1. Inside this
issue
2
NOTICES &
INFORMATION
4
TAX FILING
6
AN OPEN
LETTER TO
CHINESE
PARENTS
8
EVENTS
Office of International Student Affairs 120 Boylston Street, Walker 10th Floor Boston, MA 02116
Tel: (617) 824-7858
Photography by Renos Gavris
SPRING 2015 VOL. 16 ISSUE 2
The Emerson Globe
EDITOR: Pascale Sylla / OISA Junior Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS: Changhong Zheng, Renos Gavris

2. Message from the
Dean of Students
Emerson College takes the safety and well-being of its
students very seriously. To ensure that we know who to
contact in the event of a personal emergency, the College
requires each student to provide us with 2 emergen-
cy contacts and 1 missing person contact. One of the
emergency contacts also can serve as a student’s missing
person contact. Please take a few minutes to visit http://
ecommon.emerson.edu/ and complete the necessary
emergency and missing person contact information or
update what is already there. Thank you for your assis-
tance and cooperation.
Emerson utilizes a state-of-the-art Emergency Notifi-
cation System to communicate with students, faculty
and staff in the event that an emergency occurs on the
Boston campus or for a weather event that disrupts nor-
mal operations. It is a robust system that simultaneously
transmits messages by telephone, email and SMS (text
messaging). Please visit ecampus.emerson.edu/emer-
gency_contacts and submit your contact information so
you can be notified in the event of a community emer-
gency. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation.
The OISA is your first stop for getting your I-20
signed.
Every 6 months.
International Student Affairs:
Virga Mohsini
Susannah Marcucci
120 Boylston Street. 10th Floor (617) 824-7858
Be sure to plan ahead. Documents will be signed
and ready for pick-up within two business days of
receipt, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays.
If OISA is not available the following administrators
are also authorized to sign
I-20s:
International Study & External Programs
David Griffin
120 Boylston St. 10th Floor x 8567
Professional Studies
Alfonso Ragone
148 Boylston St. x 8278
Writing & Academic Resource Center (WARC)
Linda Miller
216 Tremont St. 5th Floor x 7874
ONLY IN CASES OF EMERGENCY AND IF
ABOVE CONTACTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, SEE
BELOW:
Graduate Admission
Sandra Orlowski
120 Boylston St. x 3113
Undergraduate Admission
Camille Bouknight
120 Boylston St. x 8469
Susan Pottenger
120 Boylston St. x 8600
Hours and staff availability may vary
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
LET OISA KNOW OF ANY CHANGES IN ADDRESS. THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT REQUIRES THAT YOU UPDATE THIS INFOR-
MATION WITHIN TEN DAYS OF YOUR MOVE. PLEASE ALSO
NOTIFY THE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHANGE ONLINE AT
https://ecommon.emerson.edu
Emergency Contact
Information (personal emergency)
Emergency Notification
System (campus emergency)
Need your I-20
Signed for Travel?
2
Moved recently?
Ronald Ludman
Dean of Students

3. 3
OPT and Travel
Students traveling outside the U.S. may face re-entry restrictions during post completion OPT
periods. If you plan to travel during that time, please contact us to discuss your travel plans and
immigration requirements
OPT and CPT workshops are being offered at the OISA most weeks throughout the
semester. Advance booking required.
Call (617) 824-7858 to sign up.
OPT workshops are Tuesdays 1:00pm – 2:00pm and Fridays 2:00pm-3:00pm
CPT workshops are Tuesdays 2:00pm–2:30pm and Fridays 3:00pm-3:15pm
Plan Ahead for OPT & CPT
Going Somewhere?

