3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #800
Los Angeles, CA 90010
A free newsletter for the students, alumni, and friends of Columbia West College!
Volume 1, Issue 7 – May 2012
Columbia West College
May 2012 Activities List!
Inside May 2012’s Issue…
(remember to sign up for these activities on the
signup sheets on the Announcement Board!)
Help Columbia West College Grow!.......................................... pg2
Columbia West College May 2012 Announcements ................ pg2
Everyday English – Slang Phrase of the Month... .................... pg2

Wednesday, May 9th – Grammy Museum Field Trip:
Music and Los Angeles 1945-1975 Exhibit! (Meet Julie at
1:30pm at CWC)

Wednesday, May 16th – Norton Simon Museum Field
Trip! (Meet Martin at CWC at 1pm. The event will be
followed by sightseeing and dinner in Old Town
Pasadena!)

Friday, May 18th – Columbia West College Happy Hour!
(6pm, Location TBD – meet Julie at CWC at 5:30pm)

Saturday, May 19th – Dodger Game! (Meet Joseph at CWC
at 5pm and bring $25 for your ticket, and $5 for parking!)

Wednesday, May 23rd – Student of the Month and
Monthly Cultural Celebration! (CWC Common Area,
12:20pm)

Thursday, May 24th – “LA Starts Here!” MexicanAmerican Cultural Center Field Trip (Meet Julie at
1:30pm at CWC)

