First-Year FAQ Fall 2020

First-Year FAQ for Fall 2020

• 1. When can I arrive to Macalester College?

  A: Macalester is allowing students to arrive to campus shortly before each module begins.  Therefore, you could arrive shortly before:

  • Module 1: September 2, 2020
  • Module 2: October 28, 2020, arrive to campus Oct 26, 2020
  • Module 3: January 21, 2021, arrive to campus Jan 19, 2021

  If you arrive for Mod 2 or 3, you will need a new I-20 that shows the correct dates for START OF CLASSES and PROGRAM START/END DATE. Currently, your I-20 should look something like this:

  

  If you are planning to arrive for in-person PO4IS (Pre-Orientation for International Students) on August 25, those with assigned campus housing will be able to move in on that date. No campus housing is available before that date.

• 2. Can I move into the residence halls?

  A: For the 2020-2021 academic year, Macalester has changed the housing & dining contract to a module-based contract to align with our module-based semesters. For additional updates please see Residential Life.

  A module-based contract allows us to offer flexibility to our first-year and second-year residential students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also want to assure you that your Macalester housing is guaranteed no matter which module you decide to move into Macalester housing.

  The following examples speak to the flexibility we are able to offer to our first-year and second-year students as well as assure you that your Macalester housing is guaranteed no matter which module you decide to join us on campus:

  • If a first-year or second-year student chooses to study remotely and not move into their Macalester housing assignment for module 1, that student can elect to move into their Macalester housing assignment for modules 2, 3 and 4. We will have a housing assignment for the student.
  • If a first-year or second-year student chooses to study remotely and not move into their Macalester housing assignment for module 1 and 2, that student can elect to move into their Macalester housing assignment for modules 3 and 4. We will have a housing assignment for the student.

  Your housing and dining will be billed by the semester but adjusted based on the module/s in which you live in Macalester housing.

• 3. Can I study remotely in Mod 1 if I cannot arrive to Macalester for in-person/hybrid courses?

  A: Yes. However, your F-1 visa student status will not begin until you arrive for in-person/hybrid courses.  Once you begin, you must be a full-time student for one academic year before you would be able to take advantage of off-campus work options such as CPT (Curricular Practical Training) and OPT (Optional Practical Training).

• 4. What is SEVIS? SEVP? ICE? DHS? DSO?

  A: SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. This database is administered by SEVP (the Student and Exchange Visitor Program), a department within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which itself is under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). SEVIS is a web-based system for maintaining information on international students inside the U.S. ISP has three Designated School Officials (DSOs), Aaron, Kara, and Luyen, who work with SEVP to maintain students’ immigration records in SEVIS.

• 5. Does the July 6 ICE/SEVP announcement affect me at all?

  A:  It does not. We believe that ICE/SEVP will give further guidance and we might look for hints on what that further guidance may be from the announcement, such as, require new I-20s which discuss the modes of instruction.  Other than that, it does not affect you.

• 6. Can I study remotely in Mod 1 if I cannot arrive to Macalester for in-person/hybrid courses?

  A: Yes. However, your F-1 visa student status will not begin until you arrive for in-person/hybrid courses.  Once you begin, you must be a full-time student for one academic year before you would be able to take advantage of off-campus work options such as CPT (Curricular Practical Training) and OPT (Optional Practical Training).

• 7. What travel restrictions do I need to worry about?

  Please refer to the CDC travel restrictions website.  As of July 21, 2020,  foreign nationals who have been in any of the following countries during the past 14 days may not enter the United States. For a full list of exceptions, please refer to the relevant proclamations in the links below.

  • China
  • Iran
  • European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City)
  • United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Brazil

  This essentially means that you must be in a country not on the restricted travel list for 14 days before you can enter the United States.  If you are choosing to go to a different nation for two weeks, make sure you read about local travel restrictions such as mandatory COVID-19 tests.

  It appears that students traveling from European Schengen area countries are given an exception to the 14-day travel restriction.  However, it appears that first-year students with new student visas must arrive within 30 days of their visa approval.

  ISP has not heard any information about a relaxation or exception to travel restrictions for any other nation/region.

• 8. When is PO4IS?

  A: Pre-Orientation for International Students will be held August 25-28, and mostly online. For those students that can arrive on campus on August 25, there will be limited in-person contact with ISP staff and mentors. All international students should plan to participate regardless of their location in the world during August 25-28.

• 9. When is my move-in date?

  A: For international students who enter with visa, the move-in date in Aug. 25th. For students not on a visa (domestic student), the move-in dates are Aug.26th and Aug.27th. If you are a domestic student,  please sign up for your move-in time slot through this link.