Category: Capstone International Services

DS-2019s Can Be Sent Electronically

From: https://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/about-ds-2019/detailed-description-of-the-ds-2019/

U.S. Department of State Announces Updated Options for Form DS-2019

On March 28, 2023, the Department of State published an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register that permits designated sponsors for the Exchange Visitor Program to digitally sign and electronically transmit Forms DS-2019 to an enumerated list of parties. The new regulation will reduce costs, improve efficiencies for exchange program sponsors, and streamline Department of State exchange visitor visa processing. While the rule goes into effect on April 27, 2023, the Department of State will accept public comments on the rule until May 30, 2023.

The Form DS-2019 is the controlled document used by the Department of State to administer the Exchange Visitor Program. Exchange visitors and their accompanying spouses or dependents, if any, must present paper Forms DS-2019 to apply for nonimmigrant J visas at U.S. embassies or consulates. Exchange visitors must obtain J-1 visas and accompanying spouses or dependents, if any, must obtain J-2 visas to enter the United States. They must carry their Forms DS-2019 to the U.S. port of entry and present their passports, visas, and Forms DS-2019 to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to seek entry into the United States.

Prior to April 27, 2023, sponsors had to sign paper Forms DS-2019 in blue ink and mail them to prospective exchange visitors. With the publication of the Interim Final Rule, sponsors may continue to mail paper copies of Forms DS-2019, but no longer must sign them in blue ink. In addition, the Interim Final Rule offers two new options:

  • Sponsors may print and physically sign paper forms in ink (blue ink not required), scan and save them (e.g., as portable document format (PDF) files), and electronically transmit them (e.g., via email).
  • Sponsors may use digital signature software to sign Forms DS-2019 and then electronically transmit them (e.g., via email) or mail them.

Turkey Earthquake Relief

In the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquake, the UA Turkish Student Association and several departments on campus, have put together an event to raise awareness and support for the victims. The event will look at the current conditions in Turkey as well as discuss how we can support community members who have been affected. The students have also compiled a list of organizations taking donations in order to provide relief directly to Turkey.

Invited speakers include Dr. Mesut Yavuz, Associate Professor of Operations Management, Dr. Ibrahim Cemen, Professor of Geology, M. Zeki Gungordu, Turkish Language Trainer, Critical Languages Center, and Dr. Noor Chazal Aswad, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies. Dr. Waleed Hazbun, Political Science, and Dr. Cheryl Toman, Modern Languages and Classics, will be moderating.

The event HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 6:00 pm in the Yellowhammer Room of Gorgas Library.

Organized by: The Chambers Professorship in Middle Eastern Studies; The Departments of Political Science, Modern Languages & Classics, Geological Sciences, and Communication Studies; Office of Global and Community Engagement; The Turkish Student Association; Capstone International Center; The Aronov Chair for Judaic Studies; Department of Political Science.

Click here to see the official event page.

The Turkish Students Association supports the Bridge To Türkiye “Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund.” You can donate at:

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/bridge-to-turkiye/kahramanmaras-earthquake-relief-fund

For additional recommendations for sending aid to Turkey and Syria, see:

https://linktr.ee/turkishstudentassociation

Unable to attend the event? Scan the QR code or click the image below for links to donate.

International Student Receives National Aerospace Fellowship

From: https://news.ua.edu/2022/02/ua-junior-receives-national-aerospace-fellowship/

Simran Dhoju, Winner of Brooke Owens Fellowship
Simran Dhoju, Winner of Brooke Owens Fellowship

A University of Alabama junior majoring in aerospace engineering was one of 51 students in the nation to earn a Brooke Owens Fellowship, a nationally acclaimed program that awards exceptional undergraduate women and gender minorities studying the field of aerospace.

Simran Dhoju, of Kathmandu, Nepal, will take part in the program that pairs each fellow with a summer internship at one of the leading aerospace companies, an executive-level mentor who are senior leaders in the aerospace industry and a peer-level mentor from the Brooke Owens Fellowship alumnae network. According to the organization, Dhoju will be part of the most diverse and competitive class to date.

