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ARCHIVES
October 6, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
•SEVIS Fees Increase!
•Culture Shock
•Auburn Abroad in the Amazon
•Spring Study Abroad Programs: VISA Requirements
•International Week at Auburn University in November
•STEM Majors - Apply now for the NSEP
Study Abroad Scholarships
•Maintaining Immigration Status - Part I
•New Costa Rica Eco-Adventure Program open to All Auburn Students
•Summer Auburn Abroad Programs
- Recruiting Now
SEVIS Fees Increase!
Effective October 27, 2008, the SEVIS (I-901) fee that is required by the
Department of Homeland Security and is paid by all F-1
international students and scholars will increase from $100 to
$200. J-1 exchange visitor fees will increase from $100 to
$180. This fee must be paid by ALL
international students and scholars prior
to obtaining their visas. Please notify potential students
and scholars whom you will be recruiting for a start date of
January 2009 or later. Our website and forms will be adjusted
to reflect this increase as soon as it takes effect. The
justification for the fee increase is currently posted in the
Federal Register. The following is a link to the press release
from the Department of Homeland Security:
http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/sevp_release.pdf.
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Culture Shock
“At first it was hard for me to communicate with other Americans, especially southerners. I couldn’t understand their accent.” – Tsega Mesfin (Ethiopa)
“I miss the 3Fs—family, friends and food.” – Xiang Wan (China)
Moving to another country can be quite an undertaking. The true challenge is what you experience after you have settled in. Some of you may have experienced stress and anxiety from trying to operate within this new cultural and social environment. This phenomenon is known as culture shock. These feelings of strain and tension are often caused from adjusting to the new foods, customs, activities, and the language. Read
more about culture shock
here.
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Auburn Abroad in the Amazon
If you
thought study abroad through Auburn only meant sitting in a
classroom, read
Jane McNeal’s Global Tiger Tale
about her experience in the Amazon region of Brazil and
Venezuela.
Living with an indigenous tribe for a week was a small part
of the wilderness training she received during her semester
abroad. Jane participated in the National Outdoor
Leadership School (NOLS) program. Earlier destinations for Auburn
students on NOLS programs were the Canadian Yukon and
the Chilean Patagonia. More information about Global
Tiger Tales is available
here. [top]
Spring Study Abroad Programs: VISA Requirements
If you
are interested in studying abroad in the January 2009 Programs,
October 16, 2008 is the deadline for sending in your
visa application package. Please check with the Office
of International Education – Auburn Abroad Section to determine if you need a visa to
enter the country where your study abroad program is located
(i.e. destination country). If you are on an Auburn
Faculty Led program, we are already working with your
faculty to get these forms to you, so please check with your
faculty leader. A visa is usually a separate stamp issued
by the destination country’s consulate in the USA,
then
placed in your passport. The visa stamp verifies that the
passport holder can enter a particular country, in the same
way a
movie ticket allows you to enter a movie theater. If a
visa is required and you do not have one, you will be stopped at the customs
desk and sent home at your own
expense. Visa applications and costs depend on your country of
citizenship and the rules of the destination country. For passport or
visa information, see our
website. If you have any questions, please email us at
intledu@auburn.edu. [top]
International Week at Auburn University in November
In recognition of the
Department of State’s International Week festivities at
universities around the US during November, Auburn
University will be holding several international events and
seminars in October and November.
COSAM and the Honors College are sponsoring a presentation
on October 14th at 10am. This presentation on the first
research program of the Organization of Tropical Studies in
Costa Rica is open to undergraduate students. Contact Dr.
Paul Harris
pah0005@auburn.edu for details. The Office of International Student Life
will be holding the
World’s Fair on November 6 at 10am in the main area of the
New Student Center, located on the 2nd Floor. International
students will be exhibiting art and information about their
countries. Please contact Nejla Orgen at
orgenny@auburn.edu
for additional info.
On November 7th, Tiger Nights will also include
international activities. The International Photo Exhibit,
highlighting student photos from around the world, will be
held from November 10th-13th in the main area of the New
Student Center on the 2nd floor. This event is sponsored by
The Office of International Education - Auburn Abroad, the
Office of International Student Life, the Office of
Multicultural Affairs and the Intensive English Program.
Email intledu@auburn.edu
for details and watch Auburn Daily for other upcoming
international activities.
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STEM Majors - Apply now for the NSEP Study Abroad Scholarships
Dr. Paul Harris is currently assisting students in
obtaining nationally prestigious study abroad scholarships such as the National Security Education Program (NSEP)
Scholarship, also known as the Boren Awards. Only Science and Engineering Majors can get summer study abroad programs funded by NSEP.
All other majors must go abroad for a semester to get
funding. Students need to work with Dr. Harris now to
develop their essays so that the final package can be
delivered for evaluation and comment by
December 1, 2008. Becoming an NSEP scholar has financial and
career benefits including job placement assistance upon graduation. NSEP scholars are
given priority for new job openings in a variety of areas in the US
Government.
For more information on this scholarship, contact Dr. Harris
pah0005@auburn.edu
or go to
www.borenawards.org. [top]
Maintaining Immigration Status- Part I
International students can fail to maintain their immigration status for a number of reasons. Unauthorized employment is the
number one
reason that an international student may fail to maintain their status. The consequences
of unauthorized employment are that they must stop all earnings immediately and apply to reinstate either inside the USA which takes months and during which time the student cannot work OR they can travel back to their home country and reapply and reenter if granted a new visa. Ninety
percent (90%) of the time, this is due to exceeding the 20 hour maximum
workload that is allowed by Federal Regulations. The two exceptions to this rule are summer semester (if it is not the student’s first semester here at Auburn) and the official university holiday weeks of Christmas break and spring break. This
applies to both F-1 and J-1 students. Both F-1 and J-1 students are prohibited from working off campus without prior permission from both OIE and the Federal Government.
Off-campus work authorization is allowed through CPT/OPT for F-1 students and Academic Training for J-1s. For more details, please see the
online handbook or our
forms page.
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New Costa Rica Eco-Adventure Program open to All Auburn Students
The
College of Education is currently recruiting for its new
Eco-Adventure Program this summer in Costa Rica. This
program is open to ALL Auburn students. Students will engage in
a variety of outdoor activities for AU credit and will be
working alongside students from National University of
Costa Rica on a service project. Contact Dr. Peter Hastie,
hastipe@auburn.edu
for details.
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Summer Auburn Abroad Programs - Recruiting Now
If you
plan to study abroad in summer 2009, now is the time to
reserve your space in study/internship programs and to check on
funding. Currently, all Auburn colleges have study abroad
programs. Please check with your advisor for programs in
your college or see the
Auburn Abroad Program Search.
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