________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Visit  the  ELI  NEWS  online:    http://www.eli.pitt.edu/GENINFO/activities/index.html  

ELI NEWS English Language Institute • University of Pittsburgh 07-06-17, Volume 53 Issue 10 Parkvale Building, Room M13, 200 Meyran Ave • Pittsburgh PA 15260 Abram Balestra, abb79@pitt.edu

ELI Activity: ELI NIGHT Wednesday, July 19

Get ready for one of the most highly anticipated activities in the ELI! ELI Night will be held on Wednesday, July 19 from 4-7 pm in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. ELI Night is a potluck dinner for ELI students and teachers, Talk Time leaders, conversation partners, and their families and friends. At a potluck

dinner, everyone brings a dish to share. The dish should be enough to feed you and your guests and approximately 6-8 others. There is always a diverse selection of delicious food to select from. You will not leave hungry! To compensate guests for their hard work preparing food, after dinner, ELI students and teachers perform. If you’d like to sing, dance, or play an instrument for us, please let Rob know as soon as possible so that he can plan accordingly. If you are too timid to perform alone, get your classmates together and perform something as a group. This year, we’ll also be doing karaoke! Karaoke is a form of entertainment in which people sing along to music. You see the words on a TV screen, and you sing the words. If you have a song you’d like us to sing for karaoke at ELI Night, you must let Rob know in advance. Again, if you’d like to perform in any way at ELI Night, please email Rob at Rob.Mucklo@pitt.edu if you are interested in performing. He will respond to confirm your performance.

Coffee Talk on Fridays! 4:00 – 6:00 pm Panera (3800

Forbes Ave.)

I-20 Expiration Dates for F-1

Students By Stacy Ranson

The end of the semester is coming soon! If you are an F-1 student, please check the expiration date on your I-20. On page 1 of your I-20, under #5, you will see a beginning date for your studies and a completion date for your studies. Remember that it is your responsibility to make sure that your I-20 does not expire. If your I-20 will expire at the end of this semester, you must see Stacy Ranson if you want to extend your time at the ELI. It is too late to request an extension after your I-20 has expired, so please take a moment to check now.

Change! F1 Students and End-of-Term

Grace Period Beginning summer, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security will require students to complete all levels of the ELI program in order to receive the 60-day grace period following the completion of study. This means that if you complete level 6 at the ELI, you will have 60 days after your last day of study to remain in the U.S. If you complete study at the ELI before taking level 6, you will have a two-week grace period after your final day of class. This means that you will need to leave the U.S. within 2 weeks of your last day of study if you do not complete level 6. Please note that the grace period is different for students who transfer to a new program. If you transfer to a new program at any time, you must begin

study at the first available term for the new program. You are permitted to be out of school for up to 5 months before beginning the first available term of your new program, however. Please see Stacy if you have questions about these policies.

Pre-registration for Next Term

If you are planning to continue in the ELI and you have not seen Stacy, you must visit her during her office hours by July 31 to sign up for classes. Remember, the ELI enrollment is very full. If you want to participate in classes, you must pre-register. If you want to return to the ELI next semester and you have not talked to Stacy yet, you must see her soon.

Help Us With the New ELI Website!

   The ELI is almost done with our new website, and we’d like to give ELI students a sneak peek and get your feedback before it is published. Please come to the ELI Computer Lab TODAY (July 13) any time between 1 and 1:50 pm. It will just take a few minutes of your time to take a look at the website, browse a few pages, and tell us what you think. If you have any questions, email Rob at Rob.Mucklo@pitt.edu

www.facebook.com/PittELI

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Visit  the  ELI  NEWS  online:    http://www.eli.pitt.edu/GENINFO/activities/index.html                                                                                                                                                                                      2                                                            

ELI Activity:

Kennywood

If you purchased a ticket to attend Pitt Day at Kennywood, we’ll meet at the ELI at 9:30 am on Sunday, July 16, and take the 61C bus to Kennywood together. The park opens at 10:30 am and the park closes at 10 pm. Rob will stay at the park until 6 pm, but you can leave the park anytime you wish. Please email Rob at Rob.Mucklo@pitt.edu to let him know you are attending and if you will take the bus with the ELI or go directly to the park. If you go on your own, be sure to check the map for where the Pitt Pavilion is located so that you know where to go for lunch! Lunch is included in the price of your ticket. If you haven’t purchased your tickets but would still like to go, tickets might still be available. Go to https://www.kennywood.com/pitt and scroll down to 2017 Pitt FunDay Tickets. For more information about Kennywood, visit https://www.kennywood.com/.