“For me, receiving the Brooke Owens Fellowship has been the greatest honor of my life,” said Dhoju. “In a highly male-dominated aerospace industry, it is difficult to see representation. The Brooke Owens Fellowship will provide a lifelong network of women and gender minorities who are taking the industry by storm.”

Dhoju will work at Planet Labs as a systems engineering intern in the space systems division. Operating more than 200 earth observation satellites, Planet is the leading earth-imaging satellite company that uses satellite data for various humanitarian efforts in disaster management and response; tracking illegal activities; developing agricultural maps; and monitoring climate change.

“The mission at Planet is quite literally the reason why I pursued aerospace,” said Dhoju. “During the 2015 Nepal earthquake of 7.8 magnitude, I realized how the lack of Nepal’s own satellite caused delays in receiving satellite images to locate the victims. I always wondered how many more lives could have been saved if we had our own earth-imaging satellite.

“This experience introduced me to the aerospace industry, and I have not looked back ever since. One of my ultimate goals in life is to establish an earth-imaging satellite company in Nepal to help with disaster response and management. I think my time at Planet will be the steppingstone of my career.”

During her time at UA, Dhoju has been named an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Diversity Scholar and is currently a project manager with the Alabama Rocketry Association. As the leader of one of the group’s solid rocket teams, her team was selected to compete this summer in the Spaceport America Cup 2022, the largest intercollegiate rocketry competition in the world.

“I identify myself as a triple-minority: a woman in aerospace, an international student in aerospace and one of the few people from my country pursuing aerospace,” said Dhoju. “Receiving this fellowship means inspiring others who look like me to keep fighting and persevering for their dreams.

“It means being a role model that I wished I had growing up. This fellowship helps me celebrate my intersectionality and help others do the same.”

UPDATE – Duration-of-Status Proposed Rule Withdrawn

UPDATE – JULY 6, 2021 – DHS WITHDRAWS PROPOSAL

On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published their official withdrawal of the proposed rule to change F and J duration of status periods.

Below is a history of the now withdrawn proposal, and for more detailed information and resources, please see the NAFSA Page on this topic.

HISTORY OF PROPOSAL
On September 25, 2020 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule to change the admission period of F and J nonimmigrants from the current “duration of status” (D/S) period (which is linked to the expiration date on your I-20 or DS-2019) to a date-certain I-94 Form (which provides an entry date and authorized period of stay).  The proposed rule was highly technical, and received a lot of feedback.  The following is a brief summary of how the withdrawn proposal would have impacted international students’ and scholars’ periods of admission.

