Foothill I-News

In the Spotlight...

International Education Week: November 12-16, 2007 International Education Week (IEW) is an annual initiative authorized by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote the value of international education and to foster global awareness. First held in 2000, International Education Week is now celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide. The theme of this year’s IEW is International Education: Fostering Global Citizenship and Respect, which encourages us all to be responsible, respectful world citizens.

For more information regarding International Education Week, visit the Department of State’s website dedicated to this occasion. Read a statement made by the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, regarding International Education Week.

Foothill College is proud to join other esteemed colleges and universities in celebrating IEW by hosting its second annual International Film Festival. Details can be found below in the Programs & Events section.

Immigration & Administration

Important Announcement for all Bus Riders!

Starting January 14, 2008 there will be major changes to the Santa Clara VTA bus system!

Bus 23 will no longer serve Foothill College! Service between Foothill College and the San Antonio Transit Center will be replaced by a modified Bus Line 40. Service from Mountain View and Los Altos to De Anza College will be replaced by a modified Line 51.
Bus 40 will be extended to serve Foothill College via San Antonio and El Monte. On Sundays, the bus will not reach Foothill College but will turn around in downtown Los Altos. This route will run in the evenings.
Bus 51 will have additional peak hour service between Akron & McCord and Truman & Bryant. Service on Homestead Road to Cupertino Square, weekday peak hour service to Parsons & Allen at NASA/Ames, and Saturday service will all be discontinued.
Bus 52 will have no changes.

How will Foothill students get to and from De Anza College?
There will no longer be one direct bus line that connects Foothill and De Anza Colleges. Instead, everyone traveling between these two colleges will have to take Bus 51 and Bus 52, with a transfer at the corner of Castro Street and El Camino Real. If you are going from Foothill to De Anza, you will take Bus 52 to Castro Street/El Camino Real and transfer to Bus 51. The same transfer point will be used when traveling from De Anza to Foothill.

Can I Ride the Bus in the Evening?
Bus 40 will serve Foothill College in the evenings, and will run on 30 minute frequencies until 10:00pm on weekdays and on 60 minute frequencies until 7:00pm on Saturdays. To see a full schedule, please visit www.vta.org.

Will the Fare Change as Well?
No, the fare will not change. Expect to pay the same amount when you ride the bus.

Why Did They Change our Bus Routes?
Unfortunately, the statistics gathered by VTA (Valley Transit Authority) over the past year clearly show very limited use of the route that connects Foothill and De Anza Colleges. Many officials from both Foothill and De Anza have worked with VTA over the last six months to try to avoid the elimination of the direct route between the campuses, but despite protests and concerns, the changes will still go into effect. Fortunately for us, VTA did modify some of their original plans so that students will be able to get between the campuses by making only one transfer.

How Can I Find Out More About These Changes?
Please visit the VTA website for more information: www.vta.org. As of Monday, November 19, 2007, there should be new schedules displayed on the website. If you have any further questions, you can contact VTA Customer Service at Customer.Service@vta.org or 408-321-2300.

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Planning A Trip? Get a Travel Signature!

Winter break is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your friends, celebrate holidays with the family or go on a long-awaited vacation. We want you to enjoy your break and have a safe return to the United States to continue your studies. Please be aware that you must have a valid travel signature on the bottom of page 3 of your I-20 to re-enter the country. If the I-20 is not signed or if the signature will be more than 5 months old when you come back into the country, you must request a new travel signature from the International Student Office before you travel.

The winter travel season is a very busy time for our office, and we ask that you allow yourself adequate time for processing. Please submit your travel request along with the I-20 by Wednesday, November 21.

Don't wait too long to request your travel signature, because your vacation won't wait for you if you are left behind at Foothill College!

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Changes to Immigration Advising Hours

Please note that since Arthur Levine, the Coordinator of International Advising, will be attending a professional NAFSA conference in the beginning of November, there will be temporary changes to the immigration advising schedule.

IMPORTANT!!! During the period of FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 to FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, any immigration requests (related to practical training, less than 12-units approval, travel signatures, social security letters, I-20 extensions and other matters) WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.

In order to accommodate students in processing immigration matters, walk-in advising is being expanded as follows:

Monday, November 12: Campus closed, Veterans Day
Tuesday, November 13: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Monday, November 12: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Tuesday, November 13: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesday, November 14: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Thursday, November 15: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Regular advising schedule (posted on the left) will resume on Monday, November 19.

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Want to Change Your Major?

Planning to Transfer to Another School in January?

Want to Change Your Major?

Moving? Tell the Insurance Company!

Can You Work On/Off Campus and How?

If you are interested in working on or off campus, or if you are considering applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduation, you should attend our Practical Training seminar to get information about employment and practical training options available for international students (Curricular Practical Training, CO-OP, CO-OP Education, Internships, OPT).

Practical training workshops will be held on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 3403, and on Friday, November 16, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 3403.