Address Updates By Abram Balestra

Remember, each time that you change your address, you must update your address with the University of Pittsburgh and with immigration. Please visit the ELI Main Office to update your address. You must also change your address with the bank, your cell phone provider, and with any other company or office that is using your old address. If you are expecting a refund from the university, the university will mail it to the address they have on file. Therefore, if you don’t update your address your check may be mailed to the wrong place.

Letters of Recommendation

Many of you will need to ask Stacy for a letter of recommendation if you are

applying to other institutions. There are two important things to remember when making a request for a letter. The first factor is that letters of recommendation are based on your performance at the ELI. Stacy uses your grade reports as a resource for information about your performance. If you miss a lot of classes and don’t do your work, your letter of recommendation will not be very strong. The second important factor is time. Please remember that it takes approximately one week to receive a letter of recommendation. Stacy has many letters to write, and she cannot provide them immediately when you ask for them. This means that if you need a letter before the semester break in August, you should request it by Monday, July 31. If you request a letter after this date, or during the break, you will have to wait until after the fall term begins. Please plan ahead when making your requests.

First Day of Fall 2017 Term

Please remember that if you are planning to study at the ELI next term, the first day of official attendance is Friday, September 8, 2017. If you arrive at the ELI after the first day of official attendance, you will be counted absent for each day that you miss. If you cannot arrive by Friday, September 15, you will need to wait until the next semester to attend the ELI. Please see Stacy if you cannot arrive by September 15.

Writers Wanted!

The ELI loves to publish articles by its students. Would you like to share your thoughts on a recent ELI activity? Would you like to write about your American experience? If so, please email your submissions to us at elipitt@pitt.edu. All levels are welcome!

Pitt Master of Laws for Foreign-Trained

Lawyers Program (LLM)

 The University of Pittsburgh offers a Master of Laws (LLM) degree that provides lawyers who have already completed a law degree outside the U.S. with training in common law legal tradition and the U.S. legal system. This is a one-year program with an average of 15 students each year. It is offered by the School of Law’s Center for International Legal Education. For acceptance to this program, TOEFL and IELTS scores are waived for students who have completed all classes at ELI Level 5 or 6 with at least 85% final grades in each class. Applicants must also have a recommendation from the ELI Student Advisor. See Stacy if you have questions, or find out more about getting your LLM at Pitt Law School by visiting the LLM program website at http://law.pitt.edu/llm, or call 412-648-7023. ELI Activity:

Pitt Night at PNC Park!

Join the ELI as we cheer for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they take on the Cincinnati Reds on Wed., Aug. 2, at 7:05 pm. Everyone in our group will get a limited edition University of Pittsburgh/Pittsburgh Pirates cap! Tickets are $20 each and will be in the Grandstand. Sign up in the main office by 2 pm on Friday, July 14. Please bring the exact amount, cash only. Feel free to buy a ticket for a friend, too, even if they are not in the ELI. This is University of Pittsburgh Night at PNC Park, so there will be LOTS of Pitt students and employees there. Show your Pitt pride by wearing your ELI t-shirt to the game, too! There are no refunds and no cancellations. Baseball games are rarely cancelled because of weather. Even if it rains, we will still go to the game.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Visit  the  ELI  NEWS  online:    http://www.eli.pitt.edu/GENINFO/activities/index.html                                                                                                                                                                                      3                                                            

Summer Fridays at The Frick!  

