The Foreign Service Journal, December 2004

8 AFSA NEWS • DECEMBER 2004 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS USAA: The Never-ending Story After numerous failed attempts — through high-level letters and phone calls — to convince USAA to return to the past poli- cy of allowing members of USAID, FAS and FCS to join USAA, AFSA is trying another strategy. AFSA Governing Board and USAA member Ted Wilkinson volunteered to represent the Foreign Service community at the November USAA annual meeting in Chicago in order to raise the issue of Foreign Service membership there. He will make known the AFSA view that all Foreign Service employees should be treated equally and fairly. AFSA put out a call for members to designate Ted as their proxy for the meeting. As of late October, we had collected about 250 proxies. Thank you for helping AFSA push this issue. We’ll let you know what happens at the meeting. Get connected ... Do you enjoy the Foreign Service Journal but are not an AFSAmember? Joining is easy and your membership helps AFSA support all Foreign Service employees. To become a member of AFSA, go to www.afsa.org/mbr/index.cfm. Join the thousands of Foreign Service community members who receive regular updates fromAFSA by e-mail through our AFSANETs. To subscribe to this free service, designed to provide updates on items of interest to the foreign affairs community, go to www.afsa.org/forms/maillist.cfm. Give the Gift of Foreign Service Knowledge Want an easy, inexpensive holiday gift for family and friends? You’ve come to the right place —AFSA. The updated and revised 2005 edition of AFSA’s best seller, Inside a U.S. Embassy , is now available. At $12.95, it’s cheaper than a good box of chocolates, doesn’t make you fat, and lasts longer. Let’s face it: most Americans still do not understand the role of U.S. embassies and have even less understanding of the Foreign Service. So we’ve laid it all out for them: profiles of all types of Foreign Service jobs, State Department, USAID, FCS and FAS included; day-in-the-life entries describing actual days on the job around the world in numerous positions, including IT, OMS, economic, con- sular, etc.; and stories from the field, now including extremely challenging Iraq service. Each entry comes in a bite-size, easy-to-read format, and the book is filled with photos and maps to help bring the people and places to life. By showing the real work of the real people who make up the Foreign Service, this book stands as a challenge to the ignorance and the stereotypes that still persist in American society. Go to www.afsa.org/inside for more information and to order. The price is $12.95, plus shipping and handling. Discounts are available for quantity orders. Purchase orders can be faxed to (847) 364-1268 or mailed to Association Fulfillment Services, 3030 Malmo Dr., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Complimentary copies are available for anyone who wants to take Inside a U.S. Embassy along on a speaking engagement or anyone who would like to send a copy to a university. Write to embassybook@afsa.org to request a comp copy. Include your mailing address and let us know how you’ll use the book. Look Out for Your AFSA Ballot AFSA Governing Board election materials and ballots will be mailed to all AFSAmembers in early January. If you do not receive your ballot by Feb. 4, 2005, please let us know by sending an e-mail to member@afsa.org or calling (202) 338-4045, ext. 525. We will send you a replacement ballot. Once you receive your ballot, please DON’T FORGET TOVOTE by Feb. 28. TSP Open Season The Thrift Savings Plan open season goes until Dec. 31. For more information, go to www.tsp.gov.