Below is some important information regarding the upcoming winter break.
International Travel:
Any student traveling internationally needs to have the travel endorsement signature on their I-20 (page 2) or DS-2019 (page 1) up to date.
If your I-20/DS-2019 was previously signed and the signature is a year old from when you will reenter the U.S. (dated before January 22, 2018), you will need to have it signed again. Signatures are only good for one year.
Stop by Cumberland House or Adams House to have your document signed.
Housing:
The residence halls will close for the fall semester at 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 15.
All students staying on-campus during winter break will be required to register for Winter Break Housing in your MAX account by 8PM on December 12th.
Students not taking classes over Winter Term or returning for the spring semester are required to check out of the residence halls by Saturday, December 15 at 12 noon.
The residence halls will reopen on Sunday, January 20 at 12:00 noon for the spring 2019 semester.
Dining Services
Dining options on-campus are more limited during the winter term, and there are many days when no dining services are available on campus.
Meal plans cannot be used during winter term. Students will have to use FLEX, Marauder Gold, cash, or credit card.
Important Dates for Dining Services
Sunday, December 16: Fall meal plans end after lunch
Monday, December 17: ALL dining operations closed on-campus
December 24-January 1: ALL dining operations closed on-campus
There will be no dining services available on-campus from December 23-January 1. Students are encouraged to visit local grocery stores ahead of time.
Local Grocery Stores:
The closest grocery store to campus, John Herr’s, is about a 20 minute walk. It is located near the end of George Street at 25 Manor Avenue. Their business hours are found here and they will be closed on Christmas Day (December 25) or New Year’s Day (January 1).
Another nearby grocery store is Weis Markets located at the Manor Shopping Center at 1204 Millersville Pike, Lancaster PA. Students can take the #16 bus there, but this bus will not be running on Christmas Day (December 25) or New Year’s Day (January 1), so students should plan to purchase food beforehand.
You’ve almost made it to the end of the semester. Keep going strong! If you have any questions regarding the information above feel free to stop by Cumberland House or Adams House for more information.
Don’t know what to do over the winter break? Check out this article on that very topic!
It is already to think about registering for your Winter and Spring 2017 classes! For those of you graduating this semester be sure to register for graduation.
Class registration for the Spring semester opens November 2nd. Before then you will want to meet with your academic advisor regarding your schedule for the coming semester. If you haven’t already watched MU’s short instructional videos on register, you can do so here. This page contains the dates for Spring Registration, which opens up at different times for students depending on the number of credits you have. Be sure to refer to it to see when registration will be open for you.
We’ve also created specific instructions for international students to help with registering. Refer here for them. Don’t delay in registering, so you’ll able to get the classes you want.
If you need further academic assistance feel free to reach out to Dr. Kasia Jakubiak, the Global Education Faculty Coordinator, for assistance. Good luck registering!
Dining services is planning an International Harvest during International Education Week (IEW) 2017. The event will be on Tuesday, November 7th from 11-1:30 in the Upper Deck. They need your help for this event! Students assisting would do the following:
Share a traditional holiday recipe from their culture, which Dining Services will prepare for the International Harvest
Attend the harvest and dress in traditional attire, if possible
Stand next to their dish for part of the time and share about your culture
Hand out recipe cards to any interested people at the Upper Deck
Anyone helping with this event would receive a FREE meal at the Upper Deck. If you’re interested please email Cynthia.Charles@millersville.edu
Join Global Education for a fun time at Hershey Park in the Dark on Saturday, October 28th! Hershey Park is a nearby amusement park with over 13 rollercoasters. Cost of event is $20, which will give you full access to the amusement park, Chocolate World, and ZooAmerica. Watch this video more details about the park. SIGN UP HERE!
We will leave from Cumberland House at 2pm and return to Millersville around 11pm. Sign up HERE by Tuesday, October 24th and bring your $20 payment to Cumberland House to complete your reservation.
All are invited to join Global Education staff for an hour of conversation and free international treats. Enjoy a selection of teas, coffees and pastries from around the world, and chat with students, faculty and staff interested in all things international.
This social hour will be held every month. The first event is Tuesday, October 17, 12:15-1:15pm in Ford Atrium, McKomsey Hall.
Americans love pumpkins. We love pumpkin seeds, pumpkin flavored coffee, pumpkin bread, pumpkin picking and most of all, carving pumpkins! Global Education is hosting a free pumpkin carving and painting party on Thursday, October 12 at 7:00. Meet on the porch at Cumberland House. Snacks will be provided. Don’t miss out on this great American experience, SIGN UP HERE!
To help prepare you for the ultimate Halloween activity, here are some tips on how to carve the perfect pumpkin.
Select the perfect pumpkin!
Pick a design! It can be spooky, funny, traditional, or something completely made up by you. Some people like to find a stencil online, others like to free-hand their designs.
If you are using a stencil, find a design online, the simpler the design, the easier the carving will be.
Cut out the outline of the design you want.