by Rachael Crabb    Every Friday during the summer, The Frick hosts Summer Fridays, which include free music performances and activities on the grounds of The Frick. The musical performances start at 6:30 p.m. and all activities last until 9:00 p.m. In addition to performances and activities, visitors also have the chance to tour Clayton, the Frick family home, dine at The Café at the Frick, enjoy food from local food trucks, and even picnic on the Frick grounds. Everything is free except for admission to the Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty exhibit, which costs $10 per person. For more information, visit: http://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/visitor-information/summer-fridays/

F1 Students and Part Time Study

 Students with F1 visas have the benefit of taking a vacation term for part time study. If you have studied full time at the ELI for two semesters, you can choose to take a break next semester or to study part time. You may only take one vacation term during your study at the ELI. Please remember that you must pre-register for this benefit. You cannot change to a vacation term after the term starts. There are no exceptions to this rule. The deadline for choosing a vacation term or part time study for F1 students is July 31, 2017. Also, please remember that Saudi and Kuwaiti students who are sponsored by their governments are not allowed to study part time because of sponsor rules. If you are a sponsored student and would like to study part time, you must provide a letter of permission from your sponsor before July 31. This letter must be in English. The ELI does not make these requests for students; you must speak to your sponsor yourself.

ELI Activity:

Pittsburgh Symphony

If you purchased a ticket to attend the Symphony on Friday, July 14, you can get your ticket from Rob at lunch on Thursday in Room M18. If you plan to take the bus downtown to Heinz Hall with the group, we will meet at 6:30 in the lobby of the Parkvale Building. The performance starts at 8 pm, but we’ll leave a bit early because of traffic.

Transfer Process Students with F1 visas who want to transfer to a new school must see Stacy to complete the transfer. You must bring a copy of the acceptance letter and the transfer form from the new school. You may transfer at any time during the term, but you must complete this process to remain in legal status. Remember that if you complete your final term of study at level 6 at the ELI, you have a 60-day grace period. During that time, you may stay in the U.S. without studying, and you may request a transfer at any time during that 60-day period. If you do not complete level 6, you have a 2-week grace period, and you must request a transfer within that time.

If you do not request a transfer during the grace period, you will be out of status at the end of your grace period, and it will be too late to transfer your SEVIS record. Please see Stacy if you have any questions about this process.

Lateness

Please remember that the ELI Attendance policy states that a student will be considered absent if the student is over 5 minutes late for class. Your teachers do not have any flexibility with this policy; they must mark you absent if you are over 5 minutes late. Please be aware of your breaks between classes and come to class on time.

ELI Storytellers Series

One of the benefits of studying at the ELI is the chance to meet and to learn from people with diverse backgrounds and experience. The ELI Storytellers Series gives students the opportunity to share their stories with classmates. Speakers give a 10-15 minute presentation, followed by a question and answer period. The talks are scheduled during the 1:00 lunch break. The series is open to all ELI students, and it is a great way to get extra speaking and listening practice outside of class. How about you? Do you have an interest or a skill you would like to tell us about? Have you accomplished something special or done something fun and exciting? Would you like to share information about your culture or hometown? What is your story? If you are interested in giving a short presentation, or if you know someone who should, email Stacy at sar72@pitt.edu.

Personal Belongings

in Classrooms We have noticed that many students leave their personal belongings in ELI classrooms during the lunch break each day. The ELI cannot guarantee the safety of your bags, laptops, or other items. Remember that it is always safest to keep your personal belongings with you, or locked in your ELI locker. If you leave your things in an ELI classroom during the lunch break, you are taking a chance that you may lose them. The classroom door may be locked when you leave, but please remember that many people have keys to those doors. The ELI cannot guarantee that the classroom will remain locked until you return. In addition, you should never leave your belongings alone in the ELI hallways, on a restaurant table, or in any other public place. It only takes a second for someone to take what is yours, so please be careful! If you would like to sign up for a locker, see the ELI main office.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Visit  the  ELI  NEWS  online:    http://www.eli.pitt.edu/GENINFO/activities/index.html                                                                                                                                                                                      4                                                            

Sponsored Students and Final Exams

By Stacy Ranson Please note that if you are a sponsored student, and you miss your final exam for any reason, or if you fail the final exam, your sponsor will be notified immediately. Final exams in the ELI are worth 30% of the overall final grade, and both the ELI and your sponsors expect you to take the exams and to perform as well as you can on them. Remember, too, that satisfactory academic progress is a requirement of the F1 visa. If you fail courses, your F1 visa may be revoked. Please check the posted schedules for ELI final exams and plan your schedule accordingly.

