January 19, 1999
Phone: 601.232.7404
Fax: 601.232.7486
Email: ipdept@olemiss.edu
online edition edited by Brian O'Flynn
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Preliminary planning has begun for the International Spring Festival. Right now we are gauging the interest in a festival. Any student who would like to participate may contact Bryan Bradford at 232-7404. We need people who are committed to donating their time, ideas, energy and work to make this project a success. All students are welcome.
International students will be receiving a post
card soon asking about your individual and your country's commitment to
participating in a festival. Most of all WE NEED AND WANT IDEAS FROM
YOU!!! Give Bryan a call, or better yet, COME SEE HIM and talk about
it. Most of all, we need you to be dedicated to being a part.
Thanks.
*The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), requires international students to be enrolled full-time. For undergraduate students, full-time enrollment is 12 hours or more; for graduate students, full-time enrollment is 9 hours or more. Even during the dissertation stage, graduate students must enroll for at least 9 hours to maintain full-time status.
There are 2 exceptions to the full-time enrollment status:
1) If you will be graduating at the end of the semester, you can enroll for the minimum hours required to complete your degree. You must present to the Office of International Programs a letter from academic department verifying it's your last semester and that you only need x number of hours.
2) If you have a medical condition which prohibits you from enrolling in school, you must present a letter to the Office of International Programs from the physician treating you verifying your inability to enroll that semester.
*Please do not forget that your I-20 must have correct information on it at all times. If you have changed or added a major, switched degree programs, or your financial matters have changed, YOU MUST OBTAIN A NEW I-20. Please see Jean Robinson in the Office of International Programs if you need a new I-20.
*Check the graduation date on your I-20. If that date has expired, you are considered "Out of Status" by the INS. This is a serious problem - please don't let it happen to you. If you are not going to graduate by the date on your I-20 you must apply for an extension. To do that, you must present a letter to the Office of International Programs stating the new graduation date and the reason why you will not graduate on time. Please note that the reason for the delay must be a legitimate academic reason and no fault of the student. I-20 extensions can not be done more than 30 days prior to expiration of the current I-20. Please see Jean Robinson in the Office of International Programs if you need to extend your I-20.
*Please remember that the INS requires you to maintain a valid passport at all times. If your passport is about to expire, contact your embassy for instructions on renewing it. Your U.S. visa must be valid only for entering the United States; it can expire the day after you arrive.
*If you are a student in valid F-1 status graduating in May 1999 and want to take advantage of Optional Practical Training, you may begin applying now. You must first watch the video on Practical Training and pick up the necessary paperwork from the Office of International Programs. Once you've completed the paperwork, make an appointment with Jason Borders (cborders@olemiss.edu) or Tanja Owen (tanja@olemiss.edu) for processing the application.
The center is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 10pm, Friday from 9am to 4pm and Saturday from 2pm to 10pm. Most useful for international students are the ESL hours. These are on Monday 2pm to 6pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 11am and Friday 2pm to 4pm.
The Writing Center can be contacted at 232-7689, email writingc@olemiss.edu
Institutional TOEFL Exam dates for
this semester are February 20th and April 24th.