4. 4
2014 TAX FILING INFORMATION FOR
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The Office of International
Student Affairs (OISA) provides the
following information to Emer-
son College students as a courtesy
service. Emerson College neither
endorses nor takes any responsibili-
ty for the services rendered by these
agencies, companies or individuals.
Please contact the below-listed
agencies if you have any tax-fil-
ing related questions, as Emerson
College and the Office of Interna-
tional Student Affairs (OISA) are
not authorized to provide any type
of international tax advising ser-
vices…
To all International Students:
The 2014 tax year’s filing season is
soon approaching. As many of you
know, U.S. federal and state tax fil-
ing requirements can be difficult to
understand, so we have attempted
to provide you with as much infor-
mation as possible. The following
resources are available to assist you
in the process of preparing your
2014 tax returns:
• Pick up forms and publica-
tions at the Boston Internal Rev-
enue Service (IRS) office, or any
public library, including the Boston
public library.
Federal Taxes:
• Federal forms are available
for downloading from the IRS web
site at: http://www.irs.gov/forms-
pubs/index.html
• For help with federal in-
come tax return, or to order tax
forms, call the IRS at
1-800-829-1040 or go to: www.irs.
gov
State Taxes:
• Download State tax forms
at: http://www.mass.gov/dor/forms
• For help with your state
income tax return, call the Massa-
chusetts Department of Revenue at
(617)-887-6367 or toll-free in Mas-
sachusetts 800-392-6089. Hours
of operation are Monday through
Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, or go to:
http://www.mass.gov
In-person tax help is offered at:
JFK Federal Building
15 New Sudbury St.
Boston, MA 02203
• For more information visit
http://www.mass.gov/dor/individ-
uals and http://www.irs.gov/uac/
Contact-My-Local-Office-in-Mas-
sachusetts
***IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE:
OISA staff does not specialize in tax
law and is not authorized to pro-
vide any type of tax advising or tax
preparation services.
Other options, including free tax
filing clinics, are listed below:
The VITA (Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance) Program offers free tax
help to people who generally make
$51,000 or less and need assistance
in preparing their own tax returns.
IRS-certified volunteers provide
free basic income tax return prepa-
ration to qualified individuals
in local communities. They can
inform taxpayers about special tax
credits for which they may qualify.
VITA sites are generally located
at community and neighborhood
centers, libraries, schools, shopping
malls, and other convenient loca-
tions. Most locations also offer free
electronic filing.
Full-service location where certified
volunteers will assist you (if eligi-
ble) in completing tax forms (Walk
in or by appointment):
• Bunker Hill Community
College VITA
250 New Rutherford Avenue, Room
D206
Boston, MA 02129
Phone: (617) 228-3268
Open: March 17 through April 15,
2015
Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday:
10am - 7pm, Thursday: 10am –
1pm; 2:15 – 4pm, Friday: 10am –
4pm, Saturday: 10am-3pm.
• ABCD South End Neigh-
borhood Service Center
554 Columbus Avenue,
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: (617) 267-7400
Open: January 20 through April 15
2015
Hours: Monday: 12pm-5pm,
Tuesday & Thursday: 10am-6pm,
Friday: 10am-3pm, Saturday:
10am-2pm
Please note that the filing deadline
for the 2014 tax year is April 15th
2015.
Currently the College is researching
other tax filing software options
but they are not yet available at this
time. Please watch your email inbox
for further updates from OISA on
this later in March.
*Please contact the above-listed
agencies if you have any tax-filing
related questions, as Emerson Col-
lege and the Office of International
Student Affairs (OISA) are not
authorized to provide any type of
international tax advising services.

5. 5
An Open Letter to Chinese Parents
with Kids Abroad
Changhong Zheng, GR ‘17
China
Publishing and Writing
Dear parents,
My kid has been studying in the United States for three years at Boston University. Ever since she went there,
I’ve been hearing from her of all the bad things that happen to Chinese students in high schools and universities
of America, which haunt me endlessly. I feel very fidgety. So I’m writing to make you aware of the situation,
since you also have children abroad or soon to be abroad. This way we can all do something to protect our dar-
lings.
First, let me share some terrible facts with you:
Jack Lin, my daughter’s classmate, lost his $3,000 bracelet at a gym class. “That’s all right, don’t worry. It’s
just a bracelet. I can buy a new one.” How adorably well he reacted to such a tragedy!
Vincent Gu begged his mother over the phone for a Ferrari 458 Speciale on orientation day at the University of
Pittsburgh, otherwise he would have to immediately buy an air ticket back to China. So I got to know that life in
America without a car is too harsh.
Catherine Chen, a sophomore at Newman School (a high school in Massachusetts), was seen walk out of a store
on Fifth Avenue in New York, but didn’t have time to pick up the hundred-dollar bill dropped from her cute
purse. Those accompanying her judged her, but these were the same people she was busy trying to keep chat-
ting with, you know, to maintain a sound social network. Networking matters in America as much as it does in
China.
Why are these kids always getting hurt? They are our future. How can we just sit back and watch them lose
their own accessories, suffer at jubilant parties, or live without a car? Oh, some of them still have to take care of
their own everyday trifles. What is wrong with us? We must take action for the promising young generation of
a big country like China, before it commits self-annihilation some day. All right, maybe just for our own sake.
But it’s just as important.
Here are some of my suggestions:
1. Give our children enough back-up money in case they get lose their brand accessories. Bear in mind:
you should never blame them for the lost items, which, as we all know, is just a matter of money. It’s far more
difficult to live in a foreign country than we can imagine. There is huge peer and academic pressure. So, do
remember: MORE MONEY.
2. Do field research before hand. Choose the most convenient house to rent for them. In my case, I prefer
to buy one, which I believe will sure give my kid a sense of belonging and it feels good to possess something.
More importantly, when throwing parties, no landlord will interfere. I advise you to find a reliable property
agent to handle it. Plus, I highly recommend hiring a few guards, just in case.
3. Remember the girl who didn’t have time to manage her money properly? A reliable butler is needed. I’m
not quite familiar with the American butler market, but I think there must also be a certificate or something for
professional butlers. Yes, we must never be careless about the butler thing. It’s about managing money, and our
children’s lives.
“An Open Letter”, cont’d on p.7

