Subject: CND-US, December 5, 1993

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1993 23:07:56 -0600

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+   C h i n a   N e w s   D i g e s t  +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

                               (US Regional)

                          Sunday, December 5, 1993

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CND-US, normally 1 or 2 issues a week, is a supplement to CND-Global and |
| has basically no overlap with the daily news.   CND-US provides in-depth |
| information concerning Chinese students/scholars in the United States.   |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Table of Contents                                                 # of Lines
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1. News Briefs (3 Items) ................................................ 35
2. A Special Report on Two F-1 Chinese Students' Case:
   Re-entry Visa Being Denied by U.S. Embassy in Belgium ................ 35
3. NAFSA Update on F-1 Reinstatement .................................... 38
4. CSPA Update: IFCSS Report on the Remaining CSPA Applicants ........... 60
5. Service Plans Provided by CSS Organizations (2 Items) ................ 50
6. News from CSS Communities in Chicago, San Francisco and Virginia ..... 32
7. Taking a Private Route: The Trend in China's Education ............... 72
8. Conference Announcements and Job Listings (4 Items) .................. 43
============================================================================

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1. News Briefs (3 Items) ................................................ 35
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According to a CND reader's report, as from Sept. 1, 1993, anyone who holds
a passport for public affairs and wants to travel to or via Hong Kong from
inside China must get a special pass from the Provincial Level Foreign Affairs
Office. The pass is said to be issued normally by the organization which
issued your passport. We could not verify at this moment if it is related to
any newly released government regulations concerning overseas Chinese
nationals.  (Provided by: A CND Reader, Abridged by CND, 12/02/93)
                             ___  ___  ___

Chinese students again make No.1 in foreign student population statistics.
According to the latest survey report by the U.S. International Education
Association, in the academic year 1992-1993, the number of foreign students
in the U.S. colleges reaches 438,618 and breaks the record, 4.5% increase
from last year's 419,585 (since 1990-1991, foreign students with refugee
status have been excluded from the statistics).  About 60% of them are from
Asia, nine out of ten of the nations/areas with most students in the U.S. are
in Asia.  Among them, 45,130 are from mainland China (5.1% increase from last
year); 42,840 from Japan (5.3% increase); 37,430 from Taiwan (5.3 increase);
35,950 from India (10.5% increase); 28,520 from South Korea (10.9% increase).
20.1% of foreign students enroll in MBA programs, which have been the hottest
major for foreign students in straight four years; 17.6% in Engineering
subjects, which were the most favored subjects for consecutive thirty-five
years. (Abridged and translated by: Bo Xiong, Source: World Journal, 12/01/93)
                             ___  ___  ___

SVDC (Silicon Valley for Democracy in China) will have it's fifth annual
Christmas card campaign for prisoners of conscience in China on Dec. 11,
1993. It will feature dinner-dancing party, signing Christmas cards to be
sent to China, and slide shows. This is an annual worldwide event supported
by human rights and democracy organizations. Many associated parties will be
held simultaneously in other cities around the globe. For more information
call Constance Chang at (510) 657-4170 or Barry Chang at (408) 996-9000.
(From: Jerry D. <[email-masked]>)

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2. A Special Report on Two F-1 Chinese Students' Case:
   Re-entry Visa Being Denied by U.S. Embassy in Belgium ................ 35
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Forwarded by: Chengyan, 12/05/93

The visa applications of two F-1 Chinese students of University of Minnesota,
Jingtao Sun and Yijian Huang, 4th year and 3rd year graduate students of
Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics Department respectively, were denied by the
United States Embassy in Belgium on November 29th, 1993. The reason was that
they failed to show sufficient evidence that they have strong connections with
China.

Sun and Huang traveled to Belgium on November 8th to learn some software code
in a Belgian company and supposed to come back to school by December 8th. They
carried necessary documents prepared by the International Education Office of
University of Minnesota that show they are full time Ph.D. students and the
trip is purely academic. However, their visa applications were delayed by the
U.S. Embassy on November 25th for lack of documents. The application be
formally denied on last Monday after the Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics
Department and the International Education Office faxed the full documents to
the Embassy.

On November 30th, Jinfu Hu, the President of Friendship Association of Chinese
Students & Scholars of University of Minnesota contacted the Chinese Consulate
at Chicago and the  IFCSS HQ. School officials contacted the State Department.
Until Friday, no further developments were informed.  Fortunately, Sun and
Huang obtained their Belgium visa extension with help of Belgian friends.

