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Office of International Services ois.pitt.edu Issue 6, April 2018
THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
New Photo Contest!
Travel Signature Week
Earth Day
Explore Pittsburgh: South Side Works
Culture Corner: Ridván
OIS April Calendar
CONTENTS
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Office of
International
Services (OIS)
708 William Pitt
Union
ois.pitt.edu
Walk in hours:
Monday, Tuesday,
and Thursday:
1-4 PM
Do you have ideas
for the Global
Perspective or know
a student who
deserves to be
featured? Email us at
[email protected]! Student Spotlight
Neighborhood: South Side Works
Earth Day
Free Dental Screenings
Culture Corner: Ridván
OIS Photo Contest
Fake Deportation Calls
Advocacy Day 2018
Pitt Pantry & Hunger Banquet
Dates and Deadlines
J-1 Incidental Employment
Pitt Pantry’s Hunger Banquet
The Pitt Pantry works in partnership with the Bellefield Presbyterian Church to ensure that all
students have regular access to a balanced diet. The Pantry is entirely volunteer-run, and
shoppers are eligible to use the pantry if they earn less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Line
($18,090 for an individual, $24,360 for two). Learn more at https://
www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/pittserves/sustain/pantry/.
Hours:
Wednesdays 1-4 pm
Thursdays 5-8 pm
Fridays 2-5 pm
Appointments may also be set up by emailing [email protected]
On Monday, April 9, the Pitt Pantry will be hosting its annual Hunger Banquet.
Register here to attend and learn about collegiate food insecurity, the fight against hunger in
Pittsburgh, and how you can get involved! The Keynote Speaker will be Andy Fisher,
cofounder and leader of the Community Food Security Coalition.
April 9, 2018 at O’Hara Student Center Ballroom (4024 O’Hara Street) from 5:00-8:00 PM
Travel Signature Week
If you will be traveling this summer, make sure you check your I-20/DS-2019 to make sure you
have a travel signature. Travel signatures are only valid for one year (6 months for F-1 students
on OPT). For your convenience, we will be having Travel Signature Week at OIS daily from
Monday, April 16 through Friday, April 20th between the hours of 1-4pm. Just bring your I-20 or
DS-2019 and your passport!
Fake Deportation Calls If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a government
official and they ask for money or personal information over the phone,
hang up and report it! This is a scam!
These scammers will say that there are problems with your immigration
documents or that you need to be deported, and this can be very alarming,
but US government officials will NEVER ask for payment over the phone.
If you aren’t sure if a phone call is a scam, you can ask for the caller’s
name, ID badge number, and request for them to call you back.
If you receive a threatening phone call like this, report it here:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/05/scam-calls-immigrants
You can also report scammers like this to the Pittsburgh Police at this
phone number: (412) 624-2121.
If you have any questions about this kind of situation, email [email protected].
Dental Patients Needed! In preparation for clinical board exams, students in the Dental Hygiene Program are of-
fering free oral screenings. They will take about 30 minutes and include a free oral
health kit.
Individuals who meet the criteria (presence of moderate tartar build-up below the gums)
and can be present for the exam on May 11 will also receive a free dental cleaning.
If you are interested, please schedule your screening appointment by visiting the
School of Dental Medicine’s online scheduling assistant.
OIS Photo Contest
The correct answer from last month’s
contest was the Frick Fine Arts Center
courtyard.
Congratulations
to Zemin Zhang,
last month’s
winner!
What is this a picture of?
For your chance to be entered into a
raffle; look at this zoomed in picture of
someplace around the Pitt campus.
If you think you know where this picture was
taken, email us at [email protected]. Even if you
aren’t sure, take a guess!
NAFSA 2018 Advocacy Day was a day for International Educators and some students to meet with Congress and advocate for what was important to them. It focused on two of most essential topics in higher education in U.S., the impact of international students and congressional support of the study abroad program. Representatives from various universities nationwide joined to advocate for support of congressmen and women from their states and districts. Shannon O'Reilly, one of OIS’s own immigration specialist, and Salim Malakouti, a graduate student in School of Computing and Information, represented our school and community during NAFSA 2018.
