From: VISA Office
Date: March 22, 2023
Subject: ISS News, March 22, 2023: Nominate Students for ISAC, Holi, Study Abroad Photo Contest, OPT and CPT Workshops, Graduate Student Appreciation Week, Tax Information, Good Vibes, and More


ISS news header

March 22, 2023

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in this issue:

  1. OPT & CPT Workshops
  2. OPT & STEM OPT- Simple Steps for Proper Reporting
  3. Beware of Housing and Rental Scams
  4. Tax Information for 2022 Filing Year
  5. Features
  6. Campus Happenings
  7. Good Vibes Only
  8. Support Resources
  9. Alumni: Access to Google Workspace Changing Summer 2023
  10. Other Opportunities
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ISS staff members are here to support you! 

Please visit our website to learn about the advising options that are available and connect with us so that we can assist you.

OPT and CPT workshop branding telling students that workshops are available online

OPT & CPT Workshops

ISS is offering Optional Practical Training (OPT) and CPT Workshops to go over in detail the application process, student responsibilities, and other important considerations.

Being well informed before applying for either authorization is extremely important and applying early is critical!

USCIS is publishing that it takes 3-5 months to process submitted OPT applications. Plan to complete a required OPT workshop as early as possible to be best prepared. Remember, you do not need to have a job offer to apply for OPT!

You do need to have a job offer before applying for CPT authorization and you are not eligible to begin your experience until you have proper authorization in place. It can take several days to become authorized.

Virtual workshops led by an advisor have been scheduled and information about required registration, attendance, and the application process can be found on our website under the OPT and CPT sections.

opt wordle

OPT & STEM OPT Students- Follow These Simple Steps for Reporting Updates

Reporting related to your personal contact and employment information is a critical part of maintaining status while authorized for either OPT or STEM OPT. Here are instructions for you to follow to ensure that both ISS and the U.S. Government receive the information that they need. Follow these simple steps to ensure that your visa status is protected!

housing rental scam alert- flyer

Beware of Housing and Rental Scams

As you begin preparing for summertime and, perhaps, living off campus, ISS wants to remind you to be very careful searching for apartments online! Keep in mind that if someone is pressuring you to send money without a signed lease, rushing you to move in before you see the apartment, or promising ridiculously low rent, that is likely a scam. (More ways to spot a rental scam.)
 
ISS reminds you -- never give your bank account information, Social Security number, or other identifying information to someone you have never met in person. Use an app like PayPal, which protects your information, and use the "payment to a business" option to ensure payment protection on your transaction. If someone pressures you to give them your information, it is most likely a scam.
 
If you think you are the victim of a scam, please contact international@case.edu or CWRU Public Safety for assistance.

Tax Information for 2022 Filing Year

people staring at a big taxes sign

Tax Deadline in April: Forms & Sprintax Availablity

Sprintax is a tax-return-preparation software program designed primarily for international students and other educational visa holders. It can help you prepare your U.S. federal income tax return, which you are legally required to file to the Internal Revenue Service.  ISS has arranged free access to Sprintax for your federal tax filing needs.

You may access Sprintax and begin preparing your tax return by following these steps:

  1. Register and follow the simple instructions
  2. Complete the online questionnaire
  3. Enter Case Western Reserve University’s unique code. This code was sent to you via email on February 7.
  4. Sprintax will prepare your tax return

If Sprintax determines that you are required to file state taxes, you will have the opportunity to prepare those state taxes. You are not required to use Sprintax to file state taxes but, remember, it is your responsibility to comply with the law and properly file all taxes.

If by now, you haven't received your W-2 from CWRU, contact Payroll at payroll@case.edu. If you were authorized to work for another employer, you should contact their payroll department.

For more information regarding the 1098-T, please visit Financial Services website to download the Nonresident Alien 1098-T Request Form.

1042-S forms will be prepared by mid-March and sent to students by Payroll. Please contact Payroll if you have questions about the issuance of your 1042-S.

For more information, visit our Information on Filing Taxes page and if you have any questions, the Sprintax team will be happy to help via their 24/7 live chat function or email hello@sprintax.com. ISS staff members cannot advise you on your questions, which is why we partner with the experts at Sprintax.