Some experts suggested that they go to another country within European Common
Market or go back to China and apply the re-entry visa again. The school
officials and their professors, however, advised them to stay in Belgium until
the university get the formal response from the U.S. State Dept.  Meanwhile,
IFCSS New Comers Working Committee will contact IFCSS HQ and the State
Department again on Monday, December 6th, to expedite the case appealing
procedure.

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3. NAFSA Update on F-1 Reinstatement .................................... 38
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Forwarded by: Bo Xiong, December 2, 1993
Source: NAFSA

In August, the Immigration and Naturalization Service opined on the effect
of an F-1 reinstatement on the nine-month in-status rule for optional
practical training.  The opinion came in a letter from the INS to an
immigration attorney and was reproduced in the October issue of the
Government Affairs Bulletin.  It is important to note that Chapter 4 of the
Adviser's Manual (11/92 edition, p. 4-22) has not yet been updated to
reflect the interpretive change.  There still seems to be some confusion
about this provision which is clarified below.

An F-1 student who completes nine months or more of full time study before
falling out of status and is reinstated to F-1 status, does not need to
complete another nine months before beginning practical training.

A student who completes nine months or more of full time study before
falling out of status and leaves the country and reenters must complete nine
months in status prior to obtaining practical training.

Please note that while many FSAs refer to leaving the country and reentering
as "reinstatement" this is not the definition INS uses.  Reinstatement
refers only to an adjudication made by INS on form I-539.  Leaving the
country and reentering when you are out of status is considered a new entry.

An example might be useful.  An F-1 student walks in to your office.  She
has been enrolled for the last two years, is graduating in three months, and
wants to talk about optional practical training.  You realize that she is
out of status.  If you recommend that she apply for a reinstatement, then,
if it is granted, she will still be eligible for optional practical training
when she graduates.  If you recommend that she leave the country and
reenter, then she will not be eligible for optional practical training when
she graduates.  If she leaves the country and reenters, she will need to
complete nine months in status before being eligible for optional practical
training.

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4. CSPA Update: IFCSS Report on the Remaining CSPA Applicants ........... 60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Editor's Note: We received many requests recently from our readers for
CND-US CSPA Info Packages/Questions. Because of our limited volunteer
manpower, we are unable to respond to these requests individually. Please
concerned readers find the info/packages at CND.ORG(132.249.229.100):
/pub/InfoBase/CSPA, via anonymous FTP.  If you need help for anonymous ftp,
please e-mail to [email-masked] ]

                             ***  ***  ***

>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>, December 3, 1993
Source: IFCSS NR #5084

The IFCSS HQ has maintained close contact with the State Department and INS
HQ to keep track of the status of the CSPA implementation.  The IFCSS
Executive Director has held special discussions with concerned INS officials
on the problems faced by the CSPA applicants who have not received approval
notice.  Here is a summary of the responses we have received:

1. Why is there a slow-down in the CSPA approval?
Answer: The four centers are still receiving applications and still sending
out approval notices. But some individual cases just take longer to process
than others.

2. Is Communist Party membership a possible reason for denial of the
application?
Answer: The party membership will not be the sole reason for denial, though
it may be a complicating factor. The denial will not be based upon your
party membership, but on what you have done.

3. How many have filed CSPA applications and how many have been approved?
What is the breakdown in the four centers? How much time is still needed to
complete processing them?
Answer: There are around 60,000 applications received so far, and around
44,000 are already approved. According to INS HQ estimate, it may take
another two months and a half to process the rest. However, one can still
file applications as late as next June. But the bulk will be finished in two
months and a half. The breakdown number for the four centers is not
available.

4. What is your suggestion for those whose DED (work permit covered by
Bush's executive order) will expire in January 1, 1994?
Answer: They need to go to the local INS offices to file I-765 Form to apply
for work permit. Such permit might (though not guaranteed) be granted at the
spot.

5. Why are some of the CSPA applicants' materials transferred to the local
INS offices?
Answer: These applicants are mostly chosen for interviews at the local INS
offices. There are approximately 15% of the applicants who need to be
interviewed.

As a last note, Ms. Rita Boie, the key officer in charge of the CSPA
implementation, asked Liu Xiaozhu to forward this message to those who have
not received approval notices: "There is absolutely no need to worry or
panic, and it is natural that some individual cases will take longer to look
at."

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5. Service Plans Provided by CSS Organizations (2 Items) ................ 50
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Forwarded by: Dongzi Liu <[email-masked]>, December 2, 1993

[Forwarder's Note: This is a borrowed account. Please do *not* reply to this
email address.]

A Student Health Insurance Plan endorsed by the People's Republic of China
Embassy is available to Chinese students and scholars studying in US.

