Mark Your Calendars.
Fall Semester Begins Soon.

Greetings, Planet IEP readers. Enjoy your last few days of summer because the Fall Semester begins in a few days. On Tuesday, August 19, new students will go to the IEP Overview from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Irby 215. The Placement Test follows immediately from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the same room, Irby 215. New students will also have oral interviews after lunch on Tuesday. Classes begin for everyone on Thursday, August 21. We look forward to meeting the new students and greeting the returning students.

Former Students
Send News from Afar.

Planet IEP has received news from several "graduates." It's always nice to hear from students who have moved to another state or country or have returned home. Maggie Velazquez is still in Conway and at UCA and sent a message about her promotion to Co-manager at Cato's. Congratulations, Maggie! Rachid Bagana checked in from Alabama. He's studying at a community college as he prepares to transfer to Auburn and study for his Bachelors in Social Work. Susanna Tristancho is back in Spain and working at her university in the marketing department. Dr. Souidi Anasse graduated from the University of Arkansas Medical System in Little Rock this spring. Congratulations, Doc! Anastacia Khomenko is back home in Russia and says she misses UCA a lot, but she will take her final exams at the University of Moscow this year. Good luck, Anastacia! Shoichiro Yamaguchi is about to go on a bike holiday and then go on to visit another IEP student, Juyoung Park, in Korea. Sibila Groueva is now married and just had a birthday party for her one-year old son, Sydney. Many of you have read Yukiko Hayata's stories on Planet IEP. Yuki is a UCA graduate student in music and is currently working on another story about Japanese high school for the website.

Fall Fever.

At the end of July, the webmistress paused one night amid the flickering light of the fireflies to contemplate the coming dawn of a new university year. She embraced the fading embers of summer break, which would soon become another receeding memory, and grew nostalgic about her days and nights of relaxation and spiritual renewal, of visiting dear friends, of reading poetry and fiction, of practicing Tai Chi and preparing for another of life's new beginnings. Thoughts of school drifted into thoughts of Marcus, her university son, who had recently joined a rock 'n roll band, The August. Twice this summer she had flown away on wings of dreams to the mountains to hear him play his drums — and those nights in the audience are among the fondest of memories.

How have you, dear readers, spent the long, hot summertime?

Some news has filtered in to Cricket Song, spiritual home of CornDancer. Ms. Schaefer attended a birthday party for one of last semester's Level Three students. Does anyone know whose birthday? Here's a clue — she will be getting married soon! Make a correct guess and start the semester with a Bonus Point!

Here's another bit of good news. Another student from Level Three Spring 2003 is expecting a baby! Any guesses for this one?

Dr. Marshall returned from a trip to Russia recently. He covered five time zones while there, crossing the continent from Moscow to Irkutsk, swimming in the Ob River, and taking a cruise on Lake Baikal. He brought back lots of realia for his website Planet Russkij. You can read about his trip on CornDancer in the near future.

A Wedding in Japan.

Check out Dispatch from Afar for a new story by Level Three IEP student Ryohei Tanaka. He recounts the trip he made in the spring to attend a wedding (no, not his!). Former IEP student and present graduate student in music, Yuki Hayata, is currently writing a story about the secondary education system in Japan. Looks like the Japanese students are taking the lead in writing about their homeland. Anyone else want to tell our readers about their country? Email the webmistress with any news or stories at freddieb@mail.uca.edu.

Got Boredom?
Check Out the Important Dates.

If you are getting cabin fever (boredom), then read the Important Dates information below. Several opportunities are offered on campus for students to get involved and beat the ennui.

Important Dates

Summer Holiday Enters the Last Inning!

The summer holiday has no extra innings.

Now.

Conway.

UCA Summer II semester finishes on August 8.

IEP Placement Test.

The IEP Placement Test determines the English language proficiency of new and returning students. It consists of the Michigan Placement Test and a writing sample.

Tuesday, August 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Irby 215.

No admission, but you do need to bring a couple of pencils.

How Good
Is Your Grammar?

Thanks to one of Corndancer's contributors, Mr. Darbo, for sending us a link to test our grammar knowledge. Just for fun, try it yourselves at http://encarta.msn.com/quiz/quiz.asp?quizid=51. You get instant results.

What Did She Say?

I just looked up this site to find the words to a U2 song. You might want to find the words to one of your favorite songs, too, at http://www.lyrics.com.

Planet IEP is a world of words for students and anyone else who is interested in English as a Second Language.

First and foremost, this site serves international students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at the University of Central Arkansas. Planet IEP provides lesson plans, reminders, comments and musings on classroom projects. It serves as a venue for students to ask questions or make comments about any matter that concerns language or culture.

Let me begin with a traditional greeting: "Welcome to Planet IEP." The first step in using this site is to decide what you want to read. Look at the "links" (connections) on the left side of this page. You have several places to go.

If you are a student of Freddie Bowles, click on your class level to find information about class activities, homework, and most importantly, the Bonus Point Challenge.

Ms. Schaefer's page, IEP Coordinator, gives information about the current semester. Click on IEP coordinator to read her monthly info letter.

The Dispatch from Afar is the newest page. Click on it to read stories written by IEP students and staff from their home countries and travels afar.

If you want to see if there are any articles for you to read, click on Reading Room. Be sure and take a look at the Photo Gallery. Your picture might be on there!

Under International Links, you will find links to information from different countries. Do you want to read the news from home? Look under International Links to find a site that offers news from your home or from a classmate's home.

When you decide what site you want to visit, click on the icon, and the site will open. Within the site there will be other links for you to visit if you so choose. If you want to return to the beginning, click on Planet IEP Home and you will return to the homepage.

If you have any links
for the International Links page,
email me at freddieb@mail.uca.edu
Good luck as you travel on Planet IEP!