  • Would have limited period of status (or authorized stay) to 4 years.  Individuals seeking to enter in F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2 visa status would be admitted into the United States for the length of time indicated on the I-20 or DS-2019, for a period not to exceed four years plus their grace period. This proposed rule also changes the F-1/F-2 grace period from 60 days to 30 days.  J-1/J-2 will continue to have a 30 day grace period. Extensions of stay may be applied for; see additional information below.
  • Certain groups would be limited to 2-year periods of admission instead of 4-year periods of admission. Students limited to this initial 2-year period would have to apply for an extension to stay and complete programs. Those categories include:
    • Individuals from countries on the State Sponsor of Terrorism List (currently North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria).
    • Individuals from countries with greater than 10 percent overstay rate (see table C-4). This list is subject to change and can be updated separately from this rule.
    • Based on U.S. National Interest, for example “students who are enrolled in specific courses of study, such as nuclear science”.
    • Unaccredited schools (F-1 only): The University of Alabama and its Intensive English Program are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools so this part of the rule will not impact UA students.
    • Schools or exchange programs not participating in E-Verify: The University of Alabama is an E-Verify employer so this part of the rule will not impact UA Students.
  • Would have limited English as a Second Language study: F-1 students in language training would be restricted to a lifetime total limit of 24 months of language study, including breaks and annual vacations.
  • Would have limited pursuing F-1 programs at the same educational level: DHS proposes to limit the number of times someone can get a degree at the same educational level (i.e. multiple masters programs) to three for the lifetime of the student
  • Would have limited ‘reverse matriculation” for F-1s: While there are still no limits to how many times a student can change level to a higher degree level (for example, language study > Associates > Bachelors > Masters > PhD) students can only go down a degree level (for example from a PhD to a Master’s) once in F-1 status for the lifetime of the student.
  • Would have required program extensions approved by USCIS instead of ISSS: With a date-certain I-94 record, program extensions would no longer be approved by ISSS and processed with an update to your F-1 I-20 or J-1 DS-2019, but instead would require an application (with fee) to USCIS after a “recommendation” by ISSS.
    • Changes the standard of review for approval of extension:  The new rule would eliminate references to “normal progress” as a grounds for seeking an extension and incorporates a new standard for acceptable reasons for requesting extensions  “1) compelling academic reasons; 2) a documented illness or medical condition; and 3) exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the alien.”  Again, granting extensions would be the sole authority of USCIS under this proposed rule.
    • Implements biometrics requirement for program extensions, meaning that after an application for an extension, F-1 and J-1 students would have to visit a USCIS facility for fingerprints and photographs.
  • Would have created a series of “auto extensions” to account for processing times.  Processing times for Extensions of Stay are historically very long, with current posted processing times of 5 – 7 months.  To, account for long processing times, the proposal has automatic extensions of some authorizations:
    • On-campus employment: F-1 students able to continue to be authorized for on-campus employment while Extension of Stay (EOS) application is pending not to exceed 180 days.
    • Off-Campus Employment (such as Economic Hardship or Special Student Relief): automatic extension for up to 180 days.
    • No International Organization Internships, CPT or Pre-Completion OPT can be recommended or approved after the I-20 expiration date until the EOS has first been approved by USCIS
    • F-1 students applying for Post-Completion OPT must also submit an EOS request, and cannot begin OPT employment until both the OPT and EOS are approved.
    • F-1 students applying for STEM OPT also require an EOS application, but they are able to continue employment for 180 days while both the STEM OPT and EOS are being adjudicated.
    • J-1s would be able to continue working incident to their status while the EOS is pending for up to 240 days.
  • Would have impacted those currently in the U.S.  F and J nonimmigrants who are properly maintaining their status would be authorized to remain in the United States in F and J status until the end date on their Form I-20 or DS-2019, not to exceed a period of 4 years from the final rule’s effective date, plus a grace period of 60 days for F nonimmigrants and 30 days for J nonimmigrants. If they need additional time to complete their current course of study or exchange visitor program, including requests for post completion optional practical training (OPT) or STEM OPT, or would like to start a new course of study, they would have to apply for an extension of stay.

Doctoral Student Brings Bangladeshi Cuisine to UA Community

In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month, The University of Alabama’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting a cooking demonstration that discusses the history, cultural and familial connection of food to the Bangladeshi people.

Khadiza Tul Jannat, communications doctoral student

Khadiza Tul Jannat, a native of Bangladesh who attends the University as a doctoral student and a graduate research and teaching assistant in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, will cook one of her favorite Bengali dishes on May 17 at 6 p.m.

To receive a link to the free cooking demonstration, registration is required.

This is Jannat’s first time celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month. She came to the U.S. in 2016 to continue her education and hadn’t heard of the heritage month, but she said she’s excited to celebrate it so she can share her culture with others through food and her passion, dance.

“I definitely want to represent my culture and help us to learn more about each other,” she said. “I think that’s how we become comfortable with each other by celebrating each other’s culture.

“Where I’m from, we all cook. We don’t eat frozen food. My mom cooked and I observed her. I like cooking for sure, but I do other stuff. I love dancing, that’s the main thing. When I dance, I feel like a bird. But cooking is a part of my life.”