As you know, you must pay for any hospital or medical cares you receive in
the United States. Costs are high, so you may not get the care you need
unless you have purchased health insurance in advance to pay for it.  That
is why we have made this program available. It is the only student health
insurance plan designed in cooperation with the People's Republic of China
Embassy specifically to meet the needs of Chinese students and scholars
studying in the U.S.

It is available **only** from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of the national
capital area of Washington, D.C. by calling 1-800-424-7474 ext. 1730.

                             ***  ***  ***

>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>, December 3, 1993
Source: IFCSS NR #5083

Recently the IFCSS HQ has worked with Sprint Phone Company to offer the
cheapest rate to call China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries now.
Comparing to AT&T and MCI, our current deal with Sprint can save you up to
33% on your international calls.

Call 1-800-7(IFCSS)5 to switch to Sprint immediately so that you can pay
only $.49/minute to call China with 2 numbers on the whole weekends (48
hours). And there will be a $50 coupon too. By doing so you will also help
IFCSS financially.

Attached are details of the calling rates among the three biggest long
distance carriers:

     Country        Sprint*        AT&T**         MCI***
----------------------------------------------------------------
     China          $.49           $.99           $.93
     Hong Kong      $.46           $.66           $.62
     Taiwan         $.46           $.66           $.62

*Sprint Most Worldwide, all weekends with 2 numbers you call the most. $3
monthly fee. Valid until December 31, 1993.  **AT&T Reach Out the World, all
weekends, all numbers, $3 monthly fee.  ***MCI Family & Friends Around the
World, all weekends, 2 preselected numbers. $3 monthly fee.

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6. News from CSS Communities in Chicago, San Francisco and Virginia ..... 32
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abridged by: CND-US

CSSA in the greater Chicago area and CSSA at Northwestern University will
sponsor "A Grand Dancing Party" featuring Professional DJ, fantastic lights
and sound system. The party will take place on Dec. 11, 7:30 pm - midnight.
at Levy Center, 1700 Maple St., Evanston. Call (708)475-4056 (Jimmy Yan) for
information. (From: Z. Yan <[email-masked]>, Source: SCC, 12/03/93)
                             ___  ___  ___

On Nov 19, about fifty Chinatown residents gathered at the office of the San
Francisco Recycling Program to demand implementation of recycling services
in Chinatown. Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), a grass-roots Chinatown
organization, is leading the campaign. Chinatown is one of the only two
neighborhoods still not included in the city's recycling program. Recycling
program officials contend that the neighborhood's narrow streets and cramped
buildings lacks adequate space for recycling receptacles. However, members
of CPA and Chinatown residents argued, it has not prevented the city from
collecting its monthly garbage fee. CPA urges their supporters to call the
San Francisco Recycling Program director, Sharon Maves, at (415) 554-3400.
(From: Edward Sheng-Yang Wang <[email-masked]>, 12/02/93)
                             ___  ___  ___

Mr. Libo Zhang, a Ph.D. student of College of Agriculture and Forestry, West
Virginia University, passed away Saturday, Nov. 27, caused by an accidental
asphyxiation. Zhang is survived by his aged mother and an ill sister, both
are in China now. He was a current vice president of WVU Chinese Student
Association. A committee will be set up to cherish the memory of Zhang.  Any
donation please goes to the "Chinese Student Association (for Libo Zhang)"
and send the check to: LI LI, President of Chinese Student Association, 533
Union Ave., Morgantown, WV 26505.
(From:  <[email-masked]>, 12/02/93)

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7. Taking a Private Route: The Trend in China's Education ............... 72
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Forwarded by: North, December 1, 1993
Source: TIME/International Edition
Written by: William R. Doerner

Pu Xiangming, a businessman in Hebei province, and his wife Xing Yan, a
physician, had a problem. They were not happy with the education provided by
the public primary school attended by their daughter Pu Hua, but neither had
the time to tutor her at home. Last summer the couple learned of the opening
of a private boarding school, Great Wall, in their hometown, Langfang, 60 km
east of Beijing. The institution, with a capacity for 150 students, offered
such facilities -- unheard of in public schools -- as a computer room and
language lab. While the cost was steep -- a one-time fee of $5,263 and
annual tuition.

An estimated 1.5 million students are now enrolled in officially sanctioned
private institutions, including 17 universities, 54 secondary and 655
primary schools; hundreds of others have sprung up across the country
without formal recognition by the authorities.  Says Dong Mingchuan, who
headed a State Education Commission delegation that inspected a number of
Japanese private schools in early November:  "The scope for education in the
nongovernment sector is enormous."