6. 6
Life is Here. Keep it. And Go.
Birds singing in the verdant willow trees
under the soft blue silky sky spotted by chunks of
fluffy clouds. Julia stood beside me at the window,
my elbow against the sill. We’d never been such
good observers of life to see all the pretty details
outside that sullen and depressing senior high
school classroom—we were so occupied in laugh-
ing, singing, talking, and enjoying our small time
with friends, on top of doing well in school work.
“But we promised each other to go to the same
college.” I grumbled.
“I know! It’s not me! My father filled that damn
form,” replied Julia, “…and I don’t think it’s a bad
idea to let parents make big decisions for us.”
It’s been eight years since that smothering
summer afternoon. Before long, the College En-
trance Examination ended, we both did well, and
got admitted into our first choices. In two cities
thousands miles away; I flew to Shanghai, and
she went to Harbin; a northeastern city in Chi-
na, where snow is always piled as high as that in
Boston but stays on the streets for quite a longer
while, because shoveling is not an easy job there.
People prefer to sit around a furnace or a shabby
stove, gossiping over sunflower seeds for several
straight hours. Julia told me it was enchanting to
chat idly with people, old or young, around the
heater while it snowed outside, no one bothered to
care the world was covered in the overwhelmingly
white pall. She would call to cheer me up as I got
no stove, no snow, and no random guy to talk to;
since everyone around me was always in a rush, to
work, to intern, or to study, and she’s always been
the one who talks a lot more than me. Just like
when we first met in the third grade.
We began our intimacy with a fierce fight.
The reason was simple—I didn’t like her, and vice
versa. We both couldn’t tolerate anything that we
didn’t like. So we waged a war against each other
in a gym class, without any reason that remains in
both of our memories but I do remember how we
freaked the teacher out. She hated my loud voice,
my chubby face, or my bulgy belly under my bright
blue cape coat, I bet, for she has kept teasing me
about my fat old days till now. I was unwilling to
look at her dark skin for any one more minute than
necessary. And her loud voice. And similar charac-
ters get along.That’s the way it is.
Julia and I exchanged diaries to catch up
with each other’s life when we were in separate
classes in middle school, went to food courts
together on weekends to chat for a whole day, so
we ate, slept and breathed the fact that we were
grouped in the same classroom for the three years
in high school.Three amazingly crazy years, in-
credibly happy in a school filled with fellow stu-
dents who wished to be buried in math exercises
or chemistry tests 25 hours a day, 367 days a year,
and teachers who never smiled at you even when
you finished your homework on time.Which we
didn’t do a lot.
So I was thrilled at the idea that she was
likely to go to Shanghai for a graduate degree if
she could pass a pre-test, while I was preparing for
one, too. I couldn’t help but tell everyone around
me that my best friend would be here with me the
next year; we didn’t have to pay that crazily high
phone bill any more, or we could go to every cor-
ner of the city to do something or nothing!That
depressed version of me stuck in creepy homesick-
ness would go away as Julia came to change all
that crappy life for me
I used to be pestered by quite a bunch of
idle, good-for-nothing, bad boys in middle school,
when I discarded my chubby face and belly with
that cape coat fading away from my life in the ir-
reversible river of time. At least in my mom’s eyes,
these boys who were chasing after me at any given
point would be blocking me to a bright future. So I
left my secret, girly gloomy, and inevitably affect-
ed diaries with her to keep from my mom’s pro-
spective interrogation.Those teen dairies ended up
being discovered by Julia’s mom. And her father.
Her omnipresent father in every decision-making
moment of her life. But we kept seeing each oth-
er though not so openly any more, at least to her
parents. I became an idle, good-for-nothing, bad
girl in their minds. But I somehow kept my name
in the first place of the school report for the whole
schooling years. So not idle that much.
She prepared for the test.
She booked the ticket to Shanghai.
She took the test.
She was told to come again for a further test to be
finally admitted.
Changhong Zheng, GR ‘17
China
Publishing and Writing
6

