Sep 11th OISS Newsletter

Health Insurance Waiver Deadline is September 19

Because of the rising costs of medical expenses and the limited insurance coverage of many out-side insurance policies, the University of St. Thomas requires that F-1 and J-1 visa students purchase the University of St. Thomas Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan. www.sas-mn.com. All F-1 and J-1 visa students will automatically be charged for this insurance on their UST student account each Fall and Spring Semester.

Students who already have insurance and intend to waive this insurance must do so by September 19, 2007. For more instructions, please visit our website at http://www.stthomas.edu/oiss/insurance.

Welcome from OISS

OISS would like to welcome all new and continuing International Students! You overcame many obstacles to join us at St. Thomas. We acknowledge the experience, opinions, and customs you bring to St. Thomas and hope you have an opportunity to not only learn about American culture and way of life, but also to learn more about yourself and your own culture.

The University of St. Thomas is an environment in which to experience new things and to challenge yourself to become a better person by understanding and listening to others. The OISS staff hopes you take advantage of opportunities and fully engage with your new surroundings. We look forward to helping you reach your goals and aspirations. Welcome to the University of St. Thomas!

Deborah Knaust
Director
Office of International Student Services
University of St. Thomas

Center for Writing to open Sept. 14

By Susan Callaway
Director, Center for Writing

The Center for Writing will open for 2007-08 on Friday, Sept. 14. Before then, consultants are available to work with students by appointment. Call us at (651) 962-5601 or e-mail us at writing@stthomas.edu.

The peer consultants at the Center for Writing provide one-on-one assistance for undergraduate and graduate students with writing for any course. Our mission is to help students read and think critically; through writing, we encourage them to probe deeply into the issues presented in their coursework.

Syllabus Statement

As you prepare your syllabus for the fall semester, whether the course is for first-year students or your majors, please consider including a statement about the Center for Writing. You can indicate to your students the importance of your writing assignments and your support of what we do.

The Center for Writing provides one-on-one conferences before you write, as you write, and after you write. Come to work with a peer consultant when you get an assignment to talk over what the assignment is asking and how you’re interpreting the reading on which it’s based. Or make an appointment when you’re starting to write to focus or organize your ideas. Talk to us when you’re revising to help you be clear and concise in your final draft. We’ll work with you at any stage of the writing process so that you develop strong, long-term approaches to your reading, writing and critical thinking.

The Center for Writing

Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 9 a.m.-noon Fridays; and 6-9 Sundays in OSF Library
Location: JRC 361
Phone: (651) 962-5601
Web: www.stthomas.edu/writing
Online Resources

If you’re interested in incorporating the Center for Writing more directly into your course, refer to the handouts on our Web site’s “Faculty Resources.” The center’s Web site also provides links through our “Quick Links” to documentation styles and separate pages for undergraduate and graduate student resources. We also field questions and consult online through “Ask a Consultant.”

If you have questions or if you would like brochures to give to your students, contact the director of the Center for Writing, Dr. Susan Callaway, (651) 962-5601, or e-mail the center at writing@stthomas.edu.