The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

G iven that Foreign Service personnel spend good chunks of their careersoverseas,weoftenmakeourdecisions about where to buy property based upon where we expect our childrenwill go to school, or wherewe plan to retire. While this makes sense, it pays todoyourhomework, particularlywithregard to college tuitionplanning. I recently learned that assuming that buying property, paying state income tax and registering to vote will qualify your child for in-state tuition canbe a costlymistake. I hadplanned to sellmyVirginia townhouse andbuy a home inMichigan,where I intend to retire. Michiganhas excellent pub- licuniversities formy eighth- and sixth-grade sons toattendwhen they finish high school. Because property prices are lower in Michigan, I was hoping to buy a larger home with the equity I have in my Fairfax home. However, I have discovered that owning property and pay- ing state income taxes is not necessarily enough toqualify for in- state residency. The emphasis in Michigan is on physical pres- ence in the state. TheUniversity ofMichiganWeb site indicates that to qualify, members of themilitary, Peace Corps, etc., must have established residency before leaving the state to join their respective organization andmaintained the residency through- out their service abroad. While I have spent most of my sum- mer vacations in the state since childhood, I have never been a permanent resident. Thus, when I called the registrar’s office, they explained that my children would not qualify for in-state tuition, even though I planned to pay at least four years of state income taxes before my oldest son would be eligible to attend the university. From this experience, I would suggest if you plan to buy a residence somewhere, youresearch the regulations carefullybefore assuming that your childrenwillmeet the requirements toqual- ify as in-state residents. In addition, different universities in each statemay have different policies. The best guide I found on this topicwas www.collegeboard.com , aWeb site offering excellent one-page summaries of the policies of the largest universities in each state. Iwould also recommend that you check the university’sWeb site and follow-up with a call to the registrar’s office to confirm the residency requirements. [Note: TheWeb site www.college gold.com/applydecide/staterequirements has links toeach state’s requirements.] o Robert “Bob” Wert is currently serving as a financial management offi- cer in La Paz. FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS n BY ROBERT WERT In-State Tuition: Do Your Homework 58 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J UN E 2 0 0 7 A F S A N E W S Memo of the Month UNCLASSIFIED From Embassy Baghdad DATE: May 19, 2007 SUBJECT: Outdoor Activity Restrictions TO: All Personnel Due to the threat of indirect fire against the embassy compound, congregating outdoors is strict- ly prohibited until further notice. Consequently, the palace pool area is closed until further notice — this includes the chairs and lounges, outside dining area, ping-pong tables, etc. The guidelines provided herein are intended to maximize safety and minimize the loss of life to Chief of Mission and Multi National Forces-Iraq personnel. Seeking AFSA Reps AFSA staff and officials inWashington are doing their best to confront the major challenges facing the Foreign Service today in a way that accu- rately reflects the thinking and concerns of our members. To do this most effectively, we need good AFSA post representatives to keep us connected to the 70 percent of our membership posted overseas. If your post does not currently have an AFSA representative, we hope you will consider joining the AFSA team in this position. AFSA reps can play an important role in conveying vital information to members and as soliciting member views concerning proposed changes in Foreign Service assignment rules, promotion precepts, allowances/differentials, FAM regu- lations, medical/security issues, annual/home leave, EFM employment possibilities, Member of Household status and a wide range of other mat- ters that have a direct impact on Foreign Service members overseas. AFSA reps have the statutory right to deal with post management on behalf of members with regard to both individual and collective concerns. AFSA reps can help address any issues that relate to the conditions of work for our members at post. The authority and responsibilities of an AFSA post rep are spelled out in the AFSA Chapter manual ( www.afsa.org/postreps/manual.cfm ) . If you would like more information, or if you do not know if your post has an AFSA rep, check in with the AFSAmembership department at member@afsa.org . Thanks for considering taking on this important job at your post. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS