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Events, Programs & Services - Other Events, Programs & Services
Coffee Hour | Ethnic Nights | Global Friends Peer Mentor Program | International Education Week/Month |
International Graduation Ceremony | International Student Orientation | ISL Awards | ISL Library |
ISL Workshops, Leadership Seminars, & Intercultural and Diversity Training | Summer Events | Tax Assistance |
Tea Talks |
Thanksgiving Feast | World Fest | World Leaders Program
Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour at the University of Georgia is a weekly program that brings UGA students, faculty, staff, and community members together over coffee and international cuisine. Excluding scheduled University breaks, this event occurs every Friday during the fall and spring semesters from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm in the Memorial Hall Ballroom. The UGA Coffee Hour is one of the longest running programs of its kind across the United States.
Coordinated by ISL staff members, Coffee Hour typically includes finger foods from around the world (including the United States!) and has a different host each week including UGA international student organizations, University departments and offices, community groups, and many others. The International Student Life Office typically hosts the first and last Coffee Hour of each semester. All other dates are available for groups interested in sponsoring and/or co-hosting this event. Contact International Student Life for more information about the schedule for this semester as well as how your organization can sponsor / host a Coffee Hour. Please keep in mind that the schedule for Coffee Hour typically fills one semester prior to the event, so please contact ISL early if your group is interested in hosting.
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Ethnic Nights
Each year several ISL student organizations [link here to ISL st. organizations page] elect to host evenings of culture that showcase a variety of global traditions, customs, international performances, and culinary delights. These evenings are referred to as Ethnic Nights and provide a wonderful way to travel around the world without leaving Athens. Ethnic Nights are ticketed events and the actual number of cultural evenings varies from year to year. Contact ISL or specific student organizations for more information concerning this year’s schedule of Ethnic Nights.
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Global Friends Peer Mentor Program
Global Friends is a peer mentor program that was created by International Student Life in 2000 as a way to provide opportunities for international and U.S. students to connect with each other. Sponsored in part by the UGA Parent’s and Families Association, Global Friends matches current UGA students with new or transfer international students each semester. During the academic year ISL organizes at least one event per month including cultural / educational opportunities such as visiting the Carter Center in Atlanta, carving pumpkins, celebrating Thanksgiving, or attending UGA athletic events together. Through this program participants are able to create life-long global friendships while learning more about the various cultures and societies they represent. Contact ISL for more information about how to become involved with Global Friends.
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International Education Week/Month
In 2001, the United States Department of State and Department of Education created International Education Week to promote the benefits of international education and worldwide exchange. This week is celebrated annually across the United States and typically occurs during the month of November each year. In an effort to provide programs and services that prepare UGA students for a global environment, ISL celebrated its first IEW in 2001 by creating the first international festival ever held on the UGA campus called Around the World in Tatey Days (now referred to as World Fest).
Since 2001 ISL has expanded its IEW programs to include an international film festival, a global discussion series (Tea Talks), workshops on international careers, dessert receptions, cultural / educational celebrations including a Thanksgiving Feast for international students, panel discussions relating to the Peace Corps, special entertainment / performances during Coffee Hour, international student artists exhibits, and co-sponsorship of other UGA International Education Week events on campus. In November 2006, ISL extended International Education Week to a month-long series of events on the UGA campus.
For specific information about ISL’s programs during International Education Month this year or to help plan and organize these events, please contact the staff at International Student Life.
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International Graduation Ceremony
ISL created the first International Graduation Ceremony in December 2002 to honor and celebrate the achievements of international students and ISL student leaders graduating from The University of Georgia. A ceremony is held in December and May of each year and is intended to serve as a complement to the UGA Commencement Exercises. The International Graduation Ceremony highlights the special accomplishments and sacrifices made by international students and their families and also includes a complimentary reception immediately following for graduates and their guests.
