The ELI Weekly
The Weekly Newsletter of
the English Language Institute
Volume 145, Issue 4
June 9, 2021
UF Bat Houses and Lake Alice
Join us for a unique UF Experience!
June 12th – UF Bat Houses and Lake Alice – 7:30-9:00pm
See thousands of bats come out at sunset, a UF tradition! Meet with ELI friends to explore the nature area before the main event! While you may be able to take a bus to campus to arrive at the event, no buses will be running after sunset. Plan accordingly and consider driving, car-pooling, or taking a rideshare to get home.
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
The Weekday Activities
Monday June 7th – Reitz Hangout – 6:00-8:00pm
Come play board games, speak English, and socialize with ELI friends! You can also get dinner at the Reitz restaurants and bring it outside!
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
Tuesday June 8th – Soccer – 6:30 – 8:30pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field! No experience necessary!
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
Wednesday June 9th – Movie Night (Zoom) – 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Come vote on a movie and watch it with LAs and ELI friends as we chat in the chatbox! Stick around for a fun discussion afterward! Movie choices this week are Frozen, Enola Homes, and The Time Traveler’s Wife. Come out and vote for the one you want!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92246818257?pwd=Qk1EUlNjOEZmczZxUE51RTZETk5UUT09
Meeting ID: 922 4681 8257
Passcode: movienight
Thursday June 10th – Rotating Thursdays: Gator Salsa – 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Learn how to dance Salsa outside in downtown with this UF dancing club! No experience necessary! Dance to fun music or just watch! Socialize with ELI friends and feel free to explore downtown more too. You MUST wear a mask at this event. Bus 1 or 5 will take you close to this location. Meet on the street in front of The Bull.
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others. If you choose to enter inside a business, they may ask you to wear a mask.
Sign up for all activities this week here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-student2
Scam Alert!
Fraud Advisory – Scammers Using US Government Phone Numbers to Target International Students
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the United States agency responsible for F and J visa international students. They announced last week that scammers are using the SEVP Response Center phone number (703-603-3400) or a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office phone number (757-441-6533) to target international students. Fake callers are claiming to be SEVP representatives and asking students to provide their immigration information, such as their Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record,” information, or be deported and have to leave the US. These fraudulent calls are attempting to get international students to give personal or financial information.
Tips and items to remember:
- NEVER give personal or financial information to unknown callers.
- SEVP officials will NEVER ask stakeholders to provide credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers, or to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose.
- You can report suspicious calls to Daryl, who can help you contact the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tip line, or your SEVP field representative.
The UF Director of International Student Support Services, Debra Anderson, has a helpful video that gives information and tips on how to recognize and report these scams: https://youtu.be/HI5mPDNeZIU
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The ELI wants your help to make positive changes!
The ELI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is a group of teachers, administrators, staff, and Language Assistants that hopes to make the ELI a more welcoming and accepting place for people of all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, social statuses and abilities. We are looking for students to be part of a group that will give their thoughts about the ELI and possible changes to ELI policies.
If you are interested, please email Thomas Dolce at tomdolce@ufl.edu for more information. You can also read the ELI’s statement of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at https://eli.ufl.edu/about-us/uf-eli-commitment-to-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/.
Notes from the Office
Summer Break: Week after next from June 19th-27th will be Summer Break. There will be no ELI classes, but you can still reach the ELI administration and office staff. Note: Be sure to have your I-20 signed if you plan to leave the country during the break.
July 4th Holiday: Whenever the US Independence Day holiday falls on a Sunday, UF takes the holiday as a day off on Monday, July 5th. On this day, there will be no ELI Classes, and the ELI office and the university are closed. Also, there will be reduced RTS Bus service on Sunday, July 4th. You can check the schedules at go-RTS.com.
COVID-19 Requirements:
Non-vaccinated students, this week you must do the weekly COVID-19 screening AND a saliva test. Everyone who has not received the vaccine is required to do a test this week.
Please complete the screening, schedule a test, and forward Victoria your test appointment confirmation by 3pm on Monday, June 7. You must make your test appointment on or before Thursday, June 10.
Complete the screening and schedule a test: https://uf.tfaforms.net/440
Log in to your UF email account with you GatorLink Username and Password: https://outlook.com/ufl.edu
Forward the test appointment confirmation email to Victoria: vcshelly@ufl.edu
If you do not forward the test appointment confirmation email by 3pm on Monday, you cannot attend classes. If you want to get the vaccine on campus, please make an appointment through ONE.uf and notify Victoria at vcshelly@ufl.edu. The vaccine is free. Once you get the vaccine and notify Victoria, you are not required to do the screening every week and testing every two weeks.
Please email Victoria with any questions!
Student Voices
At the ELI, we love to read your writing! Do you want to share your writing with the ELI? The ELI Student Voices is a great opportunity!
Every semester, the ELI publishes a collection of student writing. You can send a piece of your writing to be published for everyone to read. You can send paragraphs, essays, stories, recipes, poetry, and even photos. For inspiration, you can find previous editions of The ELI Student Voices on the ELI website.
To submit your writing, please email Thomas Dolce at tomdolce@ufl.edu. Please include your name and class. The last day to submit a piece of writing is July 16th. We can’t wait to read your writing!
Birthdays
The following are ELI Birthdays for the weeks of June 9-15:
Students:
June 14: Mohamed Ansari
Staff:
None this week.
Happy birthday!
Manners and Culture
Q: Why is public transportation poor in most American cities?
A: The United States is very wide and has a lot of open space. Many of the major cities outside of the Northeast and Upper Midwest became large cities after the invention of the automobile. These two factors created a need for a strong highway system, rather than a strong public transportation system as is common in older countries. Rising oil prices, increasingly clogged traffic, and damages to our environment are forcing us to reconsider these choices. In recent years, most cities with metropolitan populations in the US over about 3 million have put in at least light rail systems and dedicated bus lanes, if not new metro systems.
Q: Why don’t the buses run at night on the weekends?
A: The bus routes are based on ridership and profits. During the week, all of the bus routes are busy and there are more bus routes. The more people that need a route, the more busses that run on that route. Not as many people ride the bus late at night on the weekends, so RTS doesn’t offer services because it would be a waste of resources.
Grammar
Q: What’s the difference between “borrow” and “lend”?
A: It’s the same as the difference between “take” and “give”. You borrow something from someone. That someone lends it to you. Interestingly, we are involved in a shift in usage. The verb “lend” is rapidly disappearing and being replaced by what used to be exclusively the noun “loan”.
- Can I borrow pencil?
- Can you lend me a pencil?
- Can you loan me a pencil?
- Can I take a pencil?
- Can you give me a pencil?
Quote of the Week
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
You can view the Weekly as a PDF File here: SS2104