The ELI Weekly
The Weekly Newsletter of
the English Language Institute
Volume 148, Issue 3
May 31, 2022
Come and help out!
Volunteer Weekend
Help the local Gainesville community by signing up for ONE of these events! Please only sign up for one so that we can spread out opportunities
Saturday June 4th – Gardening at Porter’s Community Garden – 10:00am to 1:00pm
Volunteer with Keep Alachua County Beautiful by helping to plant and garden at this community garden! Meet in front of Porter’s Community Garden. Take bus 1 or 5.
Address: 518 SW 3rd St, Gainesville, FL 32601
Saturday June 4th – Project Downtown Gainesville – 12:45 to 2:15pm
Help serve a meal to the local homeless community. Socialize and make friends! Meet in front of Gainesville City Hall. Take bus 5.
Address: 200 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
Sunday June 5th – Millcreek Horse Farm – 9:30am to 2:00pm
Help at a farm that houses retired horses! See the horses and take care of their home! Meet at Norman Parking Garage to be driven by LAs.
Norman Parking Garage Address: 1242 SW 8th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
You must sign up to attend one of these events – Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-volunteer
Daytona Bus Tickets
Next week, on Saturday, June 11, we will be going to Daytona Beach. You can buy bus tickets for the June 11th bus trip to Daytona for the next two weeks or until they are sold out. You can buy tickets between 9am and 12:30 from Monday through Thursday when Tate is in the office. Tickets are 25 dollars cash only and, and be sure to bring your Gator1 ID. Space is limited!
Notes from the Office
Addresses: Just a reminder, everyone, if you move or change your address during the semester, it is very important to update your address with the Main Office. You can fill out a new Student Contact Card, or you can update your address at any time on myELI.
People Out: Please note that if you need to see Daryl, he will be out all of this week at the international NAFSA conference. Also, Victoria will be out one day next week, on Friday, June 10th.
Microwaves: A quick reminder, the microwave in the Resource Room at the ELI is for Staff and Faculty use only. We would love to be able to have students use it, but the room is too crowded for students to come in and we need to free it up for staff who have a limited time to have lunch. Though not in Matherly Hall, there are a number of microwaves available for student use. One is in the breezeway (where the vending machines are) at Turlington Hall, and there are others at Little Hall Express, the Reitz Union, and Newell Hall.
Hallway Etiquette: Just a few notes about hanging out in the Matherly hallway. Remember that this is a workplace. People’s offices (and not even just ELI staff) open onto this hallway, and it’s an active workplace. To that end, please be courteous and try to minimize noise levels. Also, it’s necessary to keep the hallways open. Try not to congregate in large groups in the middle, and definitely don’t sit or spread out on the floor beyond being next to the walls. On that same note, the stairways are not to be considered seating areas at all. If you would like someplace that’s easier to sit down without having to go outside, you will find that on the 2 floors below us, there are plenty of places to sit in the hallways. And finally, please do pick up your trash. Our wonderful maintenance staff does a great job of keeping our trash cans empty, and we don’t want to give them extra work.
Activities
No daily activity this Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday.
Tuesday May 31st – Volleyball – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2! No experience necessary! Take bus 34 or 35.
Address: 3900 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608
Wednesday June 1st– Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm – Please note day change
Come play Soccer on campus at Maguire Field! No experience necessary!
Address: Bledsoe Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611
Thursday June 2nd – Rotating Thursdays: GNV Farmers Market & Concert – 5:30 – 8:00pm
Come shop for food, crafts, local goods and more at this fun outdoor farmers market! After the market, there will be a concert so stay, listen, and socialize with friends at this unique venue. Meet at Heartwood Soundstage. Take bus 46, 1, or 5.
Address: 619 S Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601
Friday June 3rd – Café Friday – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at the Starbucks on Archer Road next to Burger Fi! Play games, speak English, and drink a coffee or get dinner at one of the restaurants nearby! Take bus 1.
Address: 3524 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608
Summer Weather Safety
We thought we’d let you know about a few things as the summer weather season kicks in. Be careful since North Central Florida has very interesting weather! It might look like a sunny day but then a thunderstorm will appear. Therefore, you should always have sunscreen and an umbrella in your backpack. You should also get into the habit of checking the weather each day. One hazard that you should watch out for is lightning. We have more thunderstorms in the summertime in Florida in a year than anywhere else in the world, so lightning here is a serious danger. If it looks like it’s going to storm, you should go inside as soon as possible. A car is also a safe place. DO NOT stand under a tree or near anything that might be the tallest thing in the area and don’t use a metal-tipped umbrella.
Occasionally, there are tornado watches or tornado warnings. A warning is more serious. If there is a tornado warning, you should go inside. DO NOT ride your bike, wait for the bus, or even drive a car.
Another thing that you should prepare for is hurricanes. You can go to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ to keep informed of hurricane activity, and they also have some excellent preparation and planning tips. Also, of course, if there is any hurricane threatening Gainesville, we here at the ELI will keep you informed and make sure you know what to do and where to go. The main thing about the NOAA website is that they have some excellent tips about early preparation.
Finally, you should download the Gatorsafe App on your phone so you can get notifications about storms or other dangerous weather near campus.
Birthdays
The following are ELI Birthdays for the week of May 31st to June 5th:
Students:
June 1: Alexander Figueredo Moreno
June 2: Yang Zhenlin
June 2: Claudio Silva Marcano
Staff:
June 2: Hayley McDuff
Happy Birthday!
Manners and Culture
Q: Why do students in the US call teachers by their first names? In my country, this is impolite.
A: Most of us don’t. It really depends in most cases on the personal preferences of the professors. In a regular university class, we usually use “Doctor” or “Professor” plus the person’s last name. Otherwise, if they don’t have a PhD degree, we might use “Mr.” or “Ms”. At the ELI, though, we are a little less formal—on purpose. We try to foster a less formal and more conversational environment in order to get students talking more.
Grammar
Q: What is the difference between the words lose and loose? When do I use lose or loose?
A: Lose is a verb and it means to misplace or to not win. Loose is an adjective which means not tight. You’ll need to memorize the spelling and the pronunciation. Look at the sentences below to see the difference.
- I always lose my cellphone in my house.
- The players lose the game every time they have to play in the snow.
- My pants are loose so I need to use a belt.
Quote of the Week
If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right.
Henry Ford
You can access a PDF Copy of the weekly here: SS2203