Greetings,
To all of our new International
Students welcome, and to all of our returning International Students, welcome
back! I hope that everyone is ready for a great semester.
Here are a few points to remember as
the semester begins …
1.
If you are entered into SEVIS (and
all those F-1 students receiving this message should be) you must be “registered” in SEVIS (indicating
that you are “present" at
·
In order to register you I must know
that you are here ... which means that I must SEE YOU! Therefore, you must stop by my office and “check-in”
within the first thirty (30) days of the semester. When you stop by to
check-in please bring the following items with you: your fall 2008 class
schedule, passport, I-94 Card and current Form I-20. When you check-in, I
will also ask you to fill out a brief form, verifying your address, telephone
number and other relevant information.
·
Please note that SEVIS will
automatically CANCEL the Form I-20 of any individual who is not registered
within 30 days of the start of classes. Please be advised that it is YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that I know you are here, so do not forget to come
and check-in.
2.
If you transferred here from another
institution and have not yet been issued a Form I-20 from
3.
During the 2005 -2006 academic year
the college implemented new procedures to comply with the federal law, FERPA
(the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Please refer to the email
message entitled “Very
Important Policy Change!” (which has been sent out several times) for
complete details.
·
I strongly encourage each of you to
submit a completed FERPA
Waiver/Authentication Form as soon as possible. You may submit your
completed Form in one
of two ways:
1.
You can bring the completed Form to the
registrar’s Office in Guenther Hall, where one of the staff members will verify
your identity before you sign the Form.
2.
You can mail the completed form
in. If you choose this option the Form must be notarized to verify your
signature. If the Form is not notarized
it will not be accepted!
4.
If you plan on traveling outside the
·
In other words, the signature on the
last page of your Form I-20 cannot be more than 12 months old on the day you
attempt to re-enter the U.S. (e.g., if you are planning to re-enter the U.S. on
March 27, 2009, be sure that your current Form I-20 has an authorizing signature
for travel (re-entry) no older than March 26,
2008).
·
If you need an updated signature for
travel, please visit the Office of International Student Services as soon as
possible. Do not wait until the last minute (e.g., the day before you are
leaving the
5.
Individuals in F-1 Status are
granted permission to stay for the period of time reasonably required to pursue
a full course of study in an educational program, plus a grace period of 60 days
in which to depart from the
·
The 60 “clock” begins when you Form
I-20 expires on the Program End Date, found on your Form I-20, where it says “ …
complete studies not later than,” or on the date you complete your academic
program, whichever comes first.
·
After the 60 grace period has ended,
if you are still in the United States and have not received a valid Form I-20
from a transfer institution or applied for either a change of status or
employment authorization (and are awaiting a decision), you will begin to accrue
“Unlawful Presence.”
6.
Please remember that F-1 Students
are required to enroll in and successfully complete 12 credit hours per
semester. It is important to note that courses that the college does not
issue academic credit for do not count toward the 12 credit hours per
semester.
·
Please check and make sure that you
have successfully completed a minimum of 12 credit hours for the spring 2008
semester.
·
If you have completed less than 12
credit hours for the spring 2008 semester (without prior approval to reduce your
course load) you will need to apply for Reinstatement to Lawful F-1
Status. If you have any questions about this please come and see
me.
·
Regarding on-line or distance
education courses, F-1 students are not permitted to count more than three
credits toward the full course of study requirements. Therefore, students
in F-1 Status must enroll in a minimum of 9 credits of classroom based courses.
7.
Please check the "Program End date"
on your Form I-20. If this date is the end of this semester, and you are
not transferring or completing your program, and plan on returning to Hudson
Valley Community College for the next semester, you will need to apply for an
extension on your Form I-20.
·
If you need an extension, you must
apply for it prior to your program end date. If you wait until after the
program end date has passed you will need to apply for Reinstatement to Lawful
F-1 Status. Please check your Form I-20 and if necessary, come see me as
soon as possible. If you have any questions about this please come and see
me.
8.
If you moved and/or changed your
name (e.g. due to marriage) during the break between semesters, please remember
that you are required to notify the Office of International Student Services of
any address or name change within 10 days, so the changes can then be entered
into SEVIS, and a new Form I-20 can be issued (in the case of a name
change).
9.
If you plan on bringing dependents
(i.e. spouse, children) to the
10.
If you changed your major and/or
degree level during the break between semesters, please remember that you are
required to notify the Office of International Student Services of any address
or name change within 21 days, so the changes can then be entered into SEVIS,
and a new Form I-20 can be issued.
11.
If you are interested in signing up
for a locker (to make your life easier during the day) visit the Technical
Services Office, located in Fitzgibbons Hall, Room # 337. There is no fee
to reserve a locker for the semester. Simply bring with you your class
schedule and Hudson Valley Community College Student ID
Card.
12.
Since Office of International
Student Services frequently sends out information via email, remember to check
your email account regularly (at least twice per week).
·
The Office
of International Students Services will only use Hudson Valley Community College
E-mail address (to send student specific information), and will not send E-mail
to students at an alternate email address (i.e. Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Juno, and
Excite) after the first week of class. Remember that these E-mail messages
are important and that not reading them can have negative consequences (e.g.,
missing important information that could jeopardize my F-1 Status).
·
If you think that you may have
missed an email message from the Office of International Student Services, don't
worry. The most important messages can also be found in the Office of
International Student Services Email Archive at: http://academ.hvcc.edu/~deitcjay/EmailArchive.htm.
13.
It is strongly recommended that you
join the International Students’ Discussion List. This is an electronic
“meeting place” especially designed for International Students (current and
Alumni), Faculty and Staff of Hudson Valley Community College, to "get together"
and share information.
·
If you are interested in joining the
List, simply send a blank email message (no subject or text) to the following
email address: IS_HVCC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
You will then receive a follow-up message to confirm your registration.
14.
The 12th edition the International
Student Handbook, which was released on August 20, 2008, is available
on-line. Please download, print and read this edition of the
Handbook. If you have any questions about the Handbook please contact
me. The Handbook can be found at the following URL:
http://hvcc.edu/international/handbook.pdf.
15.
Don't forget to check out the
International Students section of
Mr.
Coordinator for International
Student Services/PDSO
& Director of International
Education
Hudson Valley Community College
80 Vandenburgh Avenue
Troy, NY 12180-6096
(Voice) 518-629-7567
(Fax) 518-629-4576
Email: j.deitchman@hvcc.edu
Skype: jay.deitchman.hvcc
For all those who are interested .
Don't forget to check out the
International Students section of the
The new 12th
Edition of the International Student Handbook (released on August 20, 2008) is
now available @: http://www.hvcc.edu/international/handbook.pdf. If
you have any questions about the Handbook please contact
me.
Don't miss an opportunity!
Remember to check out the International Student Events section of the
If you think that you may have
missed an Email message from the International Student Advisor, don't
worry. The most important messages are archived at the following url:
http://academ.hvcc.edu/%7Edeitcjay/EmailArchive.htm
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This
e-mail is meant only for the use of the intended recipient. It may contain
information which is confidential or otherwise protected by law. If you
received this e-mail in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it
to you, you are strictly prohibited from reviewing, using, disseminating,
distributing or copying the e-mail. PLEASE NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY OF THE
ERROR BY RETURN E-MAIL AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEM. Thank you
for your cooperation.