Hold it against the pumpkin and, using a permanent marker, trace along the outside of the design onto the pumpkin.
If you are drawing your own design, use a permanent marker and draw directly onto the pumpkin.
Before you carve into your pumpkin, you will need to cut a circle around the stem of the pumpkin and remove the top like a lid. Do not cut completely vertical, cut on an angle so that this lid can later be placed back on and will stay in place.
Using a big spoon, scoop out all of the insides and seeds of the pumpkin.
After the inside is clean, now you can turn the pumpkin on its side and start carving out your design.
Be careful while carving because if you mess up, you can’t go back.
When you have finished carving and removed all of the chunks of pumpkin that you cut out, place a small candle into your pumpkin.
Put the top back on, turn off the lights or wait for it to get dark, and watch your masterpiece glow!
Another option people traditionally follow is painting their pumpkins instead of carving them. This way is a lot less messy and the pumpkin will last longer. We will also have painting supplies for anyone wishing to paint their pumpkins instead of carving.
There will be an informative and interactive employment workshop held on Friday, October 13 from 12:00-1:00 PM for international students. The focus will be on and off campus employment, as well as options for after graduations, such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) options related to your visa. Please read this information in advance to prepare and get the most out of the workshop. Students graduating this semester will not want to miss out on this workshop!
The last day to withdraw from a class and get a “W” grade is Friday, November 3rd!
If you signed up for a class and then later realized that it is too difficult, or that it has too heavy of a course load, or that it is just plain boring and your grades are suffering as a result, withdrawing may be the best option for you. When you withdraw from a class, it shows up on your transcript as a “W”, which means that you will not get credit for the class and it will not impact your GPA (Grade Point Average) in any way.
If you are only taking 12 credits, you are not eligible to withdraw from a class because your credit hours would fall below the minimum requirement to be a full-time student.
Fill out the top half of the form with all of the necessary information.
Next, bring the Course Withdrawal Card to the professor who teaches the class you wish to withdraw from and have them sign it.
Exchange students: After your professor signs the card, bring it to Global Education so we can review it and sign it.
Degree students: After your professor signs the card, bring it to your academic advisor so they can sign it.
Lastly, drop off the form at the Registrar’s Office (in Lyle Hall) no later than 4:30pm on November 3rd.
If you have any questions regarding the withdrawal process or your eligibility to withdraw from a course, stop by Global Education or send us an email, we are here to help!
‘We Are Global’ aims to spread awareness of the international student and faculty populations, study abroad opportunities and past participants, and the international initiatives of MU. We hope to show the diversity of the campus and show that you can participate in global initiatives no matter your age, gender, ethnicity, major, class standing, and more! In this campaign, we are interviewing Millersville study abroad students, faculty, and international students and scholars!
You are one of the faces that represents everything international at Millersville University! For this reason, we at Global Education would love for you to participate in ‘We Are Global.’
Why did you come to study/(or teach for scholars) at Millersville University?
What fun trips/excursions/events did you participate in (so far)?
What is one new cultural thing you learned?
What would you like to share with the campus community about your culture or country?
Anything else that you would like to share
Would you be willing to be in a quick video for Global Education’s social media? (Yes, or No)
Responses will be archived in our office and posted on our various social media accounts within the next year. This will allow the Millersville community to learn about you and your home culture.
Fall Break will be here soon with no classes being held on Monday, October 9th and Tuesday, October 10th! During this time campus with still remain open, but will be less active.
Some of you may be taking advantage of this break to plan a trip or take a few days to relax and recharge. No matter what your plans, continue reading for preparations to make for break regarding international travel and remaining on campus during that time.
Traveling Internationally:
Any student traveling internationally during break needs to have the travel endorsement signature on their I-20 (page 2) or DS-2019 (page 1).
If your I-20/DS-2019 was previously signed and the signature is a year old, you will need to have it signed again.Signatures are only good for one year.
Stop by Global Education to have you documents signed.
Housing:
On-campus student wishing to stay in the residence halls during break must complete a request form with Housing. Housing will be emailing you specific instructions on how to do this soon.
Students not staying on campus during the break are required to vacate the residence halls by Friday, October 10th at 7:00 p.m.
Dining Services:
During break MU dining options are more limited and you cannot use your meal plan after Friday evening.
Refer to the Campus Dining Schedule for what dining services will be available during this time. Campus Dining Schedule
Meal plans cannot be used during break. Students will have to use FLEX, Marauder Gold, cash, or credit card.
Do to the restrictions with dining services you may wish to visit local grocery stores in addition to dining on
Local Grocery Stores:
The closest grocery store to campus, John Herr’s, is about a 20 minute walk. It is located near the end of George Street at 25 Manor Avenue. Their business hours are found here.
Another nearby grocery store is Weis Markets located at the Manor Shopping Center at 1204 Millersville Pike, Lancaster PA. Students can take the #16 bus
You’ve almost made it to the a well-deserved break. Keep going strong! If you have any questions regarding the information above feel free to reach out to the Global Education office.