The Weekly Newsletter of
the English Language Institute
Volume 151, Issue 8
July 17, 2023
The ELI Weekly
St. Augustine
Join us for some old-fashioned fun!
Saturday July 22nd – St. Augustine Beach and Town Trip – 8:00am to 9:00pm
Buy your bus pass from Tate in the CIP office between 9am and 12:30 pm! During this week of sales, tickets are available for extra guests, so feel free to bring your friends! The cost is 25 dollars exact cash per ticket.
Enjoy the beautiful Florida beach before exploring the old city, the oldest in the United States! Make sure to bring a bathing suit, towel, a change of clothes, a packed lunch and/or money for dinner and shopping in the town if you would like. Please see the schedule below:
St. Augustine Bus Trip Schedule – Saturday July 22 2023
Students on the bus MUST follow this schedule
8:00am – Meet at Norman Parking Garage
8:30am – Bus Leaves for St. Augustine – We will not wait for students past this time!
11:00am – Arrive to Frank Butler Beach (5860 A1A South St. Augustine, FL 32080)
2:00pm – Leave beach for St Augustine Old Town (3 Riberia Street At. Augustine, FL 32084)
2:30pm – Arrive to Old Town
GET DINNER DURING THIS TIME
7:00pm – Leave Old Town to return to Norman Hall – Return to Welcome Center at this time. Do not be late.
9:00pm – Arrive to Norman Parking Garage – Please arrange for a ride home at this time.
CIP Activities
WEEKDAY ACTIVITIES
Monday July 17th – Grove Street Farmers Market- 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Visit this really fun farmers market full of flowers, crafts food, and more! There are lots of places to sit outside and enjoy time with ELI friends!
Address: Cypress&Grove Brewery/Bike Path, 1001 NW 4th St, Gainesville, FL 32601
Tuesday July 18th – Volleyball – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2! No experience necessary! Take bus 34 or 35.
Address: 3900 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608
Wednesday July 19th – Soccer – 5:30 – 8:00pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Maguire Field on campus! No experience necessary!
Address: Bledsoe Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611
Thursday July 20th – Coffee Talk – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at the Starbucks on Archer Road! Play games, speak English, and drink a coffee or get dinner at the restaurants nearby! Take bus 1, 12, or 34.
Address: 3524 SW Archer Rd #160, Gainesville, FL 32608
Friday July 21st – Gator Nights – 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Try all the fun activities the Reitz has planned this week with the theme “Gators of the Galaxy.” Snacks, crafts, activities and free game room! Meet at the Reitz Game Room at 6:30. Make sure to bring your Gator1 ID.
Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
Other CIP Reminders
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
Sign up for a CP here: https://forms.gle/HeU3v2P9xUTqyW15A
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.
Our CIP photo of the week is from our volleyball activity.
Student Voices Reminder
Last call, everyone! 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 21st. We can’t wait to read your writing!
Scholarship Nominees
Please join us in congratulating the nominees for the ELI Scholarships to study in the Fall 2023 semester.
Yerson “Fabian” Fuentes Duran
Laura Gomez Soto
Yamilia Morffe Tillan
Youssef Zakhia Dahdah
There are many steps to becoming an ELI Scholarship Nominee. The minimum requirements are:
- The student studies full-time at the ELI.
- Academic Excellence: The student has a GPA of 4.0 at midterm.
- Outstanding Progress: The student displays outstanding progress in language skills as evidenced by coursework.
- Excellent Attendance and Participation: The student regularly participates in and attends ELI classes.
- Practices English: The student makes every effort to practice English while at the ELI, in class, and at ELI-sponsored activities.
Scholarship winners will also demonstrate the following:
Successful Academic Work Strategies
- Scholarship nominees should demonstrate a strong motivation and passion for learning both inside and outside of the classroom. This may be demonstrated by their personal study habits, leading study groups, or seeking out learning opportunities beyond what is required.
- Scholarship nominees should be classroom leaders who show compassion toward and cooperation with classmates, language assistants, teachers, and ELI staff.
Intercultural Understanding/Relationships
- Scholarship nominees should participate in and facilitate cultural exchange. Examples of cultural exchange can include participation in CIP activities, teaching others about one’s culture, being an active learner about other cultures, and promoting intercultural friendship and engagement
- Scholarship nominees should engage in active, intentional, collaborative, ongoing learning outside of the ELI. This may be demonstrated through student employment, volunteering, joining campus or community organizations, serving as a Conversation Partner, or other experiential extracurricular activities.
Congrats nominees! Good luck to all of you!
Notes from the Office
I-20s Expiring: Please be sure to contact Daryl as soon as possible if your I-20 expiration date is coming up before the Fall semester. Also, if you are in the US now and plan to travel outside of the US during the break between semesters, please be sure to contact Daryl to get your I-20 signed.
Daryl Out: Daryl will be out of the office Monday, July 17th.
Returning Student Survey: The
Summer 2023 semester ends in 4 short weeks, so it is time to think about what you will do for the Fall 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 by Friday, July 21st. 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.
Apartment Leases: As the semester draws to a close, keep in mind that your lease might be ending soon. In the Summer, many student leases end onJuly31st. 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 place to stay in short-term (like a hotel or AirBNB), someone to take over your lease, or a new apartment, talk to Christine in Matherly 223.
CCF Workshop
A representative from the College of Central Florida will present information on Tuesday, July 18th at 3:15pm in Matherly Hall, room 107. The College of Central Florida (CF) is located in Ocala, Florida, which is 60 kilometers south of Gainesville. Like Santa Fe College, CF is a community college. It has over 150 academic pathways, including two-year occupational degrees, 2+2 university transfer pathway program, and four-year bachelor’s degrees. CF is nationally recognized, has on-campus housing, and does not require a TOEFL or IELTS score for admission. This is a great opportunity to learn about CF and their admissions process.
Birthdays
It’s really unusual, but for the second week in a row, we have no birthdays to report!
Manners and Culture
Q: Why do Americans make such a big deal about their 21st birthday?
A: Turning 21, for most young adults, is a big deal because they feel like they are really starting to begin their adult life. Also, they are now allowed to legally drink.
Q: Why don’t young people in the U.S. care about their families?
A: Not all young people are the same, but most young adults see this period in their lives as a time when they can grow up and become independent. Most young people do care about their families, they just have different ways of showing it.
Grammar
Q: What is the difference between less and fewer?
A: Use fewer if you’re referring to people or things in the plural (e.g. houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children).
- People these days are buying fewer newspapers.
Use less when you’re referring to something that can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain).
- It’s a better job but they pay you less money.
Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time.
- Their marriage lasted less than two years.
Quote of the Week
Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said couldn’t be done. —Sam Ewing
For a PDF copy of the weekly, go here: SS2308