1. Spring 2008 Orientation For New Students Begins Thursday, January 24
2. ISSS Staff Availability on January 24 and 25th
3. Most ISSS Website Tax Pages Updated for 2007 Tax Year
4. Course Registration Information for Spring 2008
5. Preparing a US-Style Resume” Workshop Friday, January 25
6. Income Tax Information: Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements
7. Income Tax Information: Form 1099-INT

1. Spring 2008 Orientation For New Students Begins Thursday, January 24

International Student Orientation activities begin Thursday, January 24, and orientation packets will be distributed during orientation check-in, Thursday January 24 from 9:00am to 12 Noon in the University Union Tillman Lobby (in front of the Mandela Room in the Old University Union).

Orientation schedules and orientation information may be viewed from the ISSS homepage, http://isss.binghamton.edu

2. ISSS Staff Availability on January 24 and 25th

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services will be open for regular office hours beginning Tuesday, January 22. However, most staff will be away from the office during Thursday and Friday, January 24 and 25, participating in various New Student Orientation activities.

This means that obtaining appointments, document processing and responses to e-mails may take somewhat longer than usual while staff takes care of the newest class of international students. ISSS thanks you for your patience and understanding!

3. Most ISSS Website Tax Pages Updated for 2007 Tax Year

Thanks to the efforts of Sapna Gursahani, ISSS student assistant, the ISSS website tax pages have nearly all been updated for the 2007 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. Please remember that non-resident income tax forms cannot be e-filed.  You will need to mail your tax forms once you have completed them.

The ISSS is pleased to announce that for the third 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 early February.  The ISSS is awaiting receipt of passwords and log-in requirements from the developer.

Students who used CINTAX last year for completing 2006 federal income tax returns should note that they will need to request a new user id and password to use the new version of CINTAX.  Previously issued user ids and passwords will not work with the new version.  ISSS will send an e-mail notice to students once we receive the information from CINTAX.

The ISSS will also be offering income tax workshops on the web, to answer your questions and provide assistance with completing tax forms.  Those will be announced in early February.

4. Workshop On How to Prepare a US-Style Resume Friday, January 25

The annual “Job and Internship Fair” will be held Thursday, February 14 from 11:00am – 3:30pm in the Mandela Room and Old Union Hall.  Get yourself ready for the Fair and other potential hiring opportunities by attending a workshop specifically for international students on Friday, January 25th from 1:30 to 3:00pm. in Lecture Hall 7.

How do you create a resume to get you a job in the US?  This workshop offers tips for what U.S. employers expect in terms of appropriate format, style and content. Learn what is appropriate and what isn't appropriate to include in a resume.  Find out what services are available in the Career Development Center to help you prepare an appropriate resume.

The Career Development Center and the ISSS office are co-sponsoring this program.

5. Course Registration Information for Spring 2008

Please note that compliance with the University’s Immunization Requirements is a pre-requisite for registration for new students.  New international students with any questions or concerns regarding these requirements will find additional information at the following link:
http://health.binghamton.edu/newstudents.htm

The University’s BUSI registration system will be turned on for Spring 2008 course registration beginning Friday, January 25, 2008 for new students.  The system will be available from 8:00am to 6:00am (22 hours per day) seven days a week until the course add and course drop/delete deadline of Friday, February 8.  After that date, the system will allow for course withdrawals until the course withdrawal deadline of Friday, April 4, 2008.  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

Schedule of Classes

The Schedule of Classes for Spring 2008 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 debt and students who have not complied with MMR/meningitis immunization requirements, and students from previous semesters who haven't submitted a health form to the Health Service office 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

Registration Starting Times and Room Assignments

Students are assigned starting times for spring registration according to their total cumulative credits, not including in progress courses. Students can check their total cumulative credits by going to the BUSI Web Center http://busi.binghamton.edu and clicking on “View Grades and Credits.”

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.

6. Income Tax Information: Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements

This week's income tax information is about the W-2 form, which is also known as a Wage and Tax Statement.  Many international students and scholars who were employed during calendar year 2007 may have just received or will soon receive their W-2 forms in the mail.  If you were employed in the United States for any period of time during 2007, each employer for whom your worked is required to report your earnings to both you and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  By law, W-2s must be mailed no later than January 31. 

If you worked during 2007, whether off campus (including paid internships) or on-campus at Binghamton University or at a previous school and have not received your form W-2 by February 1, contact your former employer right away. It is possible that they do not have your current address.  You will be required to include a copy of each W-2 form with your federal and state income tax forms.  The IRS computer system will match the income you report with what they have received from the employer.

Different kinds of taxes are withheld by employers. The W-2 form has boxes for reporting withholding of Federal Income Tax (box 2), Social Security Tax (box 4), Medicare Tax (box 6), State Income Tax (box 17) and local income tax (box 19). Some individuals who received form W-2 will find that all of these boxes have amounts in them, others will find only some or none of the boxes showing tax withheld. We'll discuss Social Security and Medicare withholding in a future tax information article.

7. Income Tax Information: Form 1099-INT

If you have an interest-bearing savings account, checking account, or certificate of deposit, you may have received or will soon receive a letter from your bank that summarizes the interest you earned on your account(s) during calendar year 2007.  Known as form 1099-INT, it is a statement of interest earned from your bank or credit union.  Be sure to retain such statements, they may be needed for your federal income tax filing.

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.