Jannat said Bangladesh is known as the land of rivers, and people eat a lot of fresh fish and rice. So, she’s going to make one of the most popular dishes in her country, fish curry.

“It’s hard to find the same fish types here that are in my country, but I’ll be using one of the most popular fish I can find here, which is tilapia. I’ll be using my own recipe cooked in my traditional way. It’s going to be extra spicy, but I’ll be showing everyone how to make it with less or more chilis based on their tolerance for spice.

“When your tummy is happy, everything is happy. So sharing food means sharing happiness. In Asian cultures, we are very much hospitable, and food is one of the best ways to show care. When we care, we show it by doing things more than telling.”

Contact: Jamon Smith, strategic communications, jamon.smith@ua.edu

Indefinite Entry Bars Rescinded

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, President Biden issued a Proclamation Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.

This action rescinds prior executive orders 9983 issued on Friday, January 31, 2020 and 9645 issued on September 24, 2017 which impacted citizens of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

For a breakdown of how the now-revoked Executive Orders’ impacted travel for all 13 countries please look here: https://www.nafsa.org/professional-resources/browse-by-interest/executive-order-travel-ban-nafsa-resources.

References:

Changes to H-1B and Prevailing Wages – UPDATED DECEMBER 1

PREMIUM PROCESSING FEE INCREASES TO $2500 – EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 19, 2020

Effective October 19, 2020 the premium processing fee will be $2,500 for premium processing requests on H-1B Petitions, I-140 cases and other types of employment petitions, as authorized by the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act signed into law on October 1, 2020.

For more information, see USCIS’s October 16, 2020 announcement. Prior to October 19, 2020, the premium processing fee had been set at $1,440 since December 2, 2019 by 84 FR 58303.

UA International Student & Scholar Services has updated its H-1B Packet and pages with the updated Premium Processing fee.  Please use the most recent H-1B Packet when processing filing fee requests for H-1Bs going forward.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CHANGES TO PREVAILING WAGES – UPDATE – STRUCK DOWN ON DECEMBER 1

UPDATE:
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgement, and set aside both the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security interim final rules. This blocks both rules from being enforced or implementedRead the court’s order and judgement, which found that the agencies did not have just cause to promulgate the rules without notice and comment. The case is Chamber of Commerce et al. v. DHS et al., Case No. 4:20-CV-7331 (N.D. Ca., October 19, 2020).

BACKGROUND:
On October 8, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) published an interim final rule (IFR) titled Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States.

The rule changes how DOL computes Level I through Level IV wage rates when it uses Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage data to make a National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC) prevailing wage determination or to certify an LCA that relies on OES wage data.

The interim final rule went into effect on the date of publication, October 8, 2020.

In short, the rule meant that official prevailing wages which we use for H-1B petitions and which are required for labor-based Permanent Residency/Green Card filings was higher for many positions.

With the court decision on December 1 striking the rule down, it means that going forward, UA can rely on previous prevailing wages that were in effect prior to October 8, and can rest assured knowing that H-1B regulations won’t prohibit our sponsorship of staff or faculty positions.

H-1B CHANGES –  UPDATE – STRUCK DOWN ON DECEMBER 1

UPDATE:
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgement, and set aside both the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security interim final rules. This blocks both rules from being enforced or implementedRead the court’s order and judgement, which found that the agencies did not have just cause to promulgate the rules without notice and comment. The case is Chamber of Commerce et al. v. DHS et al., Case No. 4:20-CV-7331 (N.D. Ca., October 19, 2020).

BACKGROUND:
On October 8, 2020, DHS published an interim final rule (IFR) titled Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program.

The new rule would have gone into effect on December 7, 2020.

Changes include revised definitions of and standards for a “specialty occupation” that make use of the H-1B category for staff positions more challenging.

This rule amends the definition of a “specialty occupation” at 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(ii) to clarify that there must be a direct relationship between the required degree field(s) and the duties of the position.

