The University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, prides itself for its commitment to diversity. University President Mary Sue Coleman reiterated that an essential factor in U&M’s academic excellence is its diversity where students, faculty and staff of different backgrounds and different experiences are brought together to create an intellectual experience that is unmatched in higher education.

Check out the video below featuring international students at University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School.

The students talk about adjusting to the challenges of graduate school, transitioning to a new (and sometimes completely opposite) culture. These graduate students describe their experiences and offer  advice on how to expand your network of friends, and to connect with the international community at the University of Michigan. In addition, students talk about the resources at the International Center and other good things for new international graduate students to know.

Things to Do

Perfect your laid-back Amsterdam look cycling through the flowery Vondelpark, where Amsterdammers gather for picnics and open-air concerts. For close-up views of Golden Age merchants’ houses, cruise Amsterdam’s storied canals. The Rijksmuseum is a rambling attic of Old Master paintings from Vermeer miniatures to Rembrandt’s colossal The Night Watch. The curvy Van Gogh Museum houses the world’s largest Van Gogh collection, including Sunflowers and earless self-portraits. Spend a reflective moment in Anne Frank’s House.

Shopping

Mornings are the time for markets, with Amsterdammers finding flea market bargains at Waterlooplein, and bunches of vibrant tulips and potted plants at the canalside Flower Market. Pedal along the waterways to Jordaan‘s alternative shops and tiny galleries, or the quaint Negen Straatjes‘ designer boutiques, jewelers and cafés. Global designers line posh PC Hooftstraat, while crowded Kalverstraat has all the high-street names. For Delft Blue ceramics, visit the Jorrit Heinen shop on Prinsengracht.

Nightlife and Entertainment

As Amsterdam’s bridges and canals twinkle with thousands of lights, follow the locals to Jordaan‘s nicotine-stained cafés for an ice-cold jenever (gin) and possibly a friendly singalong. The liberal lives on in Amsterdam, where prostitutes flaunt their wares behind glass in the Red Light District and snug coffeeshops fill with chatter and (legal) marijuana smoke. Dress up for pulsating clubs in Rembrandtplein, low-key cocktails in De Pijp‘s stylish bars and classical music at the grand Concertgebouw.

Restaurants and Dining

The sociable, worldly Amsterdammers love eating out and traveling with their taste buds. In lively Leidseplein choose from Italian trattorias, Argentinean steakhouses and Indonesian restaurants serving spicy rijsttafel, a feast of aromatic little dishes. Nieuwmarkt dishes up value-priced Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai, while multicultural De Pijp is the place for tapas and modern fusion. In Jordaan, fashionable restaurants sit alongside relaxed eetcafés (bistros) where locals meet for a beer and a uitsmijter (open ham and egg sandwich).

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered an “extensive and thorough review” of the State Department’s troubled Summer Work Travel (SWT) program, which every year brings more than 100,000 college students from around the world to fill low-wage seasonal jobs in the United States. That followed last summer’s protests by students working at a Hershey Co. warehouse in Pennsylvania that garnered worldwide attention.

Today, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) begins online publication of a four-day investigative series on the program. The report, “Cheap Labor as Cultural Exchange: The $100 Million Work Travel Industry,” is based on five months of reporting by CIS senior research fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning former journalist Jerry Kammer. It is online at: http://cis.org/cheap-labor-as-cultural-exchange-contents.

The series tells the story of the SWT program’s rapid growth over the past 15 years into a $100 million international industry that has spread around the globe. SWT is emblematic of a larger problem with the nation’s immigration system, where new programs are created and allowed to expand significantly without giving careful consideration to their impact on the labor market or the larger American society.

Also being released today is “Declining Summer Employment Among American Youths” by CIS Director of Research Steven Camarota. The report finds that fewer than half of native-born Americans ages 16 to 24 worked in the summer of 2011, down from nearly two-thirds in 2000. This decline began long before the current recession and very little of it can be ascribed to summer school or internships. Competition from foreign workers, both permanent and temporary (including through the SWT program), accounts for a significant share of this decline.