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Programs & Events

Upcoming Celebrity Forum Lectures – Free Tickets

Chris Matthews – Wednesday, November 14 at 8:00pm

Chris Matthews is an intense, experienced, and influential political commentator most famous for his television talk show Hardball With Chris Matthews on MSNBC. With his history as a political aid, speechwriter, and political and historical author, he brings a rich background and firm knowledge to his political debates. He has brought a fresh new perspective to Washington talk with spirited political analysis and incisive commentary. This outspoken and straightforward speaker is not to be missed!

Free tickets for the Chris Matthews lecture will be distributed at 2:00pm on Thursday, November 8 in Room 5403 (contact Allison) on a first come first served basis.

Bob Newhart – Wednesday, December 5 at 8:00pm

Bob Newhart has won Golden Globe and Grammy Awards for his exceptional wit and flair for comedy as both a stand-up comedian and actor. He has acted in films such as Elf, Legally Blonde 2, In & Out, Rescuers Down Under, Catch 22, and more. He has acted in his own stand-up television program in 1961: The Bob Newhard Show, and he is an accomplished author with his autobiography “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This”. With his trademark button-down style, ordinary demeanor and an uncanny ability to observe humor in everything, expect an evening of laughter and insight into the human mind.

Free tickets for the Bob Newhart lecture will be distributed at 2:00pm on Friday, November 30 in Room 5403 (contact Allison) on a first come first served basis.

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2nd Annual Foothill International Film Festival - November 13-16 at 5:00pm in Appreciation Hall

The International Programs Office is planning activities to celebrate the International Education Week (IEW), November 13-16. IEW is an annual initiative mandated by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote the value of international education and to foster global awareness. Foothill College is proud to be joining other esteemed colleges across the country in celebrating IEW in order to enhance a global perspective in campus life and to strengthen mutual understanding.

The highlight of this year’s IEW is the Foothill International Film Festival (FIFF) that will feature a collection of award-winning foreign films, with titles to be announced soon. All films will have English subtitles with the film in the original language. This event is open to everyone free of charge: students, faculty, staff, and community members. Bring your friends and loved ones to enjoy ethnic refreshments and music before each film screening and to connect with other globally minded individuals and expand your cultural knowledge. Full program details will be provided in the coming weeks.

How can you help?

We welcome any volunteers to help set up for the event, organize food and drinks, advertise, provide music and decorations, and more! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Allison Largent at (650) 949-7105 or LargentAllison@fhda.edu. There will be an informational meeting for all volunteers in the upcoming weeks – contact Allison to find out the details or check our website.

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Inside the International Student Office (ISO)

New Students - Bring Your Documents to ISO

The International Student Office will be closed November 12 and November 22-23

Transfer & Career Corner

November is the deadline for applying to UC and CSU Campuses!

If you are planning to apply to a UC or CSU campus, you need to submit your application this month! November 30 is the deadline for both UC and CSU applications!

Do you need help with your online application? Visit one of the Transfer Center’s workshops (all are located in the Career/Transfer Center)

UC application workshops: Friday, November 16 from 2:00-3:00pm and Thursday, November 29 (with assistance from a UC Davis representative) from 10:00am-1:00pm.

CSU application workshop: Tuesday, November 13 from 10:00-11:00am.

To attend a workshop, come by the Career/Transfer Center and sign-up in their blue workshop binder or contact Maureen Chenoweth at (650) 949-7235 or chenowethmaureen@fhda.edu.

For more information regarding university transfers, visit the Transfer Center in Room 1930 or their website .

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Around Foothill & Beyond

Apply Now for the Florence, Italy Campus Abroad Program

Florence, Italy Program: Spring Quarter, April 27-June 25, 2008

Spend a quarter in Florence, Italy, one of the world’s centers of art and culture. Immerse yourself in the language and culture of the Renaissance in a city still adorned with the paintings, sculptures and architecture of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Brunelleschi. Florence will become your classroom as you study Language, Literature, History and the Humanities.

The application deadline is coming up soon for this exciting program offered through the Foothill and De Anza Colleges District Campus Abroad Program. International students are eligible to participate and should meet with an immigration advisor to discuss this option.

For more information about the Florence, Italy program, please attend one of the informational meetings where you can meet Professors Karen Chow and Delores Davison and get a copy of the brochure/application:

Wednesday, November 7, 12:00-1:00pm in Room 6302
Wednesday, December 5, 12:00-1:00pm in Room 6302

The application deadline is January 3, 2008.

For general information about the Campus Abroad Program, contact Art Turmelle at (650) 949-7614 or visit the website.

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International Education Week

Attention Japanese Students!

Advisor's Corner

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Veterans Day is a chance to commemorate past and present military veterans for their service to their country and is often observed on the Monday following November 11, this year being November 12.

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a North American holiday celebrated in the U.S. on the third Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving Day is “…observed as a legal holiday in the United States to commemorate the feast held at Plymouth in 1621 by the colonists and the Wampanoag people and marked by the giving of thanks to God for harvest and health” (American Heritage Dictionary, 2002).

Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated by the gathering of family to a large dinner consisting primarily of turkey and other customary dishes such as mashed potatoes, yams, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, turnips, and pumpkin pie.

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