Office Hours for EAD Card/Urgent Travel Signature Pickup:

Tuesday: 9:30am - 11:00am

Friday: 9:30am - 11:00am

ISFS will mail all other documents to you via USPS. 

Please email isfs@ohio.edu with all questions and concerns or to schedule a phone appointment with an international student advisor. 

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has issued guidance that confirms we can keep your SEVIS record active if you leave the US for the rest of the spring semester, as long as you don’t drop below full-time enrollment. 

If you are graduating this semester and plan to apply for OPT, please note that we do not yet know how leaving the country would impact your OPT application.  If you are in this situation, please email us at isfs@ohio.edu to discuss further. 

ISFS is aware that this is a very challenging time for all students.  In addition to worries about your health and the health of families far away, some students are worried about their on-campus employment that is used to cover living expenses. Ohio University has committed to ensuring that students who were working on-campus during the first part of the semester are able to continue by working remotely.  Supervisors should be reaching out to their employees by March 23 to discuss remote work options.  If you don’t hear from your supervisor by that date, please contact your supervisor.  

Unfortunately, we do not have the authority to lift the federal regulations that prevent F-1 students from working off-campus.  This power lies exclusively with the U.S. government.  If any changes are announced regarding this rule, we will notify our students immediately.  At this date, there have been no changes to these federal regulations. 

ISFS has received several inquiries about Economic Hardship work authorization. If you would like to learn more about applying for this, please email isfs@ohio.edu to schedule a phone appointment with your advisor.

All in-person OPT, CPT, and AT workshops are cancelled for the time-being. Please read the following if you plan on applying for either of the three soon:

OPT: ISFS has transitioned to providing virtual OPT workshops through Microsoft Teams. Please sign-up as you would normally through iCats.ohio.edu. Once signed in, select 'DETAILS' below the workshop you wish to attend, then select 'I'm Going'.  You will receive a link to join virtually prior to the workshop. 

CPT: Please email isfs@ohio.edu and we will schedule a phone appointment with an advisor to go over the CPT process.

AT: Please email isfs@ohio.edu and we will schedule a phone appointment with an advisor to go over the AT process.

Please keep in mind that the response to COVID-19 is constantly evolving and the operating hours of local services are changing often as well.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) is here to support the campus community. CPS acknowledges the impact on Ohio University students related to Coronavirus and recognizes that it is typical to experience anxiety, worry, or fear. 

If you are in distress, CPS is there to help. Students may contact CPS at any time by calling 740-593-1616. If calling after hours, press 1 to be connected to a counselor. You can also visit the CPS website at www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/counseling. 

Alden Library

Alden Library is currently closed. Find information on what services may still be offered during the closure here: https://www.ohio.edu/library/coronavirus

Dining Services

Culinary Services is providing meal delivery on campus to students who have been approved by the Housing Office to remain on campus and have a modified meal plan.

The Cats’ Cupboard food pantry has transitioned to a twice a week drive-up option of pre-packaged bags of food. This services is by appointment only and students can sign up here. 

Athens Public Transit

Currently, APT is operating on their normal schedule. The current bus map and schedule can be found here: https://www.athenstransit.org/full-map-and-schedule/ .

Effective March 25th, 2020 only 5 passengers at a time will be allowed on a bus at one time. If there are already 5 passengers on the bus, you will have to wait for the next bus. Keep this in mind when judging how much time it may take to get places.

GoBus

GoBus is still operating on their normal routes and schedule which can be found here: https://ridegobus.com/routes/. 

Note: Athens Community Center and Hocking College GoBus ticketing centers are currently closed, but you can still purchase tickets at https://ridegobus.com/. 

If you have school aged children, many Athens restaurants are offering lunches for them at various sites.  You can find a list of free student lunch resources here.

Athens County Food Pantry

Athens County Food Pantry is distributing food at the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services Center. Please visit their facebook page to read important information about documents to bring if you visit the food pantry.

Cats' Cupboard

The Cats’ Cupboard food pantry has transitioned to a twice a week drive-up option of pre-packaged bags of food. This services is by appointment only and students can sign up here. 

Kroger Athens 919 E State St 

For cleaning and replenishing purposes, the Kroger grocery store on State Street will be open daily from 7am-9pm.  

For more informatin and to utilize pickup grocery services, visit: https://www.kroger.com/stores/details/016/00901, make sure you have selected the correct location if you utilize the pickup service. 

Walmart Athens 929 E State St 

Walmart will be open from 7am-8:30pm.

For more information and to utilize pickup grocery services, visit: https://grocery.walmart.com/?adid=1500000000000039636450&veh=wmt, make sure you have selected the correct location if you utilize pickup services. 

All restaurants and bars in Ohio are closed as of March 16th at 9pm except for delivery and carryout. You can find a link to available food resources here. 

The Center for Student Legals Services has provided this helpful website to inform students on Housing Law. Visit this link to learn about leasing agreements, communicating effectively with your landlord, and more. Be aware that to contact Student Legal Services for advice or representation, you must have not waived the Student Legal Services fee. 

As we navigate these uncertain times together, International Student and Faculty Services would love to provide a virtual space for you to connect with your fellow Bobcats and ISFS staff members. To accomplish this, we've scheduled ISFS Group Virtual Hangouts through Microsoft Teams where you can come and ask questions, voice concerns, or speak about anything you’d like. Keep an eye on your email for more information on the date and time of these events, and how to join. 

State Government Informational Web-page: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/

Ohio University Coronavirus Response and FAQ: https://www.ohio.edu/coronavirus 

Please visit our International Student Tax FAQ for more detailed information on the stimulus payment.