The past year has been particularly turbulent for SWT. When the State Department issued new regulations in the spring, it acknowledged that some sponsors were neglecting their duties and that the existing regulations “do not sufficiently protect national security interests, the Department’s reputation, and the health, safety and welfare of Summer Work Travel program participants.” In short, the program had been infected by many abuses, leaving some participants defrauded and allowing others to be recruited by organized crime or strip club owners.

Last summer, Stanley Colvin, the State Department official who long directed SWT and other exchange programs, was quietly replaced. Then the Hershey protest brought global notoriety to the program. In November, the State Department, which had long promoted expansion of the program around the world, announced a freeze on participants at the 2011 level of 103,000. Then came Secretary Clinton’s call for an internal investigation.

Kammer, a former investigative reporter, tells the story of the State Department’s inability to establish proper management of SWT despite years of criticism by the Government Accountability Office and State’s own Inspector General.

Here is a day-by-day preview:

TODAY: The story of SWT’s role in international diplomacy and of the intense, sophisticated, and lucrative recruitment both of the students whose fees fuel the industry and the employers who provide the jobs.

DAY TWO: The story of young Americans displaced by SWT, which uses international job fairs to line up summer workers months in advance. A second story tells of the culture clash at Hershey, where the legend of a benevolent chocolate baron met the harsh reality of SWT.

DAY THREE: The story of SWT in Alaska, where some 2,000 “cultural exchange” workers take jobs that used to be magnets for American college students, including 1969 Wellesley graduate Hillary Rodham, now overseeing SWT as Secretary of State.

DAY FOUR: The story of the State Department’s long history of mismanagement of SWT, including its indifference to its effects on American workers. Included is an interview with Rick Ruth, the State Department’s new man in charge of SWT.

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institute that examines the impact of immigration on the United States.

Republished from: http://www.prnewswire.com

Everyone tells you to seek out mentors in your career, but how exactly do you do that? And how do you interact with a mentor when you get one? Never fear, we have some answers for you.

For example, dynamic is at No. 10. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its primary meaning is “of or pertaining to force producing motion: often opposed to static.” So by using this word, you have literally told your potential employer that you are adept at not being stationary. You are the type of person who does things and moves from place to place.

At No. 9 is communication skills, and at No. 8 we have problem solving. Both of these guarantee nothing more than the person not being paralyzed by the prospect of a conversation or an empty stapler. Innovative is No. 7 and motivated is No. 6 — two more generic adjectives suggesting attributes that an employer would probably like to take for granted.

Track record is at No. 5. Note that it is not specified whether this track record is good or bad, though this person definitely has a track record of some kind. More important, a curriculum vitae is a track record in and of itself. Listing “track record” on a résumé is the equivalent of putting “reasons you should date me” on your OkCupid profile. Or tacking “things I need to buy” onto your shopping list.

At No. 4, we have extensive experience. (Please see above paragraph.)

At No. 3 is effective, a promise that when you are being dynamic, you’re really making the most of it. And in second place, we have organizational — which may be important if you are, say, applying to be an accountant. But in most cases, it is not the most striking skill to be championing — it’s like saying one is punctual or has neat handwriting.

And the No. one most overused professional buzzword is creative. This attribute, like many of the others, is one that is better shown than told. As LinkedIn’s connection director put it in a release, “Use language that illustrates your unique professional accomplishments and experiences. Give concrete examples of results you’ve achieved whenever possible and reference attributes that are specific to you.” And please, never use the word synergy without your tongue firmly pressed into your cheek.

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Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/13/ten-buzzwords-to-take-off-your-linkedin-profile-now/#ixzz1gfMDiW2G

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney

A two-year investigation into immigration fraud could lead to 2,100 people having their citizenship revoked and another 4,400 not being able to move from permanent residency status to full citizenship, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Friday.

Kenney said the people who face losing their citizenship obtained it fraudulently, paying consultants to make it look as if they were living in Canada to fulfil the residency requirement, when they actually spent little or no time in the country.

Of the 4,400 permanent residents under investigation, he said, 1,400 have voluntarily withdrawn their applications for full citizenship. In some cases, the government will withdraw their permanent resident status.