While international students make up only 5% of overall U.S. college enrollment, they contributed $37 billion to the U.S. economy and $2.8 billion to state of Pennsylvania last year. Studies have shown that for every seven international students, three jobs are created. Furthermore, international students have also played significant roles in in other industries as well. In fact one-quarter of the founders of $1 billion U.S. startup companies first came to America as international students. However, recently the political atmosphere in our country has conveyed the feeling that they are not as welcomed in our country as they were before. This is while U.S. is in competition with other countries for global talent. But, we are losing our market share of international students and scholars, while many other countries are proactively introducing national policies and marketing strategies in order to attract these talented individuals.
Advocacy Day started with a full day of training, introductions, and planning the for the day in Congress. On the second day Shannon, Salim and eleven other representatives from institutions headed to the National Mall to meet with our representatives. Our team provided data to depict the significance of the issues to the economy of U.S. and state of Pennsylvania. Moreover, international students from University of Pittsburgh and other universities shared their stories, experience and contributions to our societies, while, other students told their stories of study abroad and future plans to gain more international experience in future.
Pennsylvania’s advocacy team first met with Legislative Assistant Halie Craig of Sen. Patrick Toomey. They were able to find common ground on both topics while hopeful to see support from the senator on Sen. Paul Simon Study Abroad Act. Later our team met with Dr. Rachel McKinnon, Legislative Assistant on related topics including Immigrant and education from Sen. Bob Casey’s team. She related to both issues and agreed on the significance of their role in state of Pennsylvania and education of our students. Additionally they discussed
possible supports, tweets and speeches by the senator. Later on Shannon O’Reilly and Salim Malakouti met with Kate Werley also the Legislative Assistant on areas such as education and immigration from Rep. Michael F. Doyle office who represents Pennsylvania’s district 14. They discussed the importance of international students to Pittsburgh, our university, and community in greater depth. Ms. Werley discussed possible ways Rep. Bob Casey can support NAFSA’s causes and International Education and encouraged us to continue advocating at a local and national level.
NAFSA Advocacy Day 2018 By: Salim Malakouti
CULTURE CORNER: Ridván
The holiest of Bahá’í festivals is Ridván, which falls between April
20th and May 2nd this year. It also is referred to as the “Most Great
Festival” and “King of Festivals.”
Ridván celebrates Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration that he was a
“Manifestation of God,” and commemorates the 12 days that he
spent in the Garden of Ridván (shown below) outside of Baghdad in
1863. The first, ninth, and twelfth days of the festival are considered
to be especially holy, and work is prohibited for those of the Bahá’í
faith.
Bahá’í teaches the unity of God, religion, and humanity, and the
value of all religions. The Bahá’í faith is monotheistic, and teaches
that many religious leaders are “Manifestations of God,” including
Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, as well as Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
Worldwide there are approximately 6 million people who practice the
Bahá’í faith. Although the religion grew from a Persian tradition,
today Bahá’ís are located all around the world.
Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated in more
than 193 countries on April
22nd. The purpose of the
holiday is to promote
environmental protection and
sustainability. Here in
Pittsburgh the whole weekend
leading up to Earth day is
celebrated with different
events around the city. If you’re
interested in getting any more
info head to:
pittsburghearthday.org/
events/.
Check out some of these events!!
Thursday, April 19th: Ecolution
Fashion Show at Fairmont Hotel,
with a “Forces of Nature” theme.
Tickets are 25$, 6:00-10:00PM.
Friday, April 20th and Saturday April
21st: Paint the Square Green. Head
down to Market Square from 11:00-
5:00 to see performances, look at
local vendors and gain some
education about what Earth Day is
all about!