Additionally, the rule changes the qualification as a “specialty occupation” to require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree for all positions.

The changes would have impacted future filings, extensions, and amendments of H-1Bs.  The primary impact would have been to our ability to sponsor non-teaching staff positions in the future.

With the court decision on December 1 striking the rule down, it means that going forward, UA can rely on previous prevailing wages that were in effect prior to October 8, and can rest assured knowing that H-1B regulations won’t prohibit our sponsorship of staff or faculty positions.

A Crash Course in Global Innovation

Written by: Breanna Pianfetti

Fifteen days completely out of their comfort zone with strangers from around the world, students from The University of Alabama consistently overcome a diverse set of challenges at the European Innovation Academy, or EIA.

The European Innovation Academy challenges young professionals to think outside the box, testing their entrepreneurial mindsets. During their stay abroad, students have the ability to network with peers, international faculty and industry-leading professionals from all over the globe, including 90 speakers and mentors from Fortune 50 companies like Amazon and Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

University of Alabama students from the 2019 European Innovation Academy with faculty advisor Harold Wright sitting.

Students from the University of Alabama who attend the program have the ability to receive study abroad course credit for their studies. Applications to attend EIA next summer open up in late 2019.

This past summer, nearly 500 students from 75 countries met in Cascais, Portugal, for the three-week intensive acceleration program centered around entrepreneurship and innovation. At the 2019 convention, EIA challenged 11 Culverhouse College of Business students, including some on the STEM Path to MBA, to build an entire business from concept to company in under three weeks.

“EIA is a global entity that brings together students for start-up businesses in a global environment,” explained Harold Wright, professor in the STEM and CREATE program and faculty advisor for the EIA trip. “It is a great exercise that teaches students to be comfortable with ambiguity.”

This is The University of Alabama’s third trip to EIA –– and each time, students from the Capstone pile on the previous year’s successes. This year’s EIA team traveled to Cascais, Portugal and stayed from July 14 to August 2, 2019.

Every EIA participant begins their trip speed-dating style, meeting with potential team members from all over who have great ideas for the next big startup, like Uber, DoorDash, or Airbnb. Each team includes a chief executive officer, chief business officer, chief marketing officer, chief technical officer and chief development officer. Diversity and international representation are important factors in how teams are composed. For example, Jack Zimmerman a chemical engineering student on the STEM Path to MBA, which is offered through Culverhouse’s Manderson Graduate School of Business, led a team at EIA in 2018 with members from Italy, Russia, Canada and Texas.

The first step from concept to company is creating a solid team with a solid idea. Pivoting, as it’s referred to, is a fundamental change to a business, and, in this case, students often found themselves pivoting on their ideas constantly, fine-tuning them to create a better, more marketable idea.

“Both your team and your idea need to be approved simultaneously within the first 48 hours,” Macey Shirah, a participant from this year’s cohort, explained. “… and even when you think you’ve found your team, where everyone’s committed and you have all five people on board, you go to get approved, there’s a possibility that your idea can be denied. Which also happened to me even after dating almost 12 teams.”

Shirah and her team had several ideas, ranging from pots and pans to wine to, finally, utilizing a NASA patent for maritime transportation.

Students began their trip speed-dating style, meeting with other participants from around the world.

“It took until the last 20 minutes before the final deadline for my company to finally be approved,” Shirah said.Shirah and her team had several ideas, ranging from pots and pans to wine to, finally, utilizing a NASA patent for maritime transportation.

Once an idea is established and a team is found. Students are faced with the next challenge: validation. Any product or service must have a coinciding market with interested consumers. This led to a few days where teams conducted research on validating the market, testing consumer and product market fit, and making sure their ideas meet consumer needs. To accomplish this, many students conducted deep market research, reached out to top executives at Fortune 50 companies, and met with subject matter experts relevant to their product.

