President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, addressed 800 people at Hendricks Chapel on May 1, 2007

PRESIDENT OF IRELAND MARY MCALEESE ADDRESSED SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAY 1, 2007

About 800 people attended President of Ireland Mary McAleese's address Tuesday afternoon in Hendricks Chapel, the culminating event in the SU School of Education's Centennial Year Celebration.

Many others followed her speech live on the Internet. A recorded webcast of the Hendricks Chapel event is available at http://soe100.syr.edu/video.cfm; a transcript of the speech is available at: http://soe100.syr.edu/transcript.cfm

Slutzker Center director Dr. Patricia Burak and office assistant, Amie Farrell, were both in attendance and highly recommend her address to all of you!  Amie, a dual citizen of Ireland and the USA, was invited to attend a luncheon with about 250 guests at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, at which McAleese received honors from Syracuse Mayor Matthew Driscoll and Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro. She then visited the Place of Remembrance, where she placed a bouquet of flowers at the base of the wall in honor of those who died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. [story reported by Kevin Morrow in SU NEWS May 2, 2007]

ADDITIONAL TRAVEL SEMINARS: MAY 4 & 7 AT 5 PM

Due to the increased need for travel information and signatures, the Slutzker Center for International Services will hold two additional Travel Seminars on Friday, May 4 at 5 pm and Monday, May 7 at 5 pm. The weekly travel seminars will still be held Tuesdays at 11 am and Wednesdays at 2 pm.

Please bring the following documents with you to the travel seminar: I-20 or DS-2019; passport, visa, proof of health insurance (indicating both the validity period for your coverage and that you have medical evacuation and repatriation insurance or a valid MEDEX card).

If you are unable to attend either seminar, nor arrive at the end of a seminar in order to have your documents reviewed then, you will have to fill out a fed ex airbill and include your credit card information and pay for us to mail your signed I-20 or DS-2019 to you in your home country.

FULL-TIME ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT SUMMER AUTHORIZATION PERIOD: MAY 10-AUGUST 24, 2007

On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours per week during the academic semester and may be increased to full-time (usually 40 hours) per week during the University-recognized summer, winter, and spring break.

The summer full-time on-campus employment authorization period will begin May 10 and continue through August 24, 2007.

If you are interested in working on-campus and have not yet completed the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Process, you must attend the On-Campus Employment Seminar offered Tuesdays at 10am and Fridays at 3pm at the Slutzker Center for International Service

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS BEGIN MAY 14: MON-FRI 8:00AM -4:30PM

Summer office hours for Syracuse University will begin on Monday, May 14 and will be in effect through Friday, August 24. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm.

EXTENSION OF YOUR PROGRAM OF STUDY

If you are a J-1 or F-1 student, maintaining status and making normal progress towards completing your degree, but will be unable to complete your course of study by the end date indicated on your DS-2019 or I-20, you must apply for a program extension prior to your document's expiration date. Please be advised that you must have a valid academic reason for the extension and in all but the most compelling case (e.g., documented illness or unexpected research difficulties) an incomplete is not a sufficient academic reason for an I-20 extension.

Currently, student's with end dates of May 9 and May 14, may submit extension materials at the Slutzker Center front desk. You will receive an e-mail within two business days to confirm receipt of your documents and a list of any additional items that you may have to submit.

In order for an extension to be authorized by the Slutzker Center, you must have a valid academic reason and submit the appropriate extension form, copies of your I-20/DS-2019's, passport, visa, and I-94 (and your dependents if applicable), proof of health insurance including medical evacuation and repatriation valid for one full year or until the end of your program, and proof of financial support for the extension period beginning from the day you submit the request continuing through to the end of your program or a year (whichever is first). Acceptable financial support includes: personal/family bank statement, assistantship letter, scholarship letter, fellowship letter and a notarized letter from a sponsor (relative or third party) and sponsor's financial bank statement.

In general, extension requests should be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the program end date, so always try to plan accordingly.

LIFE AFTER PRACTICAL TRAINING SEMINAR (WORK VISAS, PERMANENT RESIDENCY): MAY 7TH

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend for persons holding F-1 Student visas, whether they have used optional practical training or not, and J-1 Visa holders who are eligible, to change status and remain in the United States pursuant to employment. The most popular vehicles for this change are attempts to obtain either H-1B or TN status. Both require an offer qualifying employment from an employer who is willing to take part in the legal process of obtaining status, but there are essential differences. This seminar will cover concepts and questions related to transitioning from F or J status to temporary work visas and permanent resident status.

          Life After Practical Training Seminar
            Date: Monday, May 7
            Time 2:30 pm
            Location: Slutzker Center for International Services
            Presenter: Andrea Godfread-Brown

TEN TONS OF LOVE- APRIL 30TH-MAY 18TH

Ten Tons of Love is Syracuse University and SUNY ESF's annual food and clothing drive. Last year over 11 ½ tons of donated goods were collected. The drive runs from April 30-May 18, 2007.  To assist with collection, donation bins are placed in all residence halls and several other locations on and off campus. The bins are emptied daily from April 30-May 18 and the items collected are taken to an off-site agency for distribution. Ten Tons of Love is a collaborative effort between the Office of Off-Campus Student Services, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Students Offering Service, Department of Recreation Services and the University RAPE Center. Ten Tons of Love is only possible with the assistance of many volunteers, like you, to help load, move and sort all the donated items.

Volunteers are needed for the following:

• Loading and Moving: (9 a.m.-1 p.m., Meet at Hendricks Chapel)
  Volunteers meet at Hendricks Chapel at 9 a.m. and travel to the Residence Halls to load donated items into trucks to be taken to First English Lutheran Church. The shift ends at 1 p.m. Transportation and lunch is provided. *This opportunity involves some heavy lifting.
• Sorting: (11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1 p.m.-3 p.m., First English Lutheran Church, 501 James Street)
  Volunteers go directly to First English Lutheran to sort donated items by type and size. You will need to provide your own transportation to and from First English Lutheran Church.

CINCO DE MAYO SALSA RECIPE

• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
• dried or fresh finely chopped cilantro (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• cayenne pepper (to taste)

Combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapeño pepper in a bowl. Add cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.

Copyright © 2007 LESCIS. All rights reserved. The Lillian and Emanuel Slutzker Center for International Services. Syracuse University
310 Walnut Place. Syracuse, NY 13244-2380 Phone: (315) 443-2457 - Fax: (315) 443-3091 . Email: lescis@syr.edu