The Ceremony is free for UGA students and their loved ones, but graduates must contact the ISL Office to register for this event in order to participate. Interested students may also wish to purchase an international sash from the ISL Office showcasing their native homeland for use during the Ceremony. Contact ISL staff for information concerning sash prices and / or deadlines for registering for this ceremony each semester.
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International Student Orientation: An Archway to UGA
ISL organizes an international student orientation each semester for new and transfer international students matriculating to the University of Georgia. The information included in the ISL orientations is not covered by any other orientation program on campus. The spring and summer orientations are a one-day event and the fall orientation is a five-day program. Highlights from ISL’s orientation schedules include information concerning immigration issues, taxes for non-residents, cross-cultural adjustment, housing assistance, course registration procedures, Social Security Cards, UGA payroll, and campus tours. Current UGA students serve as orientation leaders (called World Leaders) to assist with each international orientation session. For more information, visit the New & Prospective Students section of this Web site or contact ISL.
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ISL Awards
Leadership Recognition & the ISL Award
Each year International Student Life hosts a recognition ceremony to highlight the student leadership and organizational support that make ISL’s events, services, and programs possible. Several of the awards given during this event include Best Coffee Hour, Best Ethnic Night, Best New Student Organization, Best Street Festival Display, as well as volunteer appreciation for student leadership.
The most prestigious award given by the ISL Office each year is the ISL Award which goes to an individual or group who best represents the goals and mission of the International Student Life office. This person/group is someone who has continuously volunteered for the office, taken on leadership and responsibility roles that were above and beyond ISL’s expectations as well as served as a beacon for other students.
Saeeda Peermahomed Award
International Student Life has the pleasure of administering the Saeeda Peermahomed Award for The University of Georgia. Saeeda Peermahomed was a University of Georgia student from India who was studying to obtain a Masters degree in Journalism when she was killed in a tragic automobile accident in North Georgia in 1979. Saeeda was an outstanding international student who was active in international student organizations and promoted cross-cultural exchange. This award is made possible by the Peermahomed Family and is given in Saeeda's memory to help perpetuate the goals of intercultural exchange for which she stood.
The Peermahomed Award is given annually during the spring semester to an international student in recognition of outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service in the field of international education. The recipient of this award will be an undergraduate or graduate international student at The University of Georgia and will have been dynamically involved in international programs and/or activities on campus. International Student Life will solicit nominations early in the spring semester each year. For more information about this award, deadlines for nominations, or any additional questions, please contact International Student Life.
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ISL Library
ISL offers a modest library of resources for UGA students and ISL organizations including books on intercultural training, cross-cultural adjustment, understanding various cultures as well as intercultural videos and musical selections from around the world. Resources may be accessed during regular office hours in conjunction with assistance from ISL staff. Contact the office for more information.
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ISL Workshops, Leadership Seminars, & Intercultural and Diversity Training
ISL offers a number of diversity workshops as well as intercultural and leadership training each year for UGA students, faculty, and staff. Past programs include student organizational leadership retreats, diversity workshops & trainings, career seminars for international and U.S. students, intercultural & global leadership training, workshops on academic honesty and academic success in the U.S., courses and seminars taught at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels as well courses for staff and faculty through Training and Development. Requests for presentations and/or workshops should be made to the office staff with an appropriate amount of time for planning and preparation.
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Summer Events
For the international students who remain in Athens during the summer break, International Student Life offers summer social events in addition to our regular services. During the month of July, ISL hosts several pool socials at the Legion Pool located on Lumpkin Street for international students and their families/friends to enjoy. ISL pool parties will typically be held on Friday evenings during the month of July and are complimentary for UGA international students. Specific dates and times for the ISL summer pool parties can be found by contacting the office for this year’s schedule.
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Tax Assistance
U.S. tax laws for non-residents are complex and often confusing for international students. One of the most important things to remember as you read through this information is that most of you are required by federal law to file some type of tax paperwork for the tax year – even if you did not work!
