Binghamton University Turkish Students Association * Chinese Student and Scholars Association * European Students Association * Graduate African Student Organization * Indian Graduate Student Organization * Korean Graduate Student Association * Korean Undergraduate Student Association *Taiwanese Students Association * Turkish Cultural Association.

Thank you as well to the ISSS staff; ISSS Festival Interns Jia Liu and Chang Wong; Campus Recreation Services; Sodexho Dining Services; Information Technology Services; the University Union staff; Oneida Hall, Hunter Hall and Hughes Hall for loaning their table tennis tables; and our wonderful Festival Friends volunteers for their efforts to make this a great festival.

A special thank you to all the sponsors whose financial support made this event possible. First, the major sponsors:  Watson Graduate Student Organization * International Student & Scholar Services * Residential Life* Dean of Harpur College Office * Late Nite.  And, the event’s other sponsors; * Office of the President * Office of the Provost * Office of the Vice President for Administration * Office of the Vice President for External Affairs * Office of the Vice President for Research * Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs * College of Community and Public Affairs* Decker School of Nursing * The Graduate School * School of Management * School of Education * Watson School * Alumni and Parent Relations * Asian and Asian American Studies * BU Alumni Association * BU Foundation * Dual Diploma Program * Office of International Programs * Languages Across the Curriculum  *

Without our sponsors, there could not have been a program.

Finally, a BIG thank you to everyone who attended the many events. 

2. Ramadan Breakfast Service From Sodexho Dining Services Continues

Thanks to the efforts of the Dual Diploma Programs Office, Sodexho Dining Services is providing Ramadan breakfast service for students who observe Ramadan.  The Ramadan breakfast is served at the Hinman Café (located in Hinman Dining Hall) between 3:30AM-5:00AM every day through the end of the month of Ramadan, which is Friday, October 12, 2007. The Ramadan Breakfast service is open to all Binghamton University students regardless of their religion or nationality.

3. Fall Job and Internship Fair is September 27

The annual Fall Job and Internship Fair is overflowing into the University Union lobby this year! A diverse group of over 100 organizations have registered and are seeking students from all majors for a variety of positions. Visit the CDC Website for a list of registered organizations and a floor plan for the event: http://binghamton.erecruiting.com/stu/cf_details?fhnd=2452

The event takes place Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:00 am – 3:30 pm, in the Mandela Room, Old Union Hall, and the Tillman Lobby of the University Union.

International students in F-1 or J-1 status are reminded that all off-campus employment, including internships, must be authorized in advance before employment can begin.  A representative of the ISSS will be at the Job and Internship Fair to answer questions.

4. European Student Association Movie Night September 27

Come join Binghamton's Europeans at the ESA's (European Student Association) first Movie Night of the semester!

This Thursday, September 27th at 7pm in the Graduate Student Lounge, First Floor of the Library Tower see:
"Gegen die Wand" (Head-on) by Faith Atkin:
Cahit Tomruk (Birol Unel) and Sibel Guner (Sibel Kekilli) are immigrant Germans who live and work in the port town of Hamburg. In a bid to help Sibel break free of her family (which strictly adheres to Turkish customs, religious and otherwise), the couple decides to marry. But strait-laced families are just part of the problem; Cahit and Sibel must also counterbalance ancestral roots with their new life in a western democracy.

ESA hopes to see you all there!

5. Serve on the University Judicial Board

Beginning September 26, The Office of Judicial Affairs will be accepting applications for positions on the University Judicial Board. The Judicial Board is the body that hears cases of alleged violations of the Rules of Student Conduct. Undergraduate and Graduate students in good judicial standing at the University are eligible to apply.  Interested students may pick up an application in the Judicial Affairs Office (College in the Woods Tuscarora Building, 3rd Floor Room 3B) between September 26 and October 12.  Applications will also be available on line as of September 26 at:
http://judicialaffairs.binghamton.edu/university_judicial_board2.html
 
Applications will also be available at an Information Table in the University Union Food Court from 11:00am to 4:00pm on Wednesday, September 26 and Thursday, September 27. The application deadline is Friday, October 19.  Late applications will not be accepted.  Please note that May 2008, Summer 2008 and December 2008 graduates are not eligible to apply.

For additional information, contact the Judicial Affairs Office at 607-777-6210 or visit their web site at http://judicialaffairs.binghamton.edu

6. Diversity Visa Lottery 2009 Announcement

The U.S. State Department has now published its official announcement of the 2009 Diversity Visa Lottery.  The Diversity Visa lottery (DV) is a program mandated under Section 203 (c) of the Immigration Act of 1990. The legislation makes available up to 50,000 permanent resident immigrant visas by random selection through an annual diversity visa lottery.