7. 7
4. A car. It’s better to respect
our children’s will to buy their
own favorite ones. Our poor little
kids need some support when
we’re not around.
So, I’ve briefly listed a few things
we can physically do to guaran-
tee our children’s success when
studying abroad. But we should
also pay attention to some
emotional aspects. I’m not sure
if you’ve heard about the cruel
school environment in American
schools, but my daughter told
me it’s almost impossible to
finish the daunting homework on
time or even after the deadline.
So our encouragement is need-
ed. Here are some tips:
(You should be careful when
communicating with your kid,
who, under great pressure, is not
always in a good mood or in the
mood to talk to you.)
2. If they feel it is necessary to
hire someone to write some pa-
per, don’t blame them for spar-
ing the money for that purpose.
Education is the priority so back
them up.
3. Once they post some
beautiful traveling pictures with
fancy food or gorgeous hotels
on Microblog or WeChat, don’t
forget to like immediately.Your
passionate reaction is their driv-
ing force to go against all odds
lying ahead.They need to relax
from the crazy busy schedule of
school.
4. They may probably com-
plain to you about how they
don’t like the way American
students are dressed: too dull,
without much variety, and no
one seems to care about the ap-
pearance at all. Some even go to
class without any make-up! On
this occasion, you’d better tell
your glamorous children to bear
in mind who they are and where
they come from.This is the only
way they can they keep their
sense of aesthetic and pursuit of
a quality life.You know, some-
times, life must come a little
before education.
5. Don’t call them too often.
We are not supposed to be both-
ersome.
I do hope you strictly follow my
guidelines.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Zheng
And she gave up.
“But you promised me to come.”
I grumbled. A quite familiar feel-
ing.
“I know! It’s not me! My boy-
friend is afraid of any instability
in life, he wants me to stay and
go to graduate school in my col-
lege.”
“Sure.”
I hung up the phone. “It’s your
boyfriend’s decision anyway.” I
said out to the air.The weather
in Shanghai never got better,
always damp with a moldy smell
everywhere. A familiar smell
from the wet floor of my high
school classroom.
We did fight a lot, vocal-
ly and sometimes physically. I
threw all her textbooks away
through the classroom window,
and she shoved me to the newly
mopped floor. In that northern
city with rich coal resources hid-
den right under our feet, floors in
classrooms were never short of
dirt even after cleaning, or espe-
cially after being cleaned with
mops.You could smell it. Dust
mixed in muddy stains. Sitting on
the stinky floor, I couldn’t figure
out why she insisted so stubborn-
ly about such a stupid, meaning-
less physics exercise of which the
answer was quite obvious in the
wave properties of light, but she
still fought ferociously against
me.
I’m happy that they got
married before he decided to
study abroad, with her of course.
I thought he was not that into
changes of life.
They live in Knoxville, do-
ing Ph.Ds. in Chemical Science,
which she hates, but she doesn’t
want to change.
“I don’t know, maybe I lost my
ability to make my own deci-
sions long ago. My father, my
boyfriend-become husband.”
She came to spend the Christmas
holiday with me.
“And a couple years later, your
kids.”
“Maybe, I want a quiet life, with-
out struggling, fighting, or even
taking any efforts.”
“If that’s what you want.” It’s
good to find someone who takes
care of her, who may give her a
life she wants, and who makes
decisions for her.
“But I’m not happy.” Julia turned
around to me at the Logan Air-
port in Boston, on NewYear’s
Day, 2015. I walked away from
the terminal. It snowed.
“An Open Letter”, cont’d from p.5
7

8. 8
Hey international students!
Want to work on campus?
The Office of International Stu-
dent Affairs (OISA) is looking to
fill multiple openings for Junior
Coordinators.
Qualifications:
·Basic knowledge of F-1 student
visa processes, cultural sensitiv-
ity, strong communication and
customer service skills
·Flexibility and readiness to learn
new skills
·Year-long commitment for Fall
2015 and Spring 2016 required
For more information, please
refer to the job posting on
eCampus.