exeter

Appointments only: Monday to Friday 10am 12noon and 2.00pm 4.00pm Appointments only for Cornwall

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
ISSUE 2 DECEMBER 2011
Drop in clinics, Guild Advice Unit: Tuesday 10.00am 12.00pm Wednesday 2.00pm 4.00pm Drop in clinics, St Lukes:
Thursday 1.00pm 3.00pm Friday 10.00am 12.00noon Student Advice Room

International Student Support Ofce Exeter

Welcome!
Its nearly the end of the rst term. How did that happen so quickly? We hope you are all enjoying your time at Exeter.
It has been an incredibly busy October and November for all of us with many many visa applications to be processed and questions to answer. If your visa is expiring in the next 6 months please see our Tier 4 Super Guide Thank you to everyone who has responded to the International Student Barometer. This is very important to the University. If you havent yet completed it then please spend 10 minutes online completing the survey. You never know you might win a prize! http://survey.euro.conrmit.com/wix5/p776135088.aspx A great time was had by all who came to the Diwali celebrations on 29 October. A huge thank you to the Asian Society for putting on such a great event. If you liked that then please put Saturday 4 February 2012 in your diary Chinese New Year! If you would like to volunteer to help on the day please email isa@exeter.ac.uk If you will be leaving us at Christmas, have a safe journey home and we hope that you had an enjoyable and stimulating time here at Exeter. If you are staying in the UK over the holiday season do have a look at all the fabulous events that are on in Exeter and Cornwall during this festive season. Please be aware that many University services will close 24 December 2 January inclusive. Please check your My Exeter portal for information on the different service opening times. And if you are in Exeter on Christmas Day then why not buy a ticket for our Christmas Day Buffet. Information is later in this newsletter.

Forthcoming Festivals
DECEMBER

21 22 25 26 1 2 5 6 14 27

Hanukkah (Jewish) Winter Solstice (longest night) Christmas Day (Christian) Boxing Day (UK holiday) New Years Day (UK holiday) Bank Holiday (UK holiday) Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh) Epiphany (Christian) Makar Sankranti/Lhri (Hindu) National Holocaust Memorial Day (Jewish)

JANUARY

The International Student Support Office has also had some changes: Sue got married so dont be surprised if you receive an email from Sue OHara rather than Sue Lawrie its still the same person. Amelia has been accepted onto a Phd and she will now be working Monday to Wednesday each week. We are being joined by the lovely Suzanne Aburagheb who you may know from the International Office or INTO who will be working with us Wednesday to Friday. Happy Christmas from the International Student Support Office. Good luck with your studies and enjoy your time at Exeter. Sue OHara International Student Support Officer Amelia Mansfield, Ina Wang & Suzanne Aburagheb International Student Adviser

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk

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Christmas things to do

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in Exeter
Come and join in the Christmas spirit in Exeter there is something for everyone including street entertainment, carol singing in the Cathedral and traditional Pantomimes! 4 December 4 December Santa Fun Run High Street Lessons and carols, Mary Harris Memorial Chapel, 6.30pm Carols at St Lukes Chapel, 5.30pm Christmas with the Cathedral Choir, 7.30pm. Tickets 8/12 Hug a Husky Weekend, Guildhall Shopping Centre Dick Whittington and His Cat. Traditional pantomime at the Exeter Corn Exchange. Tickets 13-17.50 The Exeter Nativity, Princesshay/Exeter Cathedral Carol service, South Street Baptist Church, 11am and 5pm Christmas by Candlelight, Mary Harris Memorial Chapel, 4.30pm Lunchtime Carol Singing, Cathedral, 1pm Christmas services in most churches

Join us on Christmas Day!

Will you be in Exeter on Christmas Day? Why not join us

8 December 17 December 17 18 December 17 Dec 8 January

for a traditional two course Christmas Lunch (vegetarian option available)

in Lopes Hall from 12.30 4.30pm. Tickets are 10 each and booking deadline is

18 December 18 December 20 December

Friday 16 December

20 and 22 December 25 December

For more information on city events: www.exeter.gov.uk/christmas/index.aspx?articleid=13123

DISCOUNTS WITH YOUR UNI CARD

Did you know that you can get a discount in many stores on the High Street with your Unicard? Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Odeon are a few to start with. And you can also buy an NUS EXTRA card for 10 for lots more discounts: http://www.nus.org.uk/en/NUS-Extra/Discounts

Please book your ticket online All students, staff and families are welcome! Last year over 60 students came and we had a lovely afternoon. We look forward to seeing you there.

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Christmas Lunches in the Terrace

Have you had a traditional Christmas lunch in the UK? Why not try one on campus with your friends before the end of term! The Terrace in Devonshire House will be offering a two course Christmas Lunches on 13 and 15 December. Lunches are 5 (advance tickets must be bought 2 days before your lunch and includes free tea/coffee). There will be entertainment at the lunches. Please buy your advance ticket from the till in the Terrace Restaurant.

Christmas by Candlelight
Still on campus on Tuesday 20th December?
Then come along to a traditional, candlelit, ecumenical sequence of carols and reections - followed by mince pies and mulled winethe perfect way to look forward to Christmas! 4.30pm University Chapel (Streatham campus) All welcome FREE Entry (retiring collection to be taken during the service).

Insurance Scam
You may have read an article in Expose about an fake insurance agency who are taking payment for car insurance but not providing any insurance. It is very important and a legal requirement in the UK that you do get insurance if you are going to drive do not let this scan put you off! Please check with the Financial Services Authority before buying insurance cover to confirm that the insurer and agent (also known as a broker) you are dealing with is a registered firm.