“When my team settled on the maritime transportation idea, I reached out to the director of communications for the European International Shipowners Association of Portugal,” explained Macey. “Through email, we set up a lunch meeting at Apeadeiro in Cascais, Portugal with their technical director and director of communications…. My team and I had just arrived at EIA, but there a couple of us were a few days later, eating lunch with these two directors about our new business idea.”

For Macey and her team, that lunch meeting helped establish their market entry. She received a letter of intent from the shipowners association, allowing her to begin contacting the shipowners.

Idea established. Team found. Market validated. Next was the prototyping process. A prototype is a preliminary model of an idea that leads to future developed forms and, eventually, the final product. Considering most of the ideas at the European Innovation Academy were digital, many teams set up web-based applications.

“Team’s set up fully functioning websites with landing pages that were made available for potential customers,” Madeline Rogers, a two-time past participant and chemical engineering student, explained. “Every team’s product essentially became available online where customers had the chance to get a comprehensive understanding of the product, input their contact information for more information, give feedback and sign up for when the beta testing process begins.”

Idea established. Team found. Market validated. Prototype available. Students are now at a point in the trip where the program becomes more of a competition. During the final week, participants find themselves facing a room full of venture capitalists, fellow students and executive-level professionals. Their next steps include pitching their ideas and asking for funding. Typically, the chief executive officers of these new startups assume the role of lead pitch person, becoming the one who stands in front of the entire room, asking investors to open their checkbooks and invest in their team’s new business idea.

That trend, though, is not always true when there is an Alabama student on the team.

Advisor Harold Wright explains: “Chloe Denorme was not supposed to be the pitch person for her team, but a day before the presentations, she approached me and effectively said ‘I am going to pitch. I am the only one equipped with the knowledge of what we are doing.’”

Denorme had just celebrated her 19th birthday during her time at the program. The other four people on her team were, on average, late twenties to early thirties, all with several years of work experience.

“Following the pitch,” Wright continued. “I went up to the venture capitalist and thanked him for listening to Chloe who had just turned 19 and finished her freshman year. He looked at me and said ‘that was easily the best pitch I have ever heard.’”

Apart from the program rules, there is also a “Wright Rule,” which allows for only one Alabama student per team.

Per the “Wright Rule,” Paige Harris, a chemical engineering major, was the only Alabama student and female on her team. The rest of her team included participants from Switzerland, Denmark, Singapore and Michigan who all voted Harris in as their chief executive officer and lead pitch person for their startup tech company, Bippy, that helps find parking in Europe. In three minutes or less, Harris pitched her entire company from idea to business plan to market strategy to two investors: one who invested a lot of money in Disney and one who is the vice president of Alchemist Accelerator in San Francisco, California.

Harris’s company was selected as a top 10 team and was awarded the HAG Venture Building Program and Expedited Interview with Alchemist Accelerator awards. The Alchemist Accelerator award, which is known as one of the “most prestigious awards” at the program, grants Harris a direct line to an interview with Alchemist Accelerator anytime she submits an application on a potential investment idea.

“The entire three-week experience was incredible,” Harris noted about her time abroad. “When am I ever going to be in another room with 11 venture capitalists that can write me a check for a quarter of a million dollars?”

Students had the opportunity to travel on the weekends.

Harris and her team’s company, that they created in July, recently received stage one funding and are currently up and running.

Zimmerman, who attended EIA in 2018, is still acting chief executive officer for his company, Rottweiler, a security company that protects personal items. Zimmerman and his team received the provisional patent award from Nixon Peabody, covering any and all fees when it comes to filing for a patent.

“The chief technology officer and I are currently in product development,” Zimmerman said. “He is from Italy, but is soon moving to America.”

Shirah, who went through several ideas and found herself on several teams before settling, finished the European Innovation Academy a part of the program’s top team. The company, AME, LLC, creates a biocide-free product for the maritime industry.

“There are new regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization that have banned most common biocide products that are used in killing off biolife on the ship hulls,” Shirah explained. “Our superhydrophobic, biocide-free product coats ships hulls and repels water at the surface to prevent bioaccumulation as opposed to the current method of relying on harmful chemicals to kill off the biolife after they accumulated.”

