The ELI Weekly
Exploring Campus: The Potato
One quirky unusual or unexpected University of Florida landmark is a giant rock outside of Turlington Hall. The rock is 30,000 years old, and its shape and color resemble America’s favorite vegetable–the potato! In fact, UF students fondly call this rock the “Potato” and it is used as a landmark for meeting friends. If you find this rock on campus, go up to it and look closely. You will see fossils remains of plants or animals preserved in rock of shells.
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, January 23. 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, January 23) 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, January 25– Hoggetowne Medieval Faire – 9:45am to 1:00pm
Journey back in time to the days of old with groups of actors, street performers and musicians! You will see King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, plus more than 160 artists as they show their skills in the old arts of blacksmithing, weaving, leatherworking, woodcarving, pottery and much more. Eat a feast fit for a king in the food court, where you can find sweet potato fries, bloomin’ onions and giant turkey legs. You won’t want to miss this cultural annual event! Admission is free and accessible by bus.
The ELI will meet at Rosa Parks Transfer Station at 9:45, which is across from Depot Park. Please meet us at 9:45 before enjoying the festivities. The park will be very busy with visitors, so it may be difficult to find us if you come late. You can contact your LA or Lexa (at 352-281-5392) to help you find the ELI group. Contact Tate (at 727-249-6021) if necessary.
Address: 700 SE 3rd St, Gainesville, FL 32601
You must sign up to attend this event: Sign up here!
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 here!
Please email Joey 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!
Find the Pineapple
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Photo of the Week: The Reitz Union Game Room
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: Why do Americans shorten names to initials, like Martin Luther King to MLK or John F. Kennedy to JFK? It seems disrespectful.
A: There are a handful of people from recent history who are recognizable to Americans by their initials, just like MLK and JFK. Do you know any of these?
- FDR
- LBJ
- W
- MJ
- J Lo
This is not meant to be disrespectful at all! Some names were in the news so often, that the headlines were too long with a full name, so the newspapers shortened the names to just the initials. MLK, JFK, FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), and LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson) are examples of names in the news that were often shortened in the headlines. Then there is President George W Bush (W), who needed to be distinguishable from his father, President George Bush. Even today, when these shortened headliners are easy to say, they seem cool. You might even be familiar with MJ (Michael Jordan) or J Lo (Jennifer Lopez) in general conversation.
Joke of the Week
What’s for breakfast on really cold January days?
A: Snowflakes!
Notes from the Editor
I need students, LAs, instructors, staff, and administrators to help me write 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 me grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Send me manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Send me jokes to put in the Weekly.
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.