Dear Students,

The first thing on my list is to welcome all new IEP students to UCA, to Conway, Arkansas, and to the USA! To returning students: I hope you had a good summer, and I'm glad you're back. I hope we all have a wonderful fall semester.

So far I have been enjoying my classes (Level 2 Academic Writing and Grammar, and TOEFL Preparation). The other IEP instructors have told me that you're a great group of students. I think I have talked to all of you at least a little bit, and I hope to talk to everyone more during the semester. Please feel free to drop by my office — Irby 207J — if you have any questions about anything, or if you just want to say hello and talk!

My number one goal is to make sure the IEP is helpful to you in several ways:

• The IEP should help you improve your spoken and written English.
• The IEP should help you develop the academic skills that you need for university studies in the U.S.
• The IEP should help you learn about U.S. culture so that you can feel more comfortable here.

If you feel that you need more from your IEP classes, please let me know. I want to help!

Thank you for filling out the Activity Surveys last week. We want to arrange some activities for students to do outside of class — everybody needs a break from studying once in a while!

The next activity will be the IEP Picnic at Lake Beaverfork on Wednesday, September 12. You can go swimming or hiking, and there is a place to play soccer (please bring soccer balls — I don't have one!). The IEP will provide food, soft drinks, and a shuttle van. If you have a car and don't mind driving, please take your car. We will meet in front of Minton Hall and leave the campus at 3:30 p.m. to carpool to the lake. If necessary, we will make more than one trip in the van to take you all to the lake. Don't worry — we'll all get there! The van will return to campus at 7:00 p.m., but you are welcome to stay at the lake as long as you like if you have a ride home.

I know that several of you work on weekday afternoons and evenings and might not be able to come to the picnic. Don't worry — there will be other activities that you can go to later in the semester. We are also planning a Saturday trip to Mount Nebo for hiking and a picnic when the weather turns a little cooler. It is a beautiful mountain north of Conway. You will be amazed at the gorgeous views! There will be more activities as the semester goes on.

If you have other suggestions for activities, or if you didn't fill out the activity survey, please see me. My office hours are 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I am happy to talk to you whenever I'm in my office. My door is (almost) always open!

Sincerely,

Lynn Ramage Schaefer

IEP Coordinator,
Intensive English Program

Department of Foreign Languages
Irby Hall #207J
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR 72035
tel: (501) 450-3671
fax: (501) 450-5185 lynnr@mail.uca.edu