Shirah and her team’s idea won them a fully-expensed trip to Greece for the Funny Money Training Course, where they will learn about entrepreneurship, funding and succeeding as a startup.

Whereas, senior chemical engineer, Madeline Rogers, is a featured alum of the EIA Program, leading webinars as a successful student story from the program. She discusses her experiences and what the program offers to faculty and students, answering their questions in hopes that they will register and go.

“The European Innovation Academy is an invaluable experience to any and all participants,” Rogers said. “It’s something you can’t get anywhere else.”

For more information about the European Innovation Academy click here.

International Spouses Learn UA Culture, History

October 21, 2019 | From The Crimson White

While international students and staff members have their own resources for adjusting to UA life, their spouses have found their own community in B.B. Comer Hall. 

ISG Photo by Joe Will Field
ISG Photo by Joe Will Field

The International Spouse Group (ISG) has been serving the partners of foreign students and staff members over recent years. The ISG meets once a week, and faculty advisers are there to answer any questions the members have or just to talk about how their day is going. It is a casual and inviting environment, which is the goal of advisers Melanie Walker and Kay Geno.

Walker, an international staff member herself, noticed the positive attention incoming students and staff members got at the University.

“When I came to UA, I found it welcoming,” Walker said. “The school does a good job with the students and keeps them busy, but I think the spouse gets lost along the way.”

That is why the ISG was formed, Walker said.

“We want to bring people together,” Walker said. “When you come here with your partner, you don’t know anyone. It’s just a way of getting people to meet each other and realize they’re not alone.”

On a typical Wednesday morning, the group gathers at B.B. Comer Hall in a meeting room tucked away in the Capstone International Center. While this intimate setting facilitates conversation, the leaders also like to take things outdoors and give the members a chance to see other parts of the UA campus.

“We’ve done the [Hallowed Grounds] walking tour with Dr. [Hilary] Green, the Gorgas House tour, the Bryant Football museum tour, the Smith Hall History museum, seen the library archives,” Walker said. “We do things quite often.”

While Walker and Geno set up these events and promote the club on Facebook, they say it is all about the members.

“We invite new members all the time and reach back out to people who have already come,” Geno said.

Attendance varies between four to 10 members at a given meeting, but the group is always looking for new people that they can serve.

“Some international students have their own clubs and Facebook pages, like the Bangladeshi students, so we can reach out to new members that way, too,” Walker said. “There are always new students coming into the University, as undergrads or Ph.D. students, so we try to get a hold of them and their partners.”

The ISG currently has members from Nepal, Russia, Sweden, Bangladesh, India, Germany and more. No matter where the spouses are from, the mission of the ISG unites them.

“When people first arrive in the U.S., they find it important to do more than just finding their feet,” Walker said. “They feel lonely and think about what they have left behind. The wives have jobs and careers that their visa does not allow them to practice here. The initial adjustment to the culture can be hard.”

Not only do the members gain support and knowledge from the ISG, but Walker and Geno benefit as well.

“There’s a learning curve for everybody,” Walker said. “No matter where you’re from, you can always teach us something new.”

Antara Das has been a part of the ISG since the spring semester of last year. She moved to Alabama in the summer of 2018, along with her husband, Tonmoy Ghosh, and two-year-old daughter. Ghosh is at The University of Alabama pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

“My husband actually gave me a pamphlet about the ISG,” Das said. “He told me about the meetings, and one day I went to one and got added to Facebook group.”

“I came to UA mainly for the scholarship,” Ghosh said. “But I went to the International Coffee Hour event, and that’s where I heard about the ISG. It is a great place to make friends and learn from the different cultures of the people there.”

Since then, Das and her daughter have been frequent attendees to the meetings and events of the ISG. The group helped Das and her family work past the initial growing pains of living in a new country.