“We will apply the full strength of Canadian law. Where evidence permits, we will seek the revocation of permanent resident status or citizenship and in some cases the deportation of anyone perpetrating such fraud,” Kenney said.

The announcement is the culmination of two years of investigations by Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP following reports of consultants who would provide fake proof of residency — such as utility bills or receipts for rent — so people could meet that requirement of their application.

Kenney said he started to hear rumours of systematic fraud by consultants when he became minister three years ago. He also credited Radio-Canada’s Enquête, which investigated crooked consultants.

“If you are a consultant involved in selling Canadian citizenship fraudulently to people …we are on to you. It’s just a matter of time,” he said.

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae says fraud has always been illegal, and he sees no real change in what Kenney announced.

“I don’t know anyone who’s in favour of fraud…it’s a question of giving the sense that he’s doing something when he isn’t doing anything new,” Rae said.

“[Fraud is] something that has to be proven. You can’t just announce that’s what you’re doing. There have to be the facts to back it up and there has to be a due process of law… where these issues are settled not just unilaterally by the minister.”

NDP Foreign Affairs critic Hélène Laverdière said there are plenty of immigration issues that need more attention, including family reunification. But she admitted the party has nothing against cracking down on immigration fraud.

“For example, there are enormous delays on family reunification. When we’re talking about, really, many years before we can complete a family reunification, that’s dramatic. There’s a lack of resources at a number of levels.”

‘At the heart of our identity’

“Citizenship is priceless. It is at the heart of our identity as Canadians,” Kenney said.

The main requirements to get Canadian citizenship are to spend three out of four years in Canada, plus proficiency in French or English, and a basic knowledge of Canada.

Kenney said the crackdown isn’t aimed at people who have minor disputes with the department over whether they have spent the precise number of days required for residency.

Kenney announced a large-scale crackdown in July, targeting 1,800 people the government alleges obtained their citizenship fraudulently.

The people were identified through investigations conducted across the country by police and the Citizenship and Immigration Department. People identified by the investigations were to receive letters informing them of the government’s decision.

Kenney has also recently stepped up pressure on the Canadian Border Services Agency to tackle crimes related to immigration marriage fraud and abuse of Canadians who are drawn into fraudulent marriages.

The government will reintroduce legislation to regulate citizenship consultants, Kenney said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ordered a complete review of the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa program that has been used by US businesses to hire international students for short-term, seasonal positions. Foreign students this year have issued numerous complaints about work conditions to the department.

A US State Department spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Clinton “has called for an extensive and thorough review of the program. We continue to be committed to working to strengthen the Summer Work Travel Program to safeguard the health and welfare of the participants.”

Under the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa program, foreign students are granted US visas for up to four months and often land jobs at hotels, resorts and restaurants. There are other categories for J-1 visas including for au pairs, interns, and camp counselors. Only the Summer Work Travel category is affected by the review.

The US House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee also has been gathering information on the visa program, which was created in 1963 to allow college students from other countries to spend their summer breaks living, working and traveling in the U.S.

In November, the US State Department announced no new organizations will be permitted to sponsor students who come on J-1 Summer Work Travel visas. Also, no more than 103,000 J-1 visas, the number issued this year, will be issued to international students in 2012. The US State Department also revised its rules to require more supervision of its 53 designated sponsors, which help students arrange for visas and find jobs and housing in return for a fee.

Nearly a year ago, The Associated Press reported numerous abuses, including cases in which J-1 Summer Work Travel visa holders were put up in crowded apartments and forced to work long hours at labour-intensive jobs for $1 an hour or less.

“We have already instituted one set of reforms and are working toward additional ones that take additional measures to protect participants and prioritize the original cultural intent of the program,” the State Department spokesman said.

The reforms being considered by the State Department would limit and refine the types of jobs students can have and expand the list of prohibited employment categories. Most of the abuses in the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program over the years have been blamed on unregulated, third-party labor brokers who work with the students.