That is a direct reflection of the shortcomings of public education.  While
China, under communism, has succeeded in raising the literacy rate from 20%
four decades ago to about 84% -- one of the world's more significant
educational accomplishments -- it has failed in other areas. In the 1991-92
academic year, about 2% of primary students and 6% of junior-middle-level
pupils dropped out of school because their parents could not pay fees
charged by public schools, despite rules that mandate nine years of
compulsory free education.

Private schools are flourishing by offering extras that are simply not
available in the public system: computers and other high-tech gadgetry such
as electronic musical instruments, lower student-teacher ratios and enriched
instruction in areas like art and music. Some have become prep facilities
for the all-important national exams that determine advancement toward
university education. Beijing's Zhengze high school, for instance,
specializes in remedial courses for public school dropouts (annual tuition:
$420); last year 41 of its 52 seniors passed muster for college entrance,
vs. a national average of about 30%.

Critics among the vast majority who cannot afford private institutions
disparage them as "guizu xuexiao," or schools for the nobility, a reference
to the elitist system that existed before the communists came to power. Cai
Xuewen, the headmaster at Langfang's Great Wall, counters that "our school
is not as comfortable as key schools," the institutions that cater to the
children of top-level party cadres. Others are alarmed less by the notion of
privilege than by the fact that private education, unlike its public
counterpart, puts less emphasis on political orthodoxy.  Many private
teachers admit quietly that they steer clear of socialist dogma. Says Liu
Liquan, the headmaster of the four-month-old Jinghua primary school in
Beijing, which already has a waiting list for its 150 places: "We simply
want students to have the best conditions for learning."

Grudgingly, the bureaucracy is going along. It is still withholding
certification from special groups, such as religious institutions eager to
form their own schools. But many of the new institutions that have shown
promise are getting encouragement and material help from the government.
Beijing's catch-up Zhengze school was recently offered a piece of
state-owned land for a new building. "That's good news for us," says
headmaster Jia Weiyin -- and good news as well for the future of similar
schools.

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8. Conference Announcements and Job Listings (4 Items) .................. 43
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Sponsored and organized by National Natural Science Foundation of China,
co-organized by Institute of Systems Science, Academia Sinica, the First
Conference on Management Science for Domestic and Overseas Young Scientists
(CMSDOYS' 94) will be held in Beijing, China, July 19 -22, 1994. Contact:
Prof. Shouyang Wang, Institute of Systems Science, Academia Sinica, Beijing
100080, P. R. China Tel: 86-1-2553061 (2541827), Fax 86-1-2568364 Deadlines
for submission of the camera-ready full paper is Feb. 15, 1994.
(From: Lan Xue <[email-masked]>, 12/02/93)

                             ***  ***  ***

The 1993 Annual Conference of Chinese Information & Networking Association
will take place on Dec. 5, 1993, 12:00pm-5:30pm, at Marriott Hotel, 2700
Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA. For details please contact Steve Lu
at 408-725-8806. (From: Hong Chen <[email-masked]>, 12/03/93)

                             ***  ***  ***

>From: [email-masked], December 3, 1993
source: Australian Campus Review, Ed.Dec.2-8, 1993

1. A 3 year position (ref.910228) of Lecturer in Physical Chemistry is
opened in School of Chemistry Macquarie university, Sydney.  The appointee
is expected to have a sound education background and a record of research
activity. The position should be taken before April 1994. Salary:
$41--48k/an. Deadline: Jan. 7, 1994. Enquire: associate prof. B D Batts on
61-2-8058275 or fax: 61-2-8058313. Application, quoting ref number,
name/address of 3 referees should be send to the Recruitment Office,
Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109

                             ***  ***  ***

2. A position of Lecturer in Statistics is available in the Dept. of Math
and Statistics of University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Applicants from any
area of statistics is welcome. Specialized in biostatistics or biometrics is
really good. Knowledge of Bayesian method is an adv.  Salary: NZ40-50k/an.
Enquire: Prof.John Deely, Dept. of Math and Statistics, p: 64-3-364 2699/f:
64-3-3642587 or e-mail: [email-masked]. Deadline: Feb. 28, 1994.
Application, quoting the ref.number (MT.88) must be addressed to Mr. A W
Hayward, Registry, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch,
New Zealand

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                Editor of This Issue: Gu Chi  (St. Louis)                 |
|                 Coordinating Editor: Bo Xiong (Chicago)                  |
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|     (5) Hua Xia Wen Zhai (Weekly Chinese Magazine)                       |
|     (6) InfoBase: anon FTP to CND.ORG[132.249.229.100]:pub/InfoBase      |
|    To subscribe or get info, mail request to:      [email-masked]      |
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