Sprintax logo

Sprintax Offers Tax Webinars to Prepare for Tax Filing Season 2022

ISS partners with the tax experts at Sprintax who offer tax filing services to international students that are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes. The Sprintax team will be hosting a series of free open tax webinars to provide helpful information about non-resident tax filing obligations.

You can find the details and registration links below for each:

The informational webinars will cover the same topics on each occasion:

  • An overview of tax for nonresident students and scholars
  • Who must file a 2021 US tax return
  • What income forms students may receive
  • Forms that need to be completed and sent to the IRS
  • Terms like FICA, ITIN, and Form 1098-T
  • What happens if students don’t file or misfile
  • State tax returns
  • Sprintax overview
asia offers tax prep
basic human needs shown on wooden blocks

Support Resources

The Dean of Students Office and the Case Western Reserve University community are committed to helping students overcome challenges during their academic careers.  A website has been developed to host a variety of resources and services, including information about various food pantries for students who are facing food insecurity. 

google workspace image

Alumni: Access to Google Workspace Changing Summer 2023

The university needs to make significant changes in how it administers Google Workspace and you can read more here about its plans for alumni.

Features

isac flyer
photo contest flyer
EA flyer transfer credit prep
holi Flyer
Cleveland Bucket List Flyer

Campus Happenings

Timely Care image

University Health & Counseling Services Offers Timely Care and a Variety of Other Wellness Programs to Consider

Thursday, March 23
Start End   Event         Location
1:00pm 2:00pm BIPOC Support Space Online Event
Monday, March 27
3:00pm 4:00pm BIPOC Support Space Private Location (register to display)
6:00pm 7:30pm I'm Fine, It's Fine, Everything is Fine. Private Location (sign in to display)
Tuesday, March 28
1:00pm 4:00pm Mindful Activity Hour Private Location (sign in to display)
Wednesday, March 29
11:00am 2:00pm FREE STUDENT STI TESTING TVUC Second Floor Conference Room
Thursday, March 30
1:00pm 2:00pm BIPOC Support Space Online Event
Cleveland Humanities Festival Banner

2023 Cleveland Humanities Festival: WELLNESS

The 2023 Cleveland Humanities Festival explores “wellness” from a variety of humanistic perspectives. The festival, taking place from March to May, will ask and address questions about wellness, who holds responsibility for collective wellness, which aspects of wellness are celebrated, how our physical environment impacts wellness and more.

The festival will address these questions:

  • What is wellness? Where does wellness dwell?
  • Does society bear full responsibility for collective wellness, or is it ultimately up to a person to decide for themselves? Mental, physical, social, spiritual—is any one sphere of wellness more important than another? Who decides?
  • What aspects or forms of wellness are always celebrated and what others are dormant or less well known?
  • How much does the physical environment—air, water—figure in? Should the food we eat simply feed our bodies, or should it nourish our minds and spirits?  
  • And what happens when approaches to wellness no longer work, or worse, go wrong?

The Cleveland Humanities Festival is an annual citywide, intercollegiate event dedicated to humanistic inquiry. Using collaborative programming, the festival aims to celebrate the great cultural institutions of the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

Coordinated by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, the festival partners with our region’s major museums, educational institutions and arts organizations.

EVENT

Braided Memories / Memorias Trenzadas - Exhibit Reception

Thursday, March 23
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Kelvin Smith Library, 11055 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
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The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures and Kelvin Smith Library present Braided Memories / Memorias Trenzadas, a unique artistic collaboration uniting Latin Americans and European refugees.