Participation in the visa program has increased from about 20,000 students in 1996 to more than 150,000 in 2008; Roughly 1 million foreign students have taken part in the past decade. The students come from around the world, with some of the top participating countries being Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, Peru, Moldova and Poland.

Article Source: United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS)

The new Electronic Immigration System (ELIS) will reduce the US immigration department’s reliance on paper and make it easier to access information for benefit requests. The tool is designed to digitize the current paper documentation review by allowing US visa applicants to submit and track their applications online.

“This is an unprecedented step for the world’s largest and most complex immigration system,” said the USCIS . “Past efforts to transform our agency have not reached the point where we are today: the testing phase of a system that has been developed.”

There will be multiple releases of the ELIS system with each release covering different US immigration benefits or adding enhanced functionality.

The first release will cover one benefit type – the Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Non-immigrant Status – which applies to B-1, B-2, F, J, and M visas. The release will provide the necessary groundwork to enable the creation of further releases of the system and will include e-filing and an online payment system.

USCIS noted that the post-development testing phase was currently happening but it “is time consuming and challenging, as is characteristic of projects of this scale, complexity, and ambition”.

The US immigration department planned to roll-out the first release of the $1.7 billion online system this month, but testing was not completed in time. USCIS will release the new time frame for the next releases of the system in a few weeks once they complete testing.

The ELIS is projected to be fully implemented sometime in 2013-2014. The future phases will support forms for remaining Non-Immigrant Benefits, Immigrant Benefits, Humanitarian Benefits, and Citizenship Benefits.

Article Source: United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS)

The Australia Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) announced they will perform an evaluation of the Professional Year visa program in 2011-2012. The evaluation will assess if the Professional Year visa is achieving its original objectives and also identify potential improvements to the immigration program.

The Professional Year visa program has been available since 2008 and is a structured development immigration program, available to Engineers, Accountants and IT Professionals immigrating to Australia. The program helps graduates to find employment and successful completion provides 5 points towards meeting the Points Based Skilled Migration pass mark.

The Professional Year visa program is a structured professional development program combining formal learning and workplace experience. A Professional Year will:

• familiarise participants with the norms and values in the Australian workplace as well as the Australian employment market and workplace culture
• teach participants how to communicate effectively and professionally in the Australian workplace with colleagues, managers and clients
• include an internship (work experience) to educate participants about all aspects of work practices in an Australian company.

Australian immigration has also said that current and past Professional Year visa program students will be requested to anonymously complete a survey which collects basic demographic information and seeks specific input regarding each student’s Professional Year. The survey results will be part of a discussion paper expected to be finished in 2012.

Article Source: workpermit.com

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.

Please note: Some confusion may occur between the argumentative essay and the expository essay. These two genres are similar, but the argumentative essay differs from the expository essay in the amount of pre-writing (invention) and research involved. The argumentative essay is commonly assigned as a capstone or final project in first year writing or advanced composition courses and involves lengthy, detailed research. Expository essays involve less research and are shorter in length. Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.

Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative assignments may also require empirical research where the student collects data through interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments. Detailed research allows the student to learn about the topic and to understand different points of view regarding the topic so that s/he may choose a position and support it with the evidence collected during research. Regardless of the amount or type of research involved, argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.

The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following:

A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.

In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.

Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.

Body paragraphs that include evidential support.

Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis (warrant).

However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.

Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).

The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.

A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.

It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work.

A Complete Argument

Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of World War II and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point, questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the conflict. Therefore, the argumentative essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument.

The Five-Paragraph Essay

A common method for writing an argumentative essay is the five-paragraph approach. This is, however, by no means the only formula for writing such essays. If it sounds straightforward, that is because it is; in fact, the method consists of 1) an introductory paragraph 2) three evidentiary body paragraphs that may include discussion of opposing views and 3) a conclusion.

Longer Argumentative Essays

Complex issues and detailed research call for complex and detailed essays. Argumentative essays discussing a number of research sources or empirical research will most certainly be longer than five paragraphs. Authors may have to discuss the context surrounding the topic, sources of information and their credibility, as well as a number of different opinions on the issue before concluding the essay. Many of these factors will be determined by the assignment.