The ELI Weekly

Collegiate Sports

Even if you are a new student, you may have already noticed that sports are an important part of American culture. It’s not just professional sports like the NFL or NBA that get all the attention! Collegiate sports have a huge fanbase and attract national media attention.

Most people know that the athletic teams of the University of Florida are known as the Florida Gators. But did you also know that the University of Florida is considered a Division 1 school by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)? Division 1 schools have the best athletic facilities, the largest athletic budgets, attract the best athletes, and give out the most athletic scholarships.

This Friday, January 30^th, ELI students can participate in Division 1 sports by watching UF Gator gymnastics! The Gators have one of the top gymnastic teams in the country. Come out and show your Gator spirit!

Do you want to learn more about UF Women’s Gymnastics? Check out this video, entitled “Unbreakable”: https://youtu.be/wBNHEvUx6xI?si=DPJ-ENUT98VSJ9kc

CIP Weekday Activities

Monday, January 26^th —Coffee Talk— 6:30-9:00pm

Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Panera on Archer Road! Play games, speak English, and try this Gainesville famous ice cream or get dinner nearby! Take bus .

The location will change each week.

Address: 3443 SW Archer Rd Suite 1A, Gainesville, FL 32608

Tuesday, January 27^th – Oaks Mall– 6:00-8:00pm CHANGED DUE TO COLD WEATHER

Explore our local indoor mall to stay warm! Shop with LAs for clothes, gifts for family, and more! Or hang out, play board games, and eat from the many delicious food options at the Food Court. Meet at the Food Court at 6pm by the Chic-fil-a. Bring spending money if you want to shop or eat dinner (optional). Take bus 5, 20, or 76.

Address: 6419 W Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL 32605

Wednesday, January 28^th– Downtown Arcade– 6:00-8:00pm CHANGED DUE TO COLD WEATHER

Hang out indoors at the arcade downtown! On Wednesdays, Skee-Ball is free to play. Explore the many floors of this fun spot and listen to great music. Bring extra spending money if you want to play more games or get food at a restaurant nearby. Take Bus 1.

Address: 15 N Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601

Thursday, January 29^th – Reitz Game Room – 6:30 – 9:00pm

Hang out with friends in the Reitz Game Room! You can go bowling, play pool, and play board games! Bring your Gator1 ID for cheaper rates. Many Fridays are Gator Nights so bring your ID to check in and see all the fun themed activities the Reitz may have planned for you this week in addition to the game room!

Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611

Friday, January 30^th – Reitz Game Room – 6:45 – 9:15pm

Watch the Gators compete in gymnastics against Arkansas! Get in the school spirit and wear orange and blue, and support the Gators while they perform amazing gymnastic feats you won’t want to miss.

You must purchase a ticket from Tate in Matherly 211 between 9am and 1:30pm for 5 dollars exact cash Tuesday through Thursday. ELI tickets are limited, so buy them before they sell out! It takes several minutes to set up your Gator ticket account so please account for some time when coming in to purchase. Your ticket IS your signup.

On January 30^th, we will all gather at 6:45pm in the Reitz Union outside of the Subway near the Game Room. Then, we will walk over to the O’Connell Center to watch the start of the game!

Please note: Do NOT bring any bags or backpacks. Keep your wallet, keys, etc. in your pockets. Bring some extra spending money if you would like to buy food at the stadium. Make sure you have your eticket ready to scan.

Weekend Activity: Silver Springs Boat Tours

Saturday, January 31st – Silver Springs Boat Tours – 8:30am – 1:00pm

Join us at the beautiful Silver Springs State Park to enjoy real Florida nature! The springs are some of Florida’s most popular attractions. Enjoy a trip on a glass bottom boat tour to see a perfect view under the crystal water and learn about the springs or kayak around these beautiful springs where you may be able to see gators, manatees, fish, and even monkeys!

Bring about $20 to cover the cost of a ticket for a boat ride. Budget around $35 for kayaking/canoeing/paddleboarding.

Bring your own lunch or buy food from small menu of food and enjoy a picnic on the grounds! There is no swimming at this spring, but plenty of views and trails to explore while you wait for your boat tour to start. Meet at Norman Parking garage and please do not be late.

You must sign up to attend. Sign up here and make sure to comment if you would prefer the glass bottom boat or the kayak.

CIP Recommendations

Get different recommendations from your LAs and CIP friends each week!

This week we feature book recommendations:

Aurora: The Selection novellas series by Kiera Cass

Elijah: The Stranger by Albert Camus

Kemarah: the Earthseed series by Octavia Butler

Lexa: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Paola: The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Sam: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Shawn: Elephant Run by Roland Smith

Tate: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Talk to LAs and the CIP Office to learn more about their favorite books and share yours with them

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!

Returning students, you will not automatically be paired again if you had a CP last semester. Please make sure to sign up again here for the Spring semester if you did not request a Spring partner in your end of term evaluation from last semester.

Please email Elijah at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.

Other CIP Reminders

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!

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!

Notes from the Office

Getting Extra Help in the Classroom (Accommodations)

Do you have special learning needs due to a personal medical condition? If you do, it is important that you get in touch with Christine (christinevoigt@ufl.edu) as soon as possible so we know how to help you. Christine will help you talk to the UF Disabilities Resource Center about accommodations for your classes.

Some examples of accommodations include the following:

extra time on exams due to a reading disability
providing PowerPoint Presentations to students who need more reading time
permission to leave the classroom to take medication
eating or drinking in class for a specific medical condition
an audio version of a textbook for students who have limited vision

We want this to be a great learning experience for all our students!

Staying Safe on Campus

Here are a few safety reminders for staying safe on campus:

Gatorsafe: You should download the Gatorsafe App on your phone so you can get UF alerts. Gatorsafe has useful safety information about weather, a quick link to UFPD, and other safety services.

Personal belongings: Do not leave backpacks, computers, phones or other personal belongings in the classrooms or hallways when you are not there. Also, if you use a mobility device like a bike, electric scooter, or skateboard, you should lock it outside at one of the racks. Take the time to register your property with UFPD, especially your mobility devices.

ELI Emergency Cell Phone and 911: The ELI has a special phone number that you can use if you have a medical or legal emergency outside of normal office hours. The ELI emergency phone number is 352-672-0144 that is available from 4:30pm-8:00am when the ELI office is closed. You should store this number in your phone in case you have an emergency. An example of an emergency is if an ELI student needs to go to the hospital or gets arrested. Please do not use the emergency number for anything that can wait to be answered by email or when the office is open. If you need the police, fire department, or an ambulance for an extreme emergency, call 911 before you call the ELI emergency number.

Birthdays

Students		Staff
Mona Alharbi	January 27	Tate Quiñones	January 26

Student Questions: Culture

Q: I’ve noticed some very young people driving in Florida. How old do you have to be to drive here?

A: Driving age in the U.S. is relatively young compared to other countries. Here in Florida, a 15-year-old can get a learner’s license, which means they always need to have an adult in the car with them while they drive. A 16-year-old can get a driver’s license, but they will still have some restrictions on nighttime driving after 11:00pm.

Joke of the Week

Q: What do you call an alligator with a good sense of directions?

A navi-gator!

From the Editor

An invitation to contribute:

Would you like to see your own writing published in the ELI Weekly? Here are some ways to contribute to our newsletter:

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 Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.

SP2602

English Language Institute

Volume 159, Issue 2-January 26, 2026