The Foreign Service Journal, March 2003

Y E A R I N R E V I E W Awarded 25 Academic and Art Merit Awards totaling $28,000 to Foreign Service high school seniors. Met with the Office of Overseas Schools to address Special Education needs of Foreign Service children. Met with the Language School at FSI to express concerns about language training. Filed two institutional grievances against FCS for bad faith bargaining concerning commis- sioning and tenure regulations and home leave rules. June Secretary Powell presided over AFSA’s annual awards ceremony. Ambassador Thomas Pickering received AFSA’s Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy and Alice Pickering was recognized for contributions as a Foreign Service spouse. AFSA also conferred its annual awards for constructive dissent, as highlighted in the Washington Post story “At State, Giving Dissent Its Due.” Secretary Powell presented a special posthu- mous AFSA award for constructive dissent to the family of Hiram Bingham IV, who issued over 2,500 life-saving visas to Jews and anti-Nazi activists from 1939 to1941, in violation of State Department policy. The Foreign Service Journal ’s cover story high- lighted Bingham in one of the most read and requested issues in years. Helped to establish and solicit contributions to a fund to defray the cost of retirement cel- ebrations for Foreign Agricultural Service officers. Reacted quickly to lobby against an amend- ment in Congress that would have moved the visa function from the State Department to the Department of Homeland Security. Completed negotiations on the 2002 State procedural promotion precepts, including separate paragraphs on equality of considera- tion and security awareness. Made eight proposals to State to reform the assignments process, including adding a fair share service requirement. State subsequently rejected all proposals. Working with DACOR, launched a newslet- ter for “Friends of the Foreign Service” whose membership is open to relatives of Foreign Service employees, graduates of AFSA’s Elderhostel programs, and others interested in the Foreign Service. Secretary Powell present- ed a certificate to the win- ner of AFSA’s 2002 National High School Essay Contest, Elizabeth Carlisle of Montana, whose essay on the role of the Foreign Service was selected as the best of the 888 submitted. AFSAmembership climbed to 11,232, passing the previous record set in 1995 on the eve of the dramatic downsizing of the Foreign Service at State and USAID. July Posted the scoring process for AFSA’s Merit Awards on the AFSAWeb site to make it more transparent to student applicants and their parents. Proposed a change to the per diem payment rates when in training at FSI, so that the 50 percent rate that began at 60 days would be extended to 180 days instead of dropping to 25 percent at 120 days. Retirees in Colorado Springs inaugurated an Elderhostel program, bringing to seven the number of states inwhich the one-week pro- grams on the Foreign Service have been pre- sented. Continued to lobby for an exception for Foreign Service members to the 2-in-5 years rule on the exclusion of capital gains tax on the sale of a primary residence. Distributed an absentee voting guide to help overseas members exercise their right to vote. August Signed an agreement with FCS on home leave usage, increasing the amount that employees may take without providing special justifica- tion. Distributed $62,500 in financial aid awards to 69 Foreign Service undergraduates. To enhance professionalism in the Foreign Service, AFSA proposed that the director gen- eral send a letter to all new hires stressing the importance of dedication in the face of hard- ships. The DG adopted a modified version of our proposal. State adopted the AFSA proposal to form a working group to improve the quality of life at hardship posts. AFSA, using member input, forwarded 42 suggestions that formed the basis for the working group’s deliberations in November and December. AFSA President Naland hosted a reception for retiring Foreign Service members. AFSA-PAC raised over $30,000 and made an initial distribution of $16,000 to 22 senators and representatives during its first year of existence. For the first time in the history of the Grievance Board, AFSA successfully obtained interim relief from separation for a career- conditional USAID officer. The decision was based on allegations that the selection board misinterpreted the meaning of words in an evaluation. Negotiated favorable terms of release of a USAID career-conditional officer that took into account the family situation. September The Fund for American Diplomacy was approved for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign for the first time. The AFSA Scholarship Fund typically raises $19,000 a year from the CFC. Followed up with the Office of Personnel Management on the progress of a review of the government-wide rules governing travel in duty status and the payment of overtime when in travel status of law enforcement offi- cers. Appealed to State to resolve the problem of new entry specialists who are assigned to the Washington, D.C. area—often on short notice—and who do not receive per diem while in training or adequate time to find per- manent accommodations. MARCH 2003 • AFSA NEWS 3 AFSA Annual Report 2002