International students on an F-1 or J-1 visa who are non-residents for tax purposes are required by law to file a tax report (form 8843) with the U.S. federal government each year (even if you did not work or receive income). If your spouse or dependents are on an F-2 or J-2 visa and have been living in the United States during the tax year (for any part of the year), you must also file a tax report (form 8843) for them with the Internal Revenue Service (even if they did not work or receive income).
Due to the fact that non-resident tax issues are so complex, it is not wise to copy a friend’s tax form. There may be important differences that are not readily apparent between your tax return and your friend’s situation. These details can seem unimportant to an untrained eye, but can actually have a significant impact on how you should complete your tax documents. Please do NOT copy a friend’s tax return. Instead, make some time to seek assistance from ISL and our Tax Team Volunteers.
As part of our mission to serve international students at UGA, International Student Life has organized an International Tax Assistance Program (I-TAP) [link to Tax brochure pdf file here] to help non-resident students complete their tax forms each year. ISL provides several options for completing your federal and/or state tax forms including an excellent software program that you can use from any computer anywhere in the world as well as non-resident tax workshops for UGA international students.
The information contained within the tax section of this Web site will assist you with basic information about ISL services (including workshops, appointment information, and walk-in sessions) for non-resident taxes this year. Please read the tax information on this Web site carefully. If you have any questions, email the ISL Tax Team for more information.
2007 Tax Assistance Brochure
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Tea Talks
Tea Talks are a monthly program designed to be an intimate gathering located in the ISL Lounge (210 Memorial Hall) to discuss various issues of international concern. Past speakers have included UGA students, faculty and staff who have spoken on topics including the conflict between North and South Korea, issues concerning Muslim women, cultural seminars for various countries, Amnesty International, Darfur, discussions about re-entry to UGA life after returning from a study abroad experience, and A Day in the Life of a Peace Corps Volunteer. Individuals or groups interested in hosting a Tea Talk should contact ISL for more information.
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Thanksgiving Feast
In conjunction with local community groups, International Student Life has co-hosted an annual Thanksgiving meal for international students at UGA since November 2000. The Thanksgiving Feast is a cultural/educational event that provides a unique opportunity for international students to learn more about the customs, traditions, and holidays celebrated in the United States. This experience is free for UGA international students, but individuals wishing to participate must contact the ISL office to register. For specific information concerning the date and time of this year’s event, please call International Student Life.
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World Fest
Created in the fall semester of 2000, World Fest (originally known as Around the World in Tatey Days) was the first on-campus international festival of its kind at UGA. Now an annual tradition at the University, World Fest is organized by various student organizations in conjunction with the ISL office. This free event (typically held on the Tate Plaza during International Education Month in November each year) is an outdoor festival boasting international displays, multinational performances, global cuisine, and a unique opportunity for UGA students to travel around the world without leaving campus. For more information about hosting a table or performance or to volunteer to help organize this event, please contact an ISL staff member.
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World Leaders Program
The World Leaders Program first began in 2001 with the creation of a brand new format for International Student Life’s fall International Student Orientation. For the first time UGA students had the distinctive opportunity to serve as international student orientation leaders (also known as World Leaders) in order to help plan, organize, and implement all aspects of the international student orientation program sponsored by ISL. The World Leaders dedicate approximately 80-100 hours of volunteer service to help new and transfer international students settle in to University life and the Athens community and are selected through an application and interview process each year.
Expectations for this group of highly motivated and dedicated students include a passion for international students, a team spirit, and a sincere desire to serve others. Specific roles for the World Leaders during the ISL orientation include participating in a training program, leading orientation sessions, helping students find housing, serving as role models and leaders for group sessions, building relationships with each other as well as the new students, teaching UGA traditions and customs, planning and implementing all social activities for the week, as well as serving as a UGA student resource. Contact the office for more information regarding deadlines, interest meetings, and/or how to apply this year. World Leader Application
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