Category Archives: Campus Resources

Beyond Global Spartan Welcome

Beyond Global Spartan Welcome is an opportunity to connect with our Global Spartan Community, explore cultural topics, and prepare for academic success. It’s designed to help international students  navigate cultural, social, and academic transitions. Beyond GSW is made up of three components: Cultural Conversations, Global Leader Chats, and ISSS Workshops.

Cultural Conversations

Cultural Conversations are interactive hour-long sessions covering intercultural topics such as Navigating Cultural Transitions and Exploring Social Justice. Explore aspects of American culture, and share your own cultural perspectives while connecting with SJSU students and staff from across campus.

Global Leader Chats

Global Leader Chats are informal conversations facilitated by our Global Leaders and focused on student life topics like Zoom Culture, Canvas Basics, Making Friends, and American Slang & Culture. These chats were developed by Global Leaders, and they’re a great way to get peer advice and make new friends. You can get a head start and meet the Global Leader team in this blog post.

Workshops

ISSS Workshops cover a variety of topics from F-1 Employment Options to PowerPoint Like a Pro. We partner with the Writing Center and Career Center to bring you a writing workshop series and a career development series each semester. This spring, you can look forward to a Writing Workshop on Personal Statements for Scholarship Applications and a Job Search Success Panel Discussion with current international students and alumni.

We hope you’ll join us and Go Beyond!

 

2021 Presidential Inauguration

The 59th Presidential Inauguration: Why Is It So Important?

The 59th Presidential Inauguration for the 46th President (President-Elect Joe Biden) will be taking place on Wednesday, January 20th. Per the Constitution, the day of the Inauguration will always take place on January 20th unless January 20th falls on a Sunday, then it will take place the following day on January 21st. The President-Elect is sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the new President of the United States.

However, for many Americans, including the rest of the world, the upcoming American Presidential Inauguration will have much more significance than ever before in light of the recent violence that has taken place at the U.S. Capitol. Historically, the Presidential Inauguration has always represented two extremely important facets of the American Democracy: a peaceful transfer of power and continuity of our system of government as prescribed by the Constitution.

History of the Presidential Inauguration & Swearing-In

The first Inauguration Ceremony took place in New York City in 1789 and began with our first President, George Washington. Washington established many of the traditions that we currently practice today, such as the incoming President placing their left hand on a Bible during the swearing-in as well as the many festivities that occur after the President is sworn in.  Interestingly, not all presidents have been sworn in with a Bible and actually chose different texts to place their left hand on, including a law text and a Roman Catholic Missal (a small book of biblical verses and hymns for a singular church service.) The most important part of the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony consists of the swearing-in/Oath of Office of the new President by the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

What is the “Oath of Office”?

The President takes an “Oath of Office,” which is mandated by Article II, Section One of the Constitution, by placing their left hand on a Bible while raising their right hand in the air and then proceeding to recite the following Oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Technically, even before the new President takes their Oath of Office and is sworn in, the Vice-President will have taken the following Oath:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

This Oath is also recited to swear in other federal employees such as Senators and Congressional Representatives.

Schedule of Events for the Inauguration Ceremony

Since the very first Presidential Inauguration, there has always been a “ceremony” attached to the official swearing-in that features several festivities and a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue. At a typical Inauguration Ceremony, excluding 2021 due to Covid-19 crowd restrictions and security concerns, there is usually a crowd of approximately 200,000 attendees to witness the Oath of Office and the ensuing events throughout the day. Below is the official schedule for the 59th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony provided by PBS (KQED):

  • 11 a.m. – Joe Biden arrives at the U.S. Capitol.
  • 11:15 a.m. – The inauguration program begins.
    • Invocation – Father Leo J. O’Donovan
    • Pledge of Allegiance – Andrea Hall
    • National Anthem – Lady Gaga
    • Poetry Reading – Amanda Gorman
    • Musical Performance – Jennifer Lopez
  • 12 p.m. – Biden is sworn in as 46th president.
  • 2:30 to 3p.m. – Biden lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, President George W. Bush and Laura Bush and President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton.
  • 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. – Joe and Jill Biden receive a presidential military escort to the White House.
  • TBD – The virtual “Parade Across America” begins once the Bidens enter the White House and will feature communities around the country.
  • 8:30 p.m. – Actor Tom Hanks hosts a 90-minute special featuring remarks by Biden and Harris and performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi, and others.

What is Different About This Year’s Inauguration?

  1. As mentioned above, Covid-19 restrictions as well as the recent uprising at the U.S. Capitol have led to a few significant changes to the normally scheduled events during the Presidential Inauguration. Traditionally, the outgoing President and his family invite the incoming President and his family to the White House for a friendly breakfast, which will not take place this year due to multiple reasons.
  2. After breakfast, the families travel together to the Inauguration as a symbolic display of solidarity. However, this year’s Inauguration will be different in that the outgoing President has announced that he will not attend the incoming President’s swearing-in, which would make him the fourth President in U.S. history not to attend their successor’s swearing-in.
  3. The crowd attending the Inauguration will be significantly smaller than ever before. While most Inaugurations are attended by nearly 200,00 spectators, this year’s Inauguration only permits Congressmen to bring one guest to the Inauguration due to Covid-19 crowd restrictions and severe security concerns.
  4. The Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue in addition to events taking place later in the evening will be virtual and available online.