Here is the complete list of ineligible countries for DV-2009: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland born), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and dependent territories, and Vietnam.   Note that two new countries, Ecuador and Guatemala, were added to the list this year.

Although China and the United Kingdom are listed as ineligible countries, persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan, and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for the DV-2009 lottery.

The reason that individuals born in the above listed countries are ineligible for the Diversity Visa Program is that they come from "high admission" countries. "High admission" countries are defined as those from which the United States has received more than 50,000 immigrants during the last five years in the immediate relative, family and employment preference categories. Each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adds the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years, to identify the countries that must be excluded from the annual Diversity Lottery. Since there is a separate determination made prior to each lottery entry period, the list of countries that do not qualify is subject to change each year.

The registration period will last for approximately sixty days, beginning at noon Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 and ending at noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) on Sunday, December 2, 2007. As has been the case for the last five years, the Diversity Visa Lottery Program will be conducted entirely on-line via the internet, through the officially designated website: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov.  Paper entries are not accepted.

Persons submitting entries to the 2009 lottery will be able to print a notice of receipt that contains their name, date of birth, country of chargeability, and a time/date stamp when information has been properly registered at www.dvlottery.state.gov.

Individuals who wish to enter the 2009 Diversity Visa Lottery are encouraged to submit their information early in the two-month registration period.

There is no fee charged for entering the Diversity Visa Lottery. The Department of State does not endorse, recommend or sponsor any information or material from outside entities. The Department is aware that websites and email have masqueraded as official Diversity Visa Lottery facilitators. Registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery through the official, U.S. government website, www.dvlottery.state.gov is free of charge and notification of winning entries are sent by paper mail only, with winners notified between the months of May and July 2008.

Individual digital photographs of the DV applicant and his/her spouse and all children under 21 years of age must be submitted with the electronic application. The image file can be produced either by taking a digital photograph or by scanning a photographic print with a digital scanner.

If an applicant does not have access to the internet, a third party can submit the application and electronic photograph on the applicant's behalf. However, only ONE application per applicant can be submitted.

ISSS-BU News subscribers are urged only to consult official U.S. government sources for information on the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery is a random drawing. Be suspicious of any organization that offers to increase your chances of being selected for the lottery if you pay them a fee. They are promising something that is false. Also, there is no charge to enter the visa lottery, unless you are required to pay a third party to submit the application on your behalf.

The U.S. State Department Announcement can be viewed on the web at:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/sep/92767.htm

The complete official U.S. State Department Instructions for DV 2009 can be viewed on the web
at: http://travel.state.gov/pdf/2009DVInstructions.pdf

General information on the Diversity Visa Lottery with links to other information can be found at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html

The State Department is very concerned about website fraud in relation to the Diversity Visa Lottery. To read their warning, visit the following link:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1749.html

There is a second, more detailed warning on the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/lottery.htm

Beginning Monday, October 1, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will have the latest DV 2009 instructions available in print form for interested students to pick up.  Please note that applicants cannot file an electronic application for the Diversity Visa Lottery any earlier than October 3.

7. Be Careful: Diversity Visa Lottery Scams

At the same time that the U.S. State Department announces the yearly Diversity Visa Lottery Program, individuals with malicious intent try to take advantage by sending e-mails or providing a link to a web site, while falsely claiming to announce that a person is a diversity lottery winner, or that they can help you be selected for the diversity visa lottery.  The only purpose of these schemes is to separate you from your money!  Ignore them!!

Notification of Diversity Visa Lottery winners is sent by paper mail from the Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky.  Notification is NOT sent by e-mail.  No other organization or company is authorized by the Department of State to notify Diversity Visa lottery applicants of their winning entry.

If you have received postal mail about the Diversity Visa Lottery and would like the ISSS to confirm whether it is authentic, please bring the mailing and the envelope it came in to the ISSS.  Ellen Badger, Director, will review it and let you know if it is the “real thing.”

To learn more about these kinds of scams, see the Federal Trade Commission warning:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt003.shtm

How Do I Report Internet Fraud or Unsolicited E-mail?
If you wish to file a complaint about Internet fraud, please see the http://www.econsumer.gov
Website, hosted by the Federal Trade Commission, which is a joint effort of consumer protection agencies from 17 nations or go to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center http://www.ic3.gov/ 

To file a complaint about unsolicited e-mail, contact the U.S. Department of Justice at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/spam.htm

ISSS-BU is a listserv owned and managed by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Division of Student Affairs, at the State University of New York at Binghamton. It is the publisher of ISSS-BU News . Permission is granted to freely distribute the information posted to this list as long as its contents remain unchanged.