Volume 160, Issue 10-July 27, 2026
The ELI Weekly
Thank You and Farewell to Jen Ramos
Jen’s last day at the ELI will be THIS Thursday, July 30th. Jen is leaving the ELI to teach in the Alachua County Public Schools. The students at Westwood Middle School are very, very lucky!!!
Everyone at the ELI owes Jen an uncountable number of thank-yous. Did you know that Jen has been teaching at the ELI since 2005 and that UF promoted Jen to the rank of Associate Instructional Professor in 2014?
Jen has taught thousands of ELI students over the past 21 years. She has also served as the ELI Skills Coordinator and ELI Reading/Writing Coordinator.
Jen has chaired many, many committees at the ELI and even represented the ELI as a Fulbright Scholar in the Dominican Republic.
Did you know that Jen is a professional editor? She helps faculty, scholars, and students prepare scholarly writing for publishing. She is even the co-editor of an international newsletter… the TESOL Intercultural Communication Interest Section Newsletter. Jen has taught the UF Scholarly Writing course for UF faculty, students, and scholars for many years and most recently has been teaching the ELI evening English for Academic Purposes class. Of course, everyone knows that Jen is also the editor of our own ELI Weekly publication!
Please join us this week in thanking Jen for her incredible contributions to the ELI. We will miss you, Jen!!!
Photo of the Week: Fernandina Beach
Weekday Activities–Last Week!
 Monday, July 27th – Coffee Talk at Mochiry – 6:30 to 9:00pm |
Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Mochiry ! Play games, speak English, and try the coffee and food truck menu and explore the fun outdoor space! Take bus 6 or 15. The location will change each week. Address: 2029 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32609 |
 Tuesday, July 21st – Volleyball – 6:30-9:00pmPlay volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2 Volleyball Courts with us! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize or play other games if you don’t want to play volleyball. Take bus 35. Address: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
 Thursday, July 30th – Reitz Game Room – 6:30 -9:00pmHang 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. There is even Karaoke on Thursdays! Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611 |
| WEEKEND EVENT Saturday, August 1st– End of Semester BBQ – 11:30am – 3:30pm All are welcome to celebrate the end of the semester at our BBQ. Come get free food and kayak or canoe on beautiful Lake Wauburg, North Shore. Play sports, swim and jump off the dock, socialize, and enjoy Florida nature with friends for our very last event of the semester. Meet at Norman Parking Garage. Please note, no smoking or vaping is allowed anywhere at this location, even if you are outside. Entrance to the park is free with your Gator1 ID and mentioning the event with the ELI at the entrance gate. Boating has a small fee. You must sign up to attend this activity, even if you plan on driving yourself. We need to make sure we know how much food to provide. Sign up here! |
Notes from the Office
Information Session on Changes in F and J Visa Rules: On July 16th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new rule that changes how F-1 student status will work in the United States. The new rule will start on September 15, 2026. The rule could change or be canceled in the future because of court cases or Congress. However, at this moment we must assume the new rules will apply after September 15. Until September 15, 2026, the current F-1 rules will stay the same.
We know there are many questions about the new rule. If you are an ELI student on an F or J visas you can attend an information session at 3pm on Wednesday, July 29th, in Matherly Hall room 208. Daryl and Megan will be there to explain the changes and the UF Director of International Student Services, Martine Angrand, will also be there to answer questions.
If you want to read the rule yourself, you can find it here: Federal Register Notice: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media
The US Government has published a FAQ page here.
You should also plan on speaking individually to Daryl and possibly an immigration attorney about your specific situation.
Class Photo: We are taking an ELI class photo on Tuesday, July 28th at 12:05pm in front of GUS, the Gator Ubiquity Statue, in the Matherly Courtyard. If it is raining on Tuesday, we will take the photo on Thursday, July 30th.
ELI Commencement Ceremony: The ELI Commencement Ceremony will be held on Thursday, August 6th at 6pm in Matherly Hall room 18. During the Ceremony, we will announce student awards, recognize the ELI scholarship recipients, and watch a slide show of this semester’s CIP activities. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the semester with your friends, LAs, and teachers. Please plan on attending!
Other CIP Activities
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 Summer semester if you did not request a Summer 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 him in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passport
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!
The CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office.
Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Birthdays!
| Students | Staff | ||
Jose Toro Trochez | July 27 | Patricia Moon | July 31 |
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Manners & Culture
Q: Sometimes when I say thank you, people don’t say you’re welcome. They just say uh huh or something weird like that. Why?
A: We don’t always say you’re welcome when someone says thank you. Especially if we think whatever we did for the other person is pretty small, we might say sure, no problem, or no worries.
If we do something really tiny for someone, like passing back a paper in class, we might say simply uh huh when they say thank you. In other words, it’s like saying: you are very kind, but I don’t deserve to be thanked.
Joke of the Week
Q: Why should you never give Elsa a balloon?
A: She’ll just let it go!
Notes from the Editor
| Thank you to the students who submitted writing to the ELI Weekly this semester! And to Megan Forbes for editing each issue! |