Thanksgiving in Exeter
Over 180 students came to the Thanksgiving Lunch on 24 November. There was lots of turkey and pumpkin pie consumed and many people admired Sues turkey hat! We also had quite a few donations to Exeter Food Bank so thank you for that too. We think we all realised just how much we have to be thankful for. Congratulations to the quiz prize winner!

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk

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Using electronic books

Annual travel survey

Take part in the annual travel survey for a chance to win some great prizes!
Fill in this years student travel survey or staff and tenant travel survey (depending on which group you are in) for your chance to win: 1. London Eye Tickets 2. A meal for two at Exeter Sausage and Grill 3. A meal and drink for two people at Cafe Reed It will take you less than 10 minutes. The deadline for completion is 3 December 2011. For more information contact Julia Jack.

We know how frustrating it can be when a lot of students need to use one textbook at the same time. We usually have several copies of the most popular books, some of them in the Ready Text collection, but we are now also buying electronic versions when we can. Not all books are available in this format but we already have a large collection which includes textbooks and reference works like dictionaries and encyclopedias. They are particularly useful if you want to search through a book, or only need it for a short extract or a specific chapter. To find which e-books we have just search the library catalogue. Publishers do not allow you to download books or sections of books to your own device, like a Kindle, unless you buy your own copy, but you can read these books on screen at any time whether you are on or off campus. If you want to print or save a section of the e-book, remember that copyright laws only allow you to copy one chapter of a book. Many e-books are free Book Boon for instance provides useful textbooks in business, maths and sciences subjects as free downloads to students who register on their site. Log into the Electronic Library and choose resource type Electronic books to find collections for specific subjects.

Global Centre
The Global Centre is based in Berkely House, Dixs Field near to Exeter City Centre. This is a great place to meet other international families and share your experience in Exeter with them.

www.globalcentredevon.org.uk

Online Counselling for all students

If you prefer writing about your concerns rather than talking or if you are unable to attend the Student Counselling premises, you can contact a counsellor via email. Maryam Best is a registered counsellor specialising in online therapy. Your email contact with her is condential, in accordance with the services condentiality policy. She will do her best to reply as soon as possible. However spaces are limited, so a full response will be made when a space becomes available. Thank you in advance for your patience. To make appointments please contact e-counselling@exeter.ac.uk or counselling@exeter.ac.uk

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk

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SOCIETY NEWS

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African and Caribbean Society

www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/africancarribean

Irish Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/irish

Arabic Society
Rock the Kasbah held in the Postgrad Centre, Friday nights. World music at its best! www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/arabic

Italian Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/italian/

Hispanic Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/hispanic

Asian Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/asian

Hong Kong Society

www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/hongkong

Balkan Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/balkan

Japanese Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/japanese

Basque Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/basque

Jewish Society
www.exeterguild.org/jewishsoc

Kazakhstan Society www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/cssa www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/kazakhstan Apart from socials we can provide Chinese language intoductory lessons, Chinese games, movies, handcraft, sories, cooking, China news etc. We are Kurdish Society open to Chinese and non Chinese students all are welcome! www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/kurdish Contact President, Yuting Bai yb212@exeter.ac.uk Erasmus Student Network
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/erasmusstudent

Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA)

Latin American Society

www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/latinamerica

French Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/frenchsoc

Russian Society
Are you Russian or studying/interested in Russian culture? Come and join the Russian Society. We offer the opportunity to mix with other Russian speakers and Russian studying students, whilst showing you the highlights of Exeter. Link to our website: exeter.russianstudents.net Contact Yana Makoveeva - ym242@exeter.ac.uk or Kate Sukhanova es324@exeter.ac.uk.

Friends of Palestine
www.exeterguild.org

German Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/german

Thai Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/thai

International Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/international

Turkish Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/turkish

International Students Council

Welcome to Exeter! We hope you're having a wonderful time and are getting involved in all the great things Exeter has to offer. However, sometimes you may need some help or support- and this is what the ISC (International Students' Council) is here for. We're from the Students' Guild (students' union) and we're here to support and represent YOU. The ISC is run by students, for students. Please get in contact with us. We're here to help make your time at Exeter as trouble-free as possible! Our ofce hours: 12-2 pm Monday to Friday The GI Hub (behind the Long Lounge) Devonshire House email: iscexeter@gmail.com facebook: www.fhttp://www.exeterguild.org/content/78775/representation/isc

Vietnamese Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/vietnamese

Welsh Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/welsh

World Music Choir

The World Music Choir is a fun, friendly, non-auditioned choir, who sing songs from different cultures all around the world. We rehearse every Thursday from 4:30-6 in the M&D Room in Devonshire House. For more information contact worldmusicchoir@yahoo.com

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk

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Faith Based Societies: Catholic Society

Come and join the Catholic Society in the run-up to Christmas! We celebrate Mass every Sunday at 11.30am at the Catholic Chaplaincy, just beside Moberly Halls, Glenthorne Road. We also have a speaker talking on The Right to Life on December 1st, at 7pm. Hope to see you there! www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/catholic

Meditation and Buddhist

www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/meditationbuddhist

Methodist and Anglican

www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/methodistandanglican

NOOMA
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/nooma

ECU
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/ecu

Pagan
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/pagancircle

Islamic Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/islamic

Secular Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/secular

Jewish Society
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/jewish

Sikh
www.exeterguild.org/activities/societies/sikh

International Student Support, Reception room 153, appointments rooms 159-161 Northcote House. Tel: 01392 263041 and room A056 Peter Lanyon Building, Cornwall Campus Tel: 01326 253731 www.as.exeter.ac.uk/support/international email: isa@exeter.ac.uk