Saturday, May 26th - Culture and Conversation Café at
Martin’s Home! (Meet at Martin’s home at 5pm for a
night of great conversation and food! Talk to Martin for
more details or email him at:
[email protected])
“May” By Julie Carbone ............................................................ pg3
CWC Article – “ESL Students Beware!” by James Lee ........... pg3
May 2012 Birthdays and Fun at CWC! ..................................... pg4
Quote of the Month
The limits of my language
are the limits of my world.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
Columbia West College  3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #800  Los Angeles, CA 90010  USA  213-368-3900  www.columbiawestcollege.com
Columbia West College
Grows Through Our Happy,
Successful, and Referring
Students!
If you feel your English improving, if you're enjoying your
classes, our activities, your teachers, and your overall
experience here at CWC, then the best way you can say
"thank you" to us is to talk to your friends about Columbia
West College!
CWC May 2012
Announcements!
Columbia West College’s Housing Program!
Like we talked about last month, Columbia West College’s Housing
Program is gearing up! Remember, The Housing Program consists of both
the Homestay Program (where students get experience American culture
by living with a host family) and the Room Rental Program (where more
independent students can ask CWC to help them find a safe, affordable
room that is within a reasonable distance from the school). So if you or
any CWC student you know is currently looking for housing, please see
our Chief Marketing Officer, James Lee, or email him at
[email protected]
Columbia West College Commuter Mugs
As you know, due to environmental reasons,
Columbia West College has gotten rid of all
Styrofoam cups. In order to continue drinking
beverages at school, and to show your school spirit,
please invest in a stylish CWC Commuter Mug!
Commuter mugs at Starbucks are $20,
but ours are only $8. Pick yours up while they last!
Overnight Trips Now Available!
So who is the next friend or family member you know who
would benefit from attending Columbia West College?
Introduce them to us and we promise to take good care of
them!
Have them call Helen at 213-368-3900 (and make sure they
tell our staff that YOU referred them!) or better yet, bring
them with you to school!
Once they sign up please let Chief Marketing Officer James
Lee know that you referred a student so we can thank you
properly!
Have you ever wanted to be able to visit places like The Grand Canyon,
Las Vegas, San Diego, Disneyland, and even Hawaii? If so, you’re in luck!
Because Columbia West College has partnered with California Tour to
make this possible!
Go to www.California-Tour.com or call (877) 338-3883 for more info. Use
code CWC when you sign up for your next trip and get a big discount for
being a student at Columbia West College! Plus you can pick up flyers and
brochures in the lounge area. Go experience American culture –
comfortably and affordably!
Everyday English  Slang Phrase of the Month!
This month Columbia West College would like to
thank the following students for referring their
friends to our school!
Parichad Chumnuan
Kanittha Waiyawan
Kung Hee Kim
Both students received gift cards to their favorite stores! So
be sure to tell your friends about Columbia West College!
Thanks for talking to your friends
about Columbia West College!
Every month we'll introduce you to an American word or phrase
you can start using immediately in your everyday conversation!
This month?
“Hole in the Wall”
Definition: A small, simple place, usually a restaurant
Examples:
"Hole in the wall restaurants usually have the best food.”
“That Italian restaurant down the street is just a hole in the wall, but the
food is fantastic!”
“We went to a real hole in the wall barbeque joint last week, but the ribs
were amazing!”
Columbia West College  3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #800  Los Angeles, CA 90010  USA  213-368-3900  www.columbiawestcollege.com
May
"The world's favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale
Around the world, the season of spring has long symbolized rebirth, renewal, and regrowth. And
although residents of Southern California don't anticipate the coming of spring in the same way as those who
endure cold, harsh winters elsewhere, there is still much to marvel at here. Wildflowers in full bloom, blanketing
barren deserts with all their brilliant hues. California grey whales migrating, exchanging their winter homes in
Mexico for their summer retreats in Alaska. Days get longer and nights warmer. As nineteenth-century writer
Harriet Ann Jacobs so wonderfully put it, “The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness,
the human soul is apt to revive also.”
When asking some of the staff members at CWC what they liked about spring, responses varied. Helen
takes pleasure in hiking more often as the weather warms. Martin likes that there are more hours of sunlight
after Daylight Saving. Chris thinks that spring is a perfect transition and introduction to summer. And according to Joseph, relationships tend
to flourish during the springtime.
With May come some holidays celebrated in the United States. There is Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May), a regional holiday in
Mexico that is also celebrated in many areas of the U.S., especially along the US-Mexico border where there is a high population of people with
a Mexican heritage. This holiday commemorates the Mexican militia victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla, which took place on
May 5, 1862.
At the end of May, Americans celebrate Memorial Day. This is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May,
originating after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. By the twentieth century, Memorial Day
was extended to honor all Americans who had died in all wars, serving as a general expression of memory. Many visit cemeteries on this day.
It has also become a long weekend increasingly devoted to trips to the beach or mountains, somewhat of a marker to the start of the summer
vacation season.
Finally, no mention of May would be complete without speaking of the holiday that pays tribute to none other than she who gave us
the breath of life? Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days throughout many parts of the world. However, the commonality this holiday
shares worldwide is that it’s generally celebrated during the spring months. Mother’s Day was officially declared a National holiday here in
1914, being proclaimed by Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States. It is believed that two women in history, Julia Ward
Howe and Anna Jarvis, were especially important in establishing this tradition of celebrating mothers on a given day before Wilson made it
official. In the U.S., Mother’s Day is always celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It is true that this holiday has become quite commercial,
with many people showering their moms with flowers and cards, and restaurants filling up with families treating moms to a special day out.
But despite being such a ‘Hallmark Holiday,’ for many, Mother’s Day gives children, both young and old, a chance to offer up their
appreciation to the irreplaceable woman named ‘Mom.’ Hand-made gifts or breakfast in bed are some of the more sentimental ways children
often demonstrate such love to their mothers.
Personally, having been brought up by an amazingly big-hearted, intelligent, and exemplary mother who’s always been overflowing
with strength and selflessness in raising her four children, I certainly identify with Abraham Lincoln when he so affectionately stated, “All that
I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Happy May!
ESL Students Beware!
When President Obama signed a new law in late 2010 that required all ESL schools in the United States to be
accredited by 2013 or lose their ability to issue I-20s, a lot of people didn’t take the new law very seriously at first.
After all, many ESL schools had been running pretty much as they pleased for years, and these schools didn’t care
about all the important things a school needs to do to get accredited, like enforcing student attendance and
having a high quality curriculum and good school policies.
So when the new law was passed, it almost seemed like things would stay “business as usual.” And for a little
while, it truly seemed like nothing had changed. ESL students who weren’t taking their studies seriously could
easily find shady “visa mill” schools that didn’t care if students broke the law by failing to attend their classes –
just as long as they paid their tuition.
But those of us “in the know” knew that a day of reckoning was coming. And since last year, we at Columbia West
College have been warning ESL students of the major shifts about to take place within the ESL world. Well, those
changes have already begun to happen.
Just last week, we learned that SEVP is sending out official notices to some ESL schools to prove that they are already accredited or going
through accreditation. If these schools can’t, they won’t be able to issue I-20s anymore. What this means is that ESL schools that aren’t
following the new rules will be forced to shut down! And very soon, only the legitimate, accredited, quality schools will remain.
What does this mean to you, the ESL student? If you’re meeting your attendance requirement, doing well in school, and serious about learning
English, then just keep doing what you’re doing! However, if you miss a lot of class, don’t care about your studies, and maybe even want to
transfer to a shady school… then think again.
If some other school is promising that you can “make your own hours,” then you should watch out! ESL schools that aren’t following the rules
are being closed down, and if you’re attending one of these shady schools, then this could be a black mark on YOUR record! So be smart and
make the right choice. What you may think is the “easy” road will just risk your visa status and can cause you a lot of trouble. Do you really
want to gamble with your ability to stay in the United States?
Columbia West College  3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #800  Los Angeles, CA 90010  USA  213-368-3900  www.columbiawestcollege.com
Columbia West College says
"Happy Birthday!"
to all our students born in May!
May Student Birthdays
Hwa Young Park
Eungyun Lee
Jae Gone Sul
Young Soon Kim
Hani Park
Kyung Hi Bahn
Nakarin Buchaparinyaniti
Hye Kyoung Koh
Roy Jamsran
Jihoon Yun
Ekaterina Goshtanar
Yuji Utsumi
Dongryul Kim
Jaejun Lim
Aiko Suzuki
5/2
5/3
5/5
5/7
5/7
5/8
5/8
5/11
5/16
5/16
5/20
5/20
5/27
5/27
5/27
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Columbia West College  3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #800  Los Angeles, CA 90010  USA  213-368-3900  www.columbiawestcollege.com