“At first, things like transportation were hard,” Das said. “I didn’t know how to drive in the U.S. It was not easy to understand the language and the English accent.”

Das was able to pick up those skills and has since expanded on her involvement with Alabama culture. For this, she thanks the ISG.

“They’ve helped me know America and Tuscaloosa better,” Das said. “We’ve gone on trips to museums, and I have come to know a lot about the culture and history here.”

Das is planning to take the GRE exam and begin studying public health at the University if admitted.

“The people here are very friendly and helpful,” Das said. “My family feels very good here, even though we are far from our country.”

Rona Khadka, another ISG member, has resided in Alabama for approximately two years. Originally from Nepal, Khadka came here alongside her husband, who is pursuing his Ph.D. in data science.

Like Das, Khadka’s husband was the one who told her about the group.

“My favorite part has been getting to know people from the U.S. and making friends with people from other countries,” Khadka said.

Khadka appreciates the practice she has gotten with speaking English in the ISG and says that it has given her confidence to speak it more herself.

“I was worried about that for my medical exams,” Khadka said.

While the members of the ISG are guided through their time at The University of Alabama, they also highlight external opportunities as well, such as job placement. For example, Khadka, 27, obtained her undergraduate degree in nursing while in Nepal. She now has a job lined up in Nebraska and is hoping for a sponsor to secure her green card.

The ISG meets every Wednesday at 10 a.m. in B.B. Comer 105. For more information, visit their Facebook page.

Make a Friend, Be a Friend: International Spouse Group

April 3, 2019 | From UA News

International Spouse Group

When Melanie Walker’s husband got a job as an associate professor of educational psychology at The University of Alabama in August last year, they packed up and moved from their home in Durham, England, to Tuscaloosa.

But while he worked, she was left alone and unable to pursue her own career because for now the type of visa she was given doesn’t allow international spouses to work.

“As a spouse you’re basically an alien,” Walker said. “Everything you do has to go through the working spouse or the student. That’s possibly the hardest thing that people coming here have to deal with because when you are in your home country your identity and finances are your own, but when you come here as the spouse of a student, your identity and finances are connected to your spouse.”

With this not being her first international move due to her husband’s career, she quickly found ways to occupy her time and get involved. One of those ways she discovered was UA’s International Spouse Group, where she is now a co-leader.

“My husband and I saw the group on the website and I saw where they met and when, and I turned up one day to say hello and I was welcomed in,” she said.

The International Spouse Group brings together the spouses of international students, faculty, staff and scholars for activities and interaction by learning from each other and sharing unique knowledge and experiences, according to its website.

The home countries of current group members include Nepal, Brazil, Uganda, Bangladesh, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Germany and America. The group is open to American spouses who want to make international friends and support those friends in the process of acculturation.

The current American in the group, co-leader Kay Geno, is from south Louisiana and has been a member for a year and a half. She said she joined because she was new to Tuscaloosa and sought fellowship. She also wanted to help non-Americans acclimate.

“What I hope happens is that the camaraderie that they feel makes them understand that they aren’t the only ones who feel like they’re going through this struggle,” she said.

“We try to plug them into other places to volunteer and meet other people. Sometimes people come to our group for a long time and then others come here during their first year, get their footing and then go to other groups.”

Geno said group members generally have a lot of cultural questions, but also questions about how to properly conduct themselves in America.

“They ask things like, ‘how do I address someone in an email?’ ‘How many times should I call someone?’ They want help navigating through health care, purchasing a house, which of the 50 brands of toothpaste to buy, what cleaning supplies.

“So it’s just reassuring them that they were doing the right thing and helping them with next steps.”

The group also visits local and state hot spots.

Geno said the largest contingent in the group are spouses of graduate students.

The group meets each Wednesday during the school year from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the International Student and Scholar Services offices in 105 BB Comer Hall.

To become a member of the International Spouse Group, simply attend a meeting. For more information, email Uofa.isg@gmail.com, or join their Facebook page.