Student Advisor Office Hours

Please remember that Stacy Ranson, your Student Advisor, can help you with questions about your registration and classes, academic issues, letters of recommendation, and personal issues, as well. Feel free to stop by her office in M22 during any of her office hours. You can also email her at sar72@pitt.edu.

ELI Absence Policy

We often have questions about excused absences in the ELI. It is true that if you are sick, it is not appropriate for you to come to school—you may infect others, and it is crucial that you rest to get well. Please note, though, that the ELI attendance policy states that “there is no such thing as an excused absence” in the ELI. Even if you are sick, the absence must be counted as an absence according to the ELI rules. If you miss over 8 classes, you will not receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the term. If you miss over 12, you may not be invited back to the ELI next term. If you are an F-1 student and you miss over 15 classes, your visa may be terminated. Please see the online Student Handbook for more information on the ELI attendance policy. Also, please remember that if you do not do the work in your classes and the homework, this will affect your grade.

If you want to make progress with your language learning, it is important that you attend class on time, regularly, with your homework complete. Please see Stacy if you have any questions or concerns about attendance in the ELI.

Repeating Level 6

at the ELI Many of you are making plans for your academic future here in the U.S. Please remember that ELI students are allowed to take only two semesters at level 6. After you complete two terms at level 6, you must transfer to another program if you want to stay in the U.S. The ELI cannot make exceptions to this rule, so please plan carefully.

ELI Student Library

The student library is on the mezzanine floor outside of Stacy’s office, M22. Students can borrow one book at a time for two weeks. You must write your name, book title, email address, and the date that you borrow and return the book on the sign out sheet. You can access the books when the ELI is open.

Most of the books are graded readers. A graded reader is a book with limited vocabulary and grammar structures, and is often a short version of a longer book. A graded reader is a good learning resource for ELI students because you read longer, connected texts at an appropriate level. If the vocabulary and grammar are simplified, you can focus on general reading comprehension.

There are a few novels and short story collections, too. If you want to read more authentic books, visit Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh and become a member of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The Oakland branch is located very near the ELI. Use this link to get more information about becoming a member: http://www.clpgh.org/usingthelibrary/getcard.html

Deutschtown Music Festival

On Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, the North Side will be hosting its annual Deutschtown Music Festival.

Now in its fifth year, the music festival will feature more than 200 bands over the course of 2 days, on 30 different stages around the North Shore. The bands will play a variety of different music, ranging from jazz to electronic. The best part about the festival is that it is completely free!

There will be a variety of shows on outdoor stages, such as the Allegheny Commons East Stage and the Middle and Foreland Stage, which will be open to all ages. However, some of the performances are age restricted, so it’s best to check beforehand if any of the bands you want to see will be in an age-restricted venue.

In addition to the musical performances, there will also be around 20 vendors from the Pittsburgh area, in an effort to support Deutschtown’s local businesses. There will be a pop-up bike repair shop, drum corps, and many other activities around the neighborhood. Many of the performances will also be taking place in Deutschtown’s bars and restaurants, helping them get more business from the people who attend the festival.

If you’d like to learn more information, you can visit their website at http://deutschtownmusicfestival.org. On their website you can access a full schedule of events for the festival, as well as a map of all the venues, a list of sponsors, recent news articles, and all of their social media pages.

Therapy Dog Tuesdays at Pitt

by Anthony Verardi Love dogs?   Come meet some every Tuesday night from 7 to 8 pm at the Cathedral of Learning Commons Room (first floor of the tall building) as part of the Campus Canine Program! Volunteers from the Humane Society bring their dogs to visit students and members of the public who are on Pitt's campus. It gives everyone the chance to relax and just have fun. For more information, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tdt.pitt.