The ELI Weekly
UF Campus Landmarks: Century Tower
One interesting landmark on the University of Florida campus is Century Tower. The tower was built in 1956 and is 157 feet tall. The top of the tower is the home of a carillon, or a set of bells. The UF carillon has 61 bells that are played with a keyboard with 61 keys and 25 foot pedals. You can hear the bells ring every fifteen minutes. Also, every day at 12:35pm and 4:55pm, you can hear a 20-minute concert by a carillonneur, or a person who plays the carillon. The carillonneurs are all students at the University of Florida. If you haven’t already, visit Century Tower and listen to an amazing carillon concert!
Notes from the Office
Student Addresses: It is important that the ELI has each student’s address. If you have an F or J visa, you should report a change of address within 10 days of any change. You can update your address in myELI using the ‘Basic Information’ tab in your ‘My Profile’ page. If you need help updating your address in myELI, please contact Daryl at studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu.
Deadlines: The deadline to drop or add a class, pay tuition, submit proof of insurance and immunizations, and turn in a signed waiver of liability, is Thursday, September 5. If you miss any of these deadlines, you could be removed from classes or charged a late fee! If you have questions about paying tuition or submitting a financial guarantee, email Tara Mace at fiscal@eli.ufl.edu. If you have questions about insurance or immunizations, email Christine Voigt at christinevoigt@ufl.edu.
Withdrawing: Students who withdraw from a course or from the ELI after the drop/add deadline (Thursday, September 5) will not be able to receive a refund or credit for their courses. Their transcript will have a grade of W (withdraw).
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
Saturday, September 7th – Gator Football Game – 6:00-10:00pm
See the Gators play American football! You must purchase a ticket to attend this event from Tate in the CIP office. Purchase before 12:30pm with 25 dollars exact cash. Tickets are limited!
Meet the ELI and LAs at the Reitz Union Subway at 6:00pm so we can gather and enter the stadium together before the game starts. Make sure to have your electronic ticket pulled up and ready on your phone. No bags, purses, or water bottles are allowed in the stadium. Make sure to wear orange and blue and show your team pride!
Other CIP Reminders
Conversation Partners
Want to meet with a fluent English speaker and make a new friend? Sign up for a CP! If you choose to sign up, you must meet with your partner for one hour a week. It can take up to two weeks to get a partner from when you sign up. Please sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/CZoP2zQ7nxWD4wcA8
Please email Rachel at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.
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, a photo for the ELI Instagram, and your name published in the ELI weekly!
Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office!
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: Is it ok to drink the tap water in my apartment?
A: Yes, the water in Gainesville is safe to drink and complies with state and federal rules for drinking water quality. The water is considered to be “hard,” which means there are dissolved minerals in the water. Some people do not like the taste of the water. It is probably cheaper to buy a water purifier than it is to buy drinking water at Publix to correct this problem.
Q: How do I make the bus stop when I need to get off?
A: The buses in Gainesville have either a button/bar to push, or a wire to pull to signal to the driver that you want to get off the bus.
Q: Do I have to buy reusable bags at the grocery store?
A: No, plastic and paper bags are free at the grocery stores like Publix, WalMart, and Target.
Notes from the Editor
The ELI Weekly needs you! You can participate in several ways:
- Email grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Email manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Write a paragraph about your experiences this semester. You could write about an ELI activity, a Gainesville event, a fabulous local restaurant, or tell us about a place or event in your country that we should visit!
Send your questions and paragraphs to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: the ELI Weekly.