The ELI Weekly

Out and About: My Last Spring Break

By Woonchae Park, RW20

Last Spring break, I had a great time and made new memories I will never forget. On the first day, I went to Little Havana in Miami. I was shocked when I arrived because it felt like I was in Latin America. I ate Puerto Rican food, and it was delicious. On the second day, I went to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. There were pretty statues and gardens, so I took many photos as I looked around. After that, I took a cruise next to the Bayside Marketplace. It was fun, but there were many people on the cruise. Ultimately, I went to South Beach. I felt so peaceful lying on the sand at South Beach and looking out over the beautiful sea. Also, the sunset was incredible, and I thought it would be better if my friends and family were there. Last spring break was a happy time for me!!

CIP Weekday Activities

Weekend Event

There is no weekend activity this week so that you can study for finals.

Other CIP Reminders

CIP Passports

Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We will no longer hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift and photo for the ELI Instagram! Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!

Conversation Partners (CPs)

Remember, if you sign up, you must meet your partner at least once a week and respond to their messages. Email conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu if you have any questions or problems or stop by the CIP office to see Will during his office hours.

Gainesville Event

Saturday, April 22- Books, Records & Media Sale

Gainesville’s Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale returns on Apr 22. Doors open at 9 am. Shop among more than 500,000 items at 430 N Main St. Most of the items will range in price from 25 cents to $5. On the fifth and final day of the sale, all items will be just 10 cents. Profits from the sale support the Alachua County Library District and community literacy projects throughout the county. Check hours.

Notes from the Office

Name Change: ELI Fiscal Assistant, Jennifer Vann, has legally changed her name to Iman (“Faith”) Walford Vann.

Class Attendance: There are only 3 weeks of ELI classes remaining this semester, and we want you to finish strong! Please try to attend every class and do your best to participate. Remember, you signed the attendance agreement at the start of this semester and there are consequences if you miss too many hours of class. If you miss more than 20 minutes of a class, you will be marked absent. If you have 3 tardies, it will count as one absence.

Sitting in the hallway during your class DOES NOT count as being present.
Hanging out in the CIP Office during class DOES NOT count as being present.
Going to the Main Office during your class DOES NOT count as being present.

If you want to check your attendance record, you can log in to myELI. If you do not remember your username or password, please email studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu for help.

Returning Student Survey: The Spring 2023 semesters ends in 3 short weeks, so it is time to think about what you will do for the Summer 2023 semester. We know that planning for the next semester may be difficult, but we are asking you to tell us your plan for next semester. All students must complete the Returning Student Survey in myELI by Friday, April 14. Please do the survey even if you are not yet 100% sure of your plans. Please tell us what you think you will do. You can change your answer later if needed.

Please talk to Daryl in the ELI main office or schedule a meeting with him if you have questions about studying next semester, transferring to a new school, traveling outside the US with your visa and I-20, or any other immigration related issues. You can contact him at studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu or 352-273-4392.

Student Voices: We love to see our students writing. Every semester, we take your writing and publish it in Student Voices. Past submissions have included paragraphs, essays, creative stories, recipes, letters, obituaries, poetry, creative stories, class projects, and other interesting works on a variety of topics. I encourage you to submit anything of your work that you wish to see published. It can be from any class or something you have written on your own but ask your teachers for help editing! You can email it to Olga (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 14^th .

Charges Due: Every ELI student should log in to ONE.uf.edu and look at the “Campus Finances (Bursar)” tile to see if they owe any fees to the university. For example, you may need to pay for services you received at the Student Health Care Center or printing in a library. If you have a scholarship, it will not pay these charges.

Apartment Leases: As the semester draws to a close, keep in mind that your lease might be ending soon. It is important to know the exact date that your apartment lease ends so you can make plans. If you’re not sure when it ends, ask your apartment office.

If you need help finding a hotel to stay in short-term (you should ask your friends first!), someone to take over your lease, or a new apartment, talk to Christine in Matherly 223.

Check your I-20s: If you are traveling during the break (for example, leaving the US and coming back), make sure your I-20 is signed. Also check the expiration date. You can make an appointment with Daryl to sign your I-20 or to renew your I-20 before it expires.

Financial Guarantees for Summer: Dear scholarship students, we hope to see you again in the Summer! Therefore, we have sent you an early reminder to request your new financial guarantee letter for the Summer semester, if you plan to return. If you need an enrollment letter or if you have any questions, please email Iman Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu.

US Federal Tax Forms for International Students

Taxes are due on April 18^th this year. Taxes are filed for the previous calendar year, which in this case is 2022. If you didn’t earn money in the U.S. in 2022, you won’t owe taxes; however, if you were an international student in a U.S. school in 2022, you must file Form 8843 for you and your dependents whether you worked at a campus job in 2022 or not.

As a UF ELI student you can use a free non-immigrant tax filing program called Sprintax to file tax form 8843. Daryl Bish emailed you how to access Sprintax. Contact him at studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu or make an appointment to talk with in 223 Matherly Hall if you did not receive information about Sprintax. You must access Sprintax through a secure portal, and you must use your Gatorlink information to enter the program.

If do not use Sprintax, you can print form 8843, complete and sign it, and mail it to the government. You can access form 8843 here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8843.pdf. Fill out the information under Part I and Part III. In 9 and 10, you need to include the information about the academic institution that you attended in 2022. You can find the address and phone number for the ELI at www.eli.ufl.edu. The name of the director of the ELI is Megan Forbes.

Mail your completed form to this address:

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

Austin, TX 73301

If you had on campus employment in 2022, you will receive a form reporting your income and tax withholdings called a W-2. Because you earned taxable and reportable income and must submit a federal tax return to file your W-2. You also must file form 8843. Sprintax can help you do both.

The ELI is not permitted to assist any student with any IRS tax form preparation or give tax advice, but if you have questions about the above information, please contact Daryl Bish.

Photo of the Week

Birthdays!

Students:

Paola Lugo Mora 4/11
Jisu Yoon 4/16

Staff:

Thomas Dolce 4/12
Sophia Ruiz De Alejo 4/13

Grammar

Q: When do we use ‘a’/’an’ and when do we use ‘the’?

A: This is a good question because there are a lot of rules about the articles ‘a’/’an’ and ‘the’. Here are two rules to help you.

Rule 1: Every singular count noun must have an article.

Try adding articles to this sentence. Notice the rule you use for singular count nouns, plural count nouns, and non-count nouns.

I always bring _____ umbrella, _____ pencil, _____ books, and _____ water to campus.

Rule 2: Does the listener or speaker know the person, place, or thing?

If the listener or speaker doesn’t know the person, place, or thing (and the noun is a singular count noun), you will use the article ‘a/an’.

- Example: I saw a tall man in the office. Do you know him?

If the listener or speaker knows the person, place, or thing (and the noun is a singular count noun), you will use the article ‘the’.

Example: I saw the tall man in the office. His name is Daryl.

Notes from the Editor

I hope to hear from B-term students for the Weekly!
I need more grammar, manners, and culture questions.
Send me your stories to share with the ELI community!
Do you know about a must-see place in your country? Tell us all about it in the Weekly!
Send questions and stories to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu)

Download the ELI Weekly (PDF).

English Language Institute

Volume 150, Issue 11-April 10