The ELI Weekly
Exploring Campus: The Potato
One fun University of Florida landmark is a giant rock outside of Turlington Hall. The rock is 30,000 years old, and its shape and color resemble America’s favorite vegetable–the potato! In fact, UF students fondly call this rock the “Potato” and it is used as a landmark for meeting friends. If you have a class in Turlington Hall, the Potato will help you find your class. If you find the Potato, you will find Turlington!
Notes from the Office
Student Addresses: It is important that the ELI has each student’s address. If you have an F or J visa, you should report a change of address within 10 days of any change. You can update your address in myELI using the ‘Basic Information’ tab in your ‘My Profile’ page. All students should update their address in myELI by September 15th. If you need help updating your address in myELI, please contact Daryl at studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu.
Deadlines: The deadline to drop or add a class, pay tuition, submit proof of insurance and immunizations, and turn in a signed waiver of liability, is Thursday, September 7th. If you miss any of these deadlines, you could be removed from classes or charged a late fee! If you have questions about paying tuition or submitting a financial guarantee, email Iman Walford Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu. If you have questions about insurance or immunizations, email Christine Voigt at christinevoigt@ufl.edu.
Withdrawing: Students who withdraw from a course or from the ELI after the drop/add deadline (September 7) will not be able to receive a refund or credit for their courses. Their transcript will have a grade of W (withdraw).
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
Saturday September 9th – Gilchrist Blue Springs – 8:00am to 1:00pm – Meet at Norman Parking Garage
Swim in Florida’s crystal blue spring water and experience some of Florida’s most famous nature! Bring your bathing suit, sunscreen, a towel, water, and a packed lunch! Meet at Norman Parking Garage. Please be on time.
Rides are limited. You need to sign up to attend this event. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-blue1
If Gilchrist Blue Springs is closed due to Hurricane Idalia, we might go to Ginnie Springs which costs $20 per person.
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
Want to make a friend and speak English? Sign up for a conversation partner! Wait two weeks to be paired and then meet your new partner for one hour a week to practice conversation! If you are a returning student and still want a CP, you should still sign up, even if you had a partner last semester.
Sign up for a CP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrco_-3vxQmpyStsHOW0DQcoPfkm5yJYDzOuWLmq3nIaj2wg/viewform
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.
Birthdays
Manners & Culture
Q: I need to ride the bus, but I don’t know how to make the driver stop for me.
A: This is tricky because the driver will not stop if no one signals that they need to stop! The bus has a bell that is operated by a pull-cord. Pull the cord to signal to the driver that you want the next stop. You need to pull it early enough that the driver has time to stop, but not so early that she stops at the previous stop. Also, you can tell the driver when you get on the bus, “I need to stop at _______ (fill in the name of your stop), but I don’t know where it is.” The driver will remember to stop for you. Visit this website for more How-to information about the RTS bus system: http://go-rts.com/rider-information/
Here is another fun fact about buses in college towns: Notice how everyone thanks the driver as they leave the bus!!
Notes from the Editor
The ELI Weekly needs you! You can participate in several ways:
- Email grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Email manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- 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 your questions and paragraphs to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: the ELI Weekly.