The ELI Weekly
Out and About: In the Museum of Natural History
by Minju Kim, RW41
Have you ever been to the Florida Museum of Natural History-Exhibits? I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Florida Museum of Natural History Exhibits, and I must say, it was an incredible experience. It’s a museum inside the school, and if you bring your gator ID card, admission fee is free! You can see the history and bones of various animals. The collection of historical artifacts is magnificent and the way they’re presented makes it easy to immerse yourself in the stories they tell. There is also an experience exhibition like coloring marine animals and photo zone. It was fun. The best exhibit I want to recommend is the butterfly exhibition because they have Butterfly rainforest. It is really pretty there. You can see various butterflies in person. Also, you can see unique birds there, so don’t miss it! I recommend you visit before the end of this semester!
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Activity
Saturday November 18th – Thanksgiving Potluck – Gator Wesley Foundation – 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Celebrate Thanksgiving at our annual ELI potluck! Make sure to bring food to share, preferably from your culture or country! Try all the different foods, see a turkey being carved, and celebrate the holiday with your ELI family! Family and friends are welcome to join, just make sure to sign up with your number of guests and comment the food you all will be bringing (read more details on the SignupGenius). The potluck will be held at the Gator Wesley Foundation across the street from Matherly Hall above Concord Coffee.
You must sign up to attend this event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-46011981-thanksgiving
Address: 1380 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Other CIP Reminders
CIP Passports: Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We don’t hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift and photo for the ELI Instagram! Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Conversation Partners (CPs): Sign up for a CP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrco_-3vxQmpyStsHOW0DQcoPfkm5yJYDzOuWLmq3nIaj2wg/viewform
Remember, if you sign up, you must meet your partner at least once a week and respond to their messages. Email conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu if you have any questions or problems or stop by the CIP office to see Will during his office hours.
Notes from the Office
Class Photo: We will take a photo of everyone at the ELI on Thursday, November 16. Listening Speaking classes will meet at 1:45 at the Gator Globe.
English Conversation Club: The Conversation Club had their first meeting last Friday. Thanks to everyone who joined! They will have the next meeting at 1:00pm on Friday, 11/17, in MAT 208. The topic for that day will be food, cooking, and restaurants. Please join them if you can! If you have any questions, talk to Christine (christinevoigt@ufl.edu).
Student Voices Deadline Extended: Great news, everyone! The deadline for Student Voices has been extended until Friday, November 17th. Please, submit your wonderful writing to create memories together.
Thanksgiving Holiday: November 22nd, 23th, and 24th will be the Thanksgiving holiday. The ELI office will be closed and there will be no ELI classes on these days.
Class Attendance: There are only 3 weeks of ELI classes remaining this semester, and we want you to finish strong! Please try to attend every class and do your best to participate. Remember, you signed the attendance agreement at the start of this semester and there are consequences if you miss too many hours of class. If you miss more than 20 minutes of a class, you will be marked absent. If you have 3 tardies, it will count as one absence.
If you want to check your attendance record, you can log in to myELI. If you do not remember your username or password, please email studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu for help.
Special Supplies for Students: The ELI Main Office has some supplies for students to use for special projects, such as staples, tape, colored paper, or white out. To use ELI supplies, please see Natalie in the Main Office (MAT 223) to ask to use them. The supplies and table in the resource room (MAT 220) are only for LAs and teachers to use. Of course, students also need to buy their own basic school supplies to bring to class every day, like pens and notebooks.
Check your I20s: If your I-20 is expiring soon, make an appointment with Daryl in MAT 223 to renew your I-20 before it expires.
Financial Guarantees for Spring: If you have a government scholarship, be aware when your financial guarantee expires. For some students, the guarantee expires in December, and you will need to request a new one if you plan on studying in the Spring semester. If you have any questions about when your financial guarantee expires, please email Iman Walford Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu.
International Education Week
Celebrate International Education Week by visiting the World Flag Display at the Plaza of the Americas on November 13 between 11am-2pm. The ELI family is welcome to attend any of the UF events on campus listed here: https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/events/international-education-week.
Show your country’s spirit by participating in the Spirit Week Activities! Each day for a week, we will ask you to show your international spirit in a different way. Here is the schedule for Spirit Week:
- 11/13 Monday – Country Colors: bring a flag to show, or dress in the colors of your country
- 11/14 Tuesday – Fandom Day: dress like your favorite international star or character
- 11/15 Wednesday – Career Day: dress for your favorite job
- 11/16 Thursday – Languages Day: share your country’s languages on paper or on clothing
- 11/17 Friday – Sports Day: wear your favorite team’s jersey
ELI Milestones
Here at the ELI, we have some very dedicated faculty and staff!
Do you know how long staff, teachers, and LAs have been at the ELI? Can you guess? You might be surprised!
Over the next few weeks, we are going to celebrate ELI faculty and staff who have reached a milestone in their time at the ELI this year. This week, we’d like to give a shout out to 2 groups!
Everyone who has been at the ELI for more than 5 years, but fewer than 10 years:
- Tate Quinones
- Jane Keeler
- Debbie Sakalla
- Iman Walford Vann
Everyone who has been at the ELI for more than 10 years, but fewer than 15 years:
- Lynne Clark
- Thomas Dolce
- Jolee Gibbs
- Matt Goode
- Minsang Kim
- Patrick Klager
- Olga Moody
- Maya Shastri
- Christine Voigt
Be sure to thank them for their dedication!
Photo of the Day
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: Are there any famous people from Gainesville?
A: Gainesville has been the home of several famous people. Some of them were born in Gainesville, but others just lived in Gainesville for part of their lives. In particular, Gainesville seems to have hosted many famous musicians. Do you know any of these people?
Famous Musicians:
- Charles Bradley
- Don Felder
- Tom Petty
- Stephen Stills
- Band members of Less than Jake
- Band members of Sister Hazel
Famous Scientist:
- Robert Cade
Famous Actress:
- Maya Rudolph
Famous Athletes:
- Chris Rumph II
- Joyce Shahboz
Grammar
Q: What is the difference between ‘farther’ and ‘further’?
Farther can be used as an adjective and an adverb. It’s used to mean “at a greater distance.” It is used especially for literal distance in the US.
Further may be used in a similar way to mean “at a greater distance.” But it can also be used as an adjective meaning “more,” as an adverb meaning “additionally,” and as a verb meaning “advance” or “promote.”
Consider these examples:
- I live farther from campus than Melina.
- I live further from campus than Melina.
- Both farther and further are correct for literal distances.
- I could further my career by getting an advanced degree.
- When used as a verb meaning ‘advance’ or ‘promote’, we can only use further.
- The politician refused to answer any further questions.
- When used as an adjective meaning ‘more’, we can only use further.
Notes from the Editor
Come by my office (221 MAT) and help me write the Out and About section! There are so many topics to write about–a fun activity, an interesting place on campus, a club or hobby that you enjoy, or even tell us about a place to visit in your country. Bring a photo of your experience and put it in the Weekly.
Send stories and grammar, manners, or culture questions to Maya Shastri (mshastri@ufl.edu).