Join Chilean Jewish poet Marjorie Agosín and Chilean Jewish photographer Samuel Shats for refreshments and a multimedia exhibit in which they strive to create unity by joining the experiences of immigrants, whether they arrived last century or last year. Additionally, On the Threshold of Oblivion: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors in Chile, a collection of photographs by Samuel Shats, will be displayed on the library’s second floor.
RSVP

EVENT

Spring Comedian

Friday, March 24
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Private Location (sign in to display)
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­ƒÜ¿­ƒÜ¿Weekend Update­ƒÜ¿­ƒÜ¿The Spring Comedian this year is going to be COLIN JOST!!! Head writer and “Weekend Update” co-anchor for SNL, Jost is leaving NYC to put on a show just for YOU! He will be performing alongside other special guests at Severance Hall on March 24, starting at 7:00 pm. Ticket sales for undergraduates are NOW OPEN for $5, so make sure to buy one here on CampusGroups if you plan to attend! Graduate and Faculty registration is ALSO NOW OPEN for $12!
If there are still tickets available, CWRU community guest tickets are available for $15 starting on March 20, 2023 (3/20). Tickets MUST be purchased by a member of the CWRU community at the box office with a valid CWRU ID.
RSVP

EVENT

CCEL Spring Saturday of Service

Saturday, March 25
8:00am - 5:00pm
Meeting locations vary by project
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Join us for CCEL's annual Saturday of Service on March 25! Spend the morning volunteering with meaningful projects on-campus or within the Cleveland community, all while spending time with fellow students.  Learn about a new organization, meet new people, and make a difference! These projects are open to all students, and sign-ups are on a first come, first-serve basis.
 
**Transportation is provided** 
 
Projects Include:
Questions?  Please contact Danielle Hickman at dxh559@case.edu
RSVP

EVENT

Pizza and Research Party!

Wednesday, March 29
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Private Location (sign in to display)
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Free pizza with a side of research at Kelvin Smith Library!

Avoid the stress of an all-nighter and get ahead on your upcoming assignments with librarians in the Freedman Center Collaboration Commons of KSL on Wednesday, March 29 from 5 - 7 p.m. Librarians will be giving away pizza and answering any library-related or research questions you have to ensure that this semester is a success!
RSVP
springworks image

CWRU Department of Dance Presents Springworks

The Department of Dance at Case Western Reserve University continues its 2022-23 season with the MFA thesis concert Springworks.

The concert features works from MFA candidates El-drick Aboagye, Shadrach Arthur, and Haiyan Chen. The concert includes a collaborative work by the three candidates titled Siblings, which merges different dance styles to create dynamic movement expressions. Additionally, Haiyan Chen presents À l’aube, a female duet exploring the concept of day and night, while Shadrach Arthur premieres Akwantu, a solo work portraying an individual’s journey, and Pressure, an ensemble work that uses live video projections. El-drick Aboagye premieres Coup de Grâce, a work inspired by personal experience, and Amor Eterno, a duet that tells a tale of romance and love.

Springworks will be performed on March 30, 31, and April 1 at 7:30 pm and April 2 at 2:30 pm at Mather Dance Center, 11040 Bellflower Road, on the Case Western Reserve campus in University Circle.

Tickets are $10 for students, $12 for seniors age 60+ and CWRU personnel, and $15 for general admission. For reservations call (216) 368-5246 or visit https://case.edu/artsci/dance/news-and-events/ticket-reservations.

sneaker gala flyer

Celebrate Graduate Student Appreciation Week

GSAW flyer for CIA

EVENT

GSAW Ball

Saturday, April 8
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Private Location (sign in to display)
Link
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Graduate Student Appreciation Week grand finale
RSVP

Other Opportunities

Engl 147 flyer
global rising

Applications Open for Global Rising's Class of 2023-2024

Global Cleveland is offering a 9-month program for international newcomers. This program will give you the opportunity to network with other international newcomers and to meet with, as a group, various leaders in our community once a month. The Global Rising Program aims to prepare our region’s foreign-born residents with the skills, knowledge, and tools required to grow and thrive in our community.

For more information visit the Global Rising website.

Good Vibes Only

In this section, we are including some things that we hope will make you laugh and smile, help you relax, be entertaining, give you something to do, etc.

This is a good vibes only section and we're sending them out to you!

comic about nunchi

Learn about the Korean Concept Called "Nunchi"

If you would like to promote your event or opportunity through ISSNews, please make a complete submission (including flyers, images, details, etc.) for consideration by noon on Monday to international@case.edu. ISS cannot guarantee that all submissions will appear in the newsletter, as space is limited, but staff will review all timely submissions fo