The Foreign Service Journal, January 2005

2 AFSA NEWS • JANUARY 2005 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Steven Tipton: tipton@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov an d Joe Slotnick: slotnick@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Law Clerk Marques Peterson: petersonmo@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web site & Database Associate Meijing Shan: shan@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: limbert@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: jones@afsa.org USAID VP : wcarter@usaid.gov FCS VP: charles.ford@mail.doc.gov FAS VP: Laura.Scandurra@usda.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John W. Limbert STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Carter FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Charles A. Ford FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Laura Scandurra RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: George F. Jones SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Danny Hall STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Todd A. Kushner, Elizabeth Horst, Scot L. Folensbee, Tulinabo Mushingi, John C. Sullivan, Jim Wagner USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Thomas Olson FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Crawford RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Gilbert Sheinbaum, David E. Reuther, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III, Stanley A. Zuckerman IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Laurie Kassman FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Michael Conlon Life in the Foreign Service  BY BRIAN AGGELER, FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER Don’t Miss the AFSA Scholarship Application Deadline The deadline for AFSA Scholarship applications is Feb. 6, for all Foreign Service employees whose children want to apply for free money for college. High school seniors can apply for the one-time-only academic or art merit awards. We also offer need-based financial aid scholarships for under- graduate college study. Awards range from $1,000 to $3,000. Go to www.afsa.org/scholar/index.cfm for all the details, or contact Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org or 1 (800) 704-2372, ext. 504. Tilting at Windmills: A USAA Update Bearing 302 proxies from AFSA members, AFSA Governing Board member Ted Wilkinson represented AFSA at the annual USAAmeeting inChicago onNov. 13. Not surprisingly, 302 votes did not change any out- come—key voteswere adoptedwithmajorities of about 100,000—but the fact that somanyAFSAmembers took the trouble to send proxies helped ensure that our voice washeard. Inparticular,GeneralCounsel StevenBennett, despite being responsible for the organization and con- duct of the annual meeting, gave an hour to go over AFSA’s case withWilkinson. Bennett repeatedarguments thatwehaveheardoften before: thatUSAA is trying to limit itsmembershipclear- ly so as to keep a defined “niche” in themarket, and had reachedapolicydecision that as of 2002, newapplications from FAS, FCS and USAID Foreign Service employees would not be accepted, and Foreign Service personnel “within the four corners of the State Department” who apply would qualify as “associate members.” (see p. 8). Wilkinsonemphasized that the clearest criterion for lim- iting futureUSAAmembershipwouldbe to includeonly personnel under the Foreign Service Act, which would overturn the arbitrary exclusionof FAS, FCSandUSAID. Bennett undertook to reviewthe issue oncemore and get back to us early next year, although he made no promises about the outcome of the review. Wilkinson alsohada chance to talkwith severalUSAABoardmem- bers, who expressed interest in the issue, promised to talk toBennett about the review, andwere surprised that any insurance company would be turning away valuable clients. Stay tuned… Briefs • Continued on page 7 JOSH