Looking Forward

Presidential Inaugurations are one of the many staples of the American Democratic system and will remain to represent a peaceful transfer of power. As a country, this smooth transition from one democratically elected official to another is what differentiated the U.S. from many other countries after its inception over 200 years ago. It is imperative that we remember from where and from whom we come as a nation, and that we have always been a fluid and vast tapestry of cultures and creeds, but ultimately we are all considered to be Americans.

Source(s):

USA.gov: https://www.usa.gov/inauguration

PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/your-guide-to-inauguration-day

History.com: https://www.history.com/news/presidential-inauguration-history-photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Stimulus Payments & How They Apply to Nonresidents

Dear International Students,

The Sprintax team has graciously provided an overview of the second stimulus payment in their latest blog post to help with questions you may have in terms of how the additional stimulus payments could affect international students/nonresidents.

Sprintax Blog Post on the Second Stimulus Payment

In the above blog post, Sprintax runs through topics such as:

  • Who is eligible to keep/receive the second stimulus payment
  • Who is not eligible to keep/receive the second stimulus payment
  • What to do if you have received the payment in error
  • What to do if you already amended your tax return, returned the first stimulus payment but have now received the second payment
  • Other useful Q and A around the topic

Sincerely,

Sprintax & ISSS

De-stress for Academic Success

Finals week is often accompanied by a mix of emotions–excitement for the end of the year, concern about travel (or not being able to travel this year), and stress about finishing projects, meeting deadlines, and preparing for exams. We want to remind you to take care of yourself during this busy finals week: 

    • Don’t forget to eat. Schedule in time for healthy, mind-fueling meals. 
    • Take study breaks to stretch your legs, get some fresh air, and clear your mind. 
    • Be sure you’re getting enough sleep. While in the moment, it may seem like studying is more important than sleep, you may be doing yourself a disservice: “There are data that sleep loss leads to learning and memory impairment, as well as decreased attention and vigilance,” says Dr. Kushida, a physician at Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic. Lack of sleep could potentially affect your ability to recall information (something you need to take exams) and your performance on exams (e.g., mis-reading questions; not fully understanding what the task). To learn more about sleeping tips, read this article by the American Academy of Sleep Science.

Photo by Cris Saur on Unsplash

Learn More:

    • Read this Managing Stress blog post by Minji Yang, Ph.D., a counselor at SJSU CAPS.
    • Check out our Daily De-Stress for Academic Success tips @SJSUinternational on Instagram.
    • Find resources on our De-Stress page.
    • Take a study break and join us for Thursday Tea Time at 3:00 PM (PT). This is a small, casual meetup led by our Global Leaders.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

References

Importance of Sleep & Effects of Sleep Deprivation on College Students. (2020, January 27). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://aasm.org/college-students-getting-enough-sleep-is-vital-to-academic-success/

Managing Stress

Finals are right around the corner, so we asked our friend Dr. Minji Yang to share some tips to help us better manage stress during these busy times.

Dr. Minji Yang is a counselor faculty at SJSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). She was an international undergraduate and graduate student from South Korea and is currently an international professional. Minji specializes in working with international students, racial minority students, and students from immigrant families and on issues such as stress, cultural adjustment, identity development, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, and parental neglect and abuse. She is also the Training Coordinator for CAPS’ nationally accredited Health Psychology Doctoral Internship Program.

Here is what she shared with us:

1. What is stress?

Stress is when something happens and your mind/body have a hard time handling the external event. You get ‘stressed out’ in a negative way when your mind/body don’t have enough internal resources to handle the stressful event. There are various types of stressors such as: academic, financial, immigration, work, career, relationship, sociopolitical, pandemic and other-related stressors. It’s been a hard year as we all know and a very challenging year for international students. So please be mindful of different types of stress that you experience and take time to manage them.

2.  What does stress do to you?

Stress may:

    • affect concentration and sleep
    • cause eating difficulties, digestive problems, body tension, and headaches
    • bring on anxiety and depression
    • make you feel overwhelmed
    • spark negative thoughts
    • make you feel un-motivated or have low energy
    • make you more irritable
    • cause relationship difficulties

3. What can I do to manage stress?

    • Measure your stress level (1-10). Notice when your stress level is increasing and identify what is making you stressed out.
    • Think of what activities help you to feel better and make a list of these. Be intentional about what you choose to do.
    • Doing things to relieve stress does not mean that you are being lazy. Actively taking steps to manage your stress is being smart about your health.
    • Get support. Surround yourself with people that you feel comfortable with and cared for by. Make an effort to keep in touch with them even through chat or video calls.
    • Exercise, eat well, and sleep well! The basics are essential especially in times when you are undergoing stress.
    • Do things that soothe you, such as meditation. There are several meditation resources you can find online that will help you learn how to tell your mind to relax: https://insighttimer.com/
    • Engage in positive thinking. Negative thoughts weigh more than positive thoughts. Let the negative thoughts occur, but give some room for positive thoughts too! Take time to practice positive thinking and let it sink in.
    • Be kind to yourself. Notice when you are being critical of yourself and try to be compassionate to yourself. It’s been hard enough this year!
    • Take small steps to do the above. Don’t stress yourself out more by adding more work on your plate!

4. Please know that CAPS is available for you!

We are all working remotely but have several workshops, groups, individual mental health counseling, and educational counseling. Check out our website: https://www.sjsu.edu/counseling/ and follow us on Instagram (@sjsucaps).

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Thank you for sharing your tips with us, Minji! ISSS also partners with Minji each semester to do a series of De-Stress for Academic Success events. This semester, we’re all virtual. Follow us on Instagram at @SJSUinternational to learn new tips every day during finals week, and check out our web page for more resources.