Greetings, Students & Scholars!

Happy Hallo-weekend, from OIE! Enjoy this spooky week in the 'Burgh. This week is the perfect opportunity to do a Halloween-themed escape room, catch a soccer match, or get out in nature without ever leaving the city. We hope you enjoy this issue of the OIE "Friday Greetings" email.

OIE & CMU News & Events

UPDATED International Travel Considerations (as of 10/26/21)

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve, travel guidance is regularly updated. If you plan on traveling internationally, you'll want to check out OIE's recently updated International Travel Considerations. This update includes new requirements regarding reentry to the U.S. regardless of your country of citizenship. OIE encourages community members considering international travel to assess their situations carefully in the months ahead and as plans are made for the upcoming winter break.

Online Banking & Flywire

Looking for a fast, secure way to make payments and receive refunds from the university? Students with U.S. bank accounts may enroll in online banking via Student Information Online (SIO). Once enrolled, payments can be made with a click of a button, and refunds can be electronically deposited. Students who do not have a U.S. bank account may wish to open one or make payments using Flywire. Flywire streamlines the tuition payment process for international students, offering excellent foreign exchange rates and allowing fast, secure payments to be made in a student's home currency (generally). More information about online banking and Flywire is available on the Student Financial Services website.

Connect with us on Twitter

Join us on Twitter! As of Oct. 26, OIE is transitioning away from Facebook to better serve our student population. We invite everyone to follow us on Twitter, @OIE_CMU, to stay up to date and connected, and keep an eye out as we expand our social media presence for new ways to engage CMU’s international community! You can expect the same great content, including all things OIE, news and events, our Friday Greeting round-up, and more. You can also reach out directly to OIE through Direct Messages or directly to OIE by emailing us at oie@andrew.cmu.ed. We hope to see you there!

Tartan Community Day

Find your joy at CMU this year! Tartan Community Day is Friday, Nov. 5 and is a day for students, faculty, and staff to take a break from the daily norm and connect, restore, and play in ways that are most meaningful to you. There are no classes for students, and staff/faculty are encouraged to participate as they are able. Whatever connection means to you, Tartan Community Day is the time to grow those connections with the CMU community.

Our Pittsburgh Picks

Bold Escape Rooms

Looking for something spooky to get you in the Halloween spirit? Check out Bold Escape Rooms, 2420 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, and their creepy offerings. With only 60-minutes, you might have to solve the mystery of the clones or escape a horror story straight from the movies. Created by the designers of ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, this event is sure to put you right in the Halloween spirit. Tickets should be purchased in advance and are available all weekend long.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Match

Head over to Station Square to catch the last Riverhounds match of the season on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Explore Station Square before the match and check out some of the best views in the city before heading over to cheer on the Riverhounds as they take on the Hartford Athletic. Discounted tickets are available online until noon, Saturday, Oct. 30. Tickets are available in the Midview sections and will be texted digitally to the phone number supplied during checkout.

Haunted Fall Foliage Tour

View of downtown Pittsburgh and the incline in the fall with colorful leaves

This weekend will officially be the peak of the fall leaves in Pittsburgh! Head on down to the Point, Saturday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m., for a haunted walk through nature. Learn more about the city's history, the challenges and beauty of this very special park, and maybe a spooky story or two. More information is available.

OIE Staff Spotlight

Meet Shannon O'Reilly

Headshot of staff member Shannon O'Reilly
My name is Shannon O'Reilly, and I am an Assistant Director and Foreign Student and Scholar Advisor in OIE. I have been working at CMU for the past two years, primarily from home during the pandemic. CMU is an amazing community, and although I have been here for two years, I am still getting to know the campus community. I love the international community at CMU and working with and interacting with people from all over the world. I love the close-knit community of CMU and all of the school traditions. One fun fact about me is that I love Halloween! My birthday is the day after Halloween, and it was my favorite holiday growing up, especially with all of the candy. Since I don't dress up in costumes anymore, I now dress my dog up. Here are Layla's 2021 Halloween costumes; a flamingo and a peacock! If you have a pet dressed up for Halloween, I would love to see your pictures- feel free to email them to me!

Layla the black lab dog dressed in a pink tutu with a flamingo toy on her head

Layla the black lab dog dressed up in a blue, green, and purple tutu with a large green bow

Have an Event or Announcement for Friday Greetings?

If you have an event or announcement that you wish to submit for inclusion in OIE's Friday Greetings newsletter, please submit it to ES-Communications@andrew.cmu.edu. Information should be submitted by Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST for inclusion in the following Friday's newsletter.

CMU's Office of International Education distributed this email. You are receiving it because of your status as an international student or scholar.

Carnegie Mellon University
Office of International Education
5000 Forbes Ave, Cyert Hall, Suite 101
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
www.cmu.edu/oie