Friday, April 20th and Saturday April
21st: Food Truck Festival located on
Smithfield Street across from the
Oliver Building
J-1 Incidental Employment
J-1 Scholars can benefit from incidental employment during their program at the
University of Pittsburgh. J-1 Research Scholars, Professors and short-term scholars have
the option of participating in short-term employment with an employer other than the
University of Pittsburgh. In order to accept payment, you must have approval from OIS
in advance.
Incidental employment must:
Be directly related to your field of research at Pitt.
Be incidental to your employment/appointment at Pitt, which means that it does not
interfere with your normal working hours and your supervisor is aware of it.
Not delay the completion of your J-1 program at Pitt.
Examples: Incidental Employment Approved J!
A collaborator at another university invites you to give a lecture to graduate students
about your recently published research findings. The university will pay you an
honorarium.
A poster presentation of your current research is accepted at a national conference,
they will pay you for your travel expenses.
A lab at another university has used your research findings; they would like you to
consult with them on a project for a period of one month. They will pay you for your
consultation time.
Examples: Incidental Employment Denied L!
Another university invites you to participate in a panel discussion on your home
country’s culture, and is willing to pay you. You are a Health Sciences Research
Fellow at Pitt, this activity is not related to your field of research.
A lab invites you to consult with them for one month and their working hours interfere
with the hours in your lab. This causes your research project at Pitt to be delayed.
To earn some extra spending money, you decide to apply for a part-time job at
Starbucks.
To request authorization from OIS for an incidental employment opportunity, please log into My OIS and submit the Incidental Employment e-form from the J-1 Scholar and In-terns menu. When approved, you will receive a letter from our office indicating that you
have authorization to accept payment for the incidental employment opportunity. If you
have questions about incidental employment, please contact [email protected].
Explore Pittsburgh!
South Side Flats
OIS Staff Picks: Gaucho Parrilla ($$, Argentine)
Urban Tap ($$, Tacos and Beer)
Fat Heads Saloon ($$, American)
The Pub Chip Shop ($, British)
Streets on Carson ($$, Tapas)
Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh ($$, German)
DiAnoia’s Eatery ($$, Italian)
The Colombian Spot ($$, Colombian)
Bae Bae’s Kitchen ($$, Korean, Vegan)
Fun Fact:
The South Side Riverfront
Trail is a beautiful place to
walk or cycle as the weather
gets warmer
Located just south of the Monongahela
River, the South Side Flats are home to
historic homes, trendy restaurants, and a
busy nightlife.
Carson Street is definitely the best
place in Pittsburgh to go bar-hopping on a
Friday night, but you might want to stay away
if the Penguins win another Stanley Cup!
There are also lots of venues for live
music and shows: Club Café, City Theatre,
The Smiling Moose, and the Rex Theater.
Looking for some new clothes or music?
Check out the shopping at Wharton Square!
View of the city from the South Side
What is the best movie
you have seen in the last
12 months?
Tingting Liu
School of Education
Wuhan, China
Sivashankar Sivakanthan
SHRS
London, England
Yumeng Chen
GSPIA
Nanjing, China
Zootopia
Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire
Student Spotlight
Theory of Everything
Nov
Dates and Deadlines
Apr. 6, Friday
Apr. 7, Saturday
Apr. 20, Friday
Apr. 23 –27
Monday-Friday
Apr. 26, Thursday
Apr. 29, Sunday
Last day for Fall Term enrollment
appointments
Fall Term open enrollment begins
Final exams for all undergraduate
day classes
Graduate Commencement Convocation
Undergraduate Commencement Convocation
Experience America Activities:
Mondays 6:30—7:45PM $5 Yoga @ Irman Freeman Center for Imagination
Wednesdays 12:00-1:00PM Artful Wednesday’s at Nordy’s Place (Pitt Union)
Sundays 2:00-3:00PM Arts Celebration at Carnegie Library
Last day of undergraduate classes
