Subject: CSS Today #9405, October 29, 1994

From: hq (IFCSS Headquarter)
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 94 23:23:40 CDT

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Press Desk <[email-masked]>         October 29, 1994                No.9405
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IN THIS ISSUE:                                                   No of Lines
============================================================================
              *** _____ Electronic Press Conference _____ ***
1. HQ's Fax to the Chinese Consulate in NY on Xu Yi's Case .............. 44 

              *** __________ Together We Can ___________ *** 
2. IFCSS Solicits Your Opinion on California Proposition 187 ............ 14
3. The Task Force on New Comers: Ready to Give It Try ................... 60
 
              *** ________ Face-To-Face Dialogue _______ ***
4. HQ Reply to Delegate's Request for Additional Reimbursement .......... 27
5. Is IFCSS Aware of the Later-Comers' Difficulty? ...................... 19 
          
              *** _________ Under The Sunshine _________ ***
6. IFCSS HQ Working Report, July 27-September 30, 1994 (Part 2 of 2) ... 132
============================================================================
 
================= <<<<< Electronic Press Conference >>>>> ==================
1. HQ's Fax to the Chinese Consulate in NY on Xu Yi's Case .............. 44 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>

October 24, 1994

Mr. Lu, Tiecheng
Director of Education Office
Consulate General of PRC
520 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10036

Dear Consular Lu Tiecheng:

Recently, the IFCSS headquarters has received hundreds of phone calls and 
e-mail messages complaining about the treatment Mr. Xu, Yi had experienced 
in the process of renewing his passport with the Education Office of the
Consulate General of P.R.C. in New York City.

The IFCSS as an organization representing more than 40,000 Chinese students
and scholars in this country is very much concerned about what happened to
Mr. Xu, Yi.  According to Chapter II "Citizen's Basic Rights and Obligations"
of the Constitution of P.R.China,  we believe that as a citizen of the
People's Republic of China, Mr. Xu is entitled to have his passport renewed
without having to encounter any unwarranted obstruction. What he requested
of the Consulate is a legitimate part of his civil rights; whoever is in the
position to handle it in the Consulate should not attach any political
considerations to it. 

Mr. Xu, Yi, currently a postdoctoral fellow of Research Laboratory of
Electronics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of many
ordinary members of Chinese students and scholars community in the United
States. We regret to have seen what had happened to him and would like to
express our support for his just demand.  Since Mr. Xu, Yi had been
improperly treated by some staff members under your supervision in your
office, we urge you, as the director of education office, to look into this
matter and make a proper decision with respect to his application for
passport renewal.

We appreciate your taking the time to investigate into this case. If we can
provide you with any further information of any assistance to you, please
let us know.  We look forward to hearing from you soon. 

IFCSS HQ

CC: Consular General in charge of Education, He,Jinqiu
    Consular Lin, Yue
    Consular Yang, Shukang

====================== <<<<< Together We Can >>>>> =========================
2. IFCSS Solicits Your Opinion on California Proposition 187 ............ 14
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>
 
The so-called "Save Our State" initiative, Proposition 187 in California has
causeed many concerns among Chinese immigrants and residents. After becoming
law, Proposition 187 will deny illeagal immigrants' children to many of the
State's social benefit programs.
 
IFCSS is considering to voice its opinion on such important issue. Before
this can be done, we would like to know the various response from CSS.
Please send your opinion to CSS TODAY or HQ.
 
1. Do you support or against such initiative?
2. Should IFCSS join other minority groups to take a stand in the debate?
   to lobby for passage or not passage of the proposition?
 
====================== <<<<< Together We Can >>>>> ========================= 
3. The Task Force on New Comers: Ready to Give It Try .................. 60
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]> 10/28/94 
 
The Task Force on New Comers is now recruiting volunteers to help us prepare
a "Welcome/Information Package" for newly arrived students to be distributed
to the CSS associations on campuses across this country.
 
Tentatively we are planning to include in the package:
 
(1) A Welcome Letter from IFCSS;
 
(2) An updated IFCSS brochure that highlights our mission, our past
accomplishments and future working plan;
 
(3) A Collection of Short Essays about what Chinese students usually
encounter or experience in daily life in America, and how some of the "old
timers" respond to or interpret different aspects of American society and
culture. The topics range from filing tax return, choosing a used car,
transferring to a new school, adopting a religion, applying for credit
cards, listening to variety of radio stations, to shopping, baby sitting,
working in restaurants, etc. Hopefully this will provide some useful tips
and clues for the new members of our community to overcome "cultural shock"; 
 
(4) Selected samples of Chinese language newspapers, magazines or journals
published by people from mainland China, as part of our effort to promote
publications in our own community and to develop an articulate and self-
respecting civil society capable of active participation in the mainstream
culture; 
 
(5) Two lapel pins of the first set of postage stamps,  with the design of
a black-necked crane and a whooping crane, issued jointly between China and
the U.S.;   
 
(6) A Brochure of the IFCSS Medical Insurance Program, an important feature
of our membership services that have been very well-received by individuals
and local CSS associations alike.
 
Here is what you can do to help us:
 
Recall the kind of assistance, guidance or advice you wished you had when
you were new as an alien in this country. If you have any suggestions as to
what else to include to enrich its content and enhance its utility, you are
very welcome to write to us to offer your valuable insight. We would
appreciate your input on this.
 
If you think your organization would like to have such a package handy for
the orientation or reception party at the beginning of each semester, please
provide us with the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail (if any)
of the president of your association. We shall be more than happy to mail
it out to him or her. Please note that due to the limited amount of
resources at our disposal right now, we shall initially have a supply of
100 packages only.  Please urge your president to make reservation early
and be the early bird !
  
All of the above items, with the exception of the lapel pins of course, are
still very much open to modification.  If you are interested in joining this
promising task force, you will be equally welcome and needed whether you
belong to an older generation or whether you are still in or fresh out of
college. Please contact Du Ping at [email-masked] to sign on for the
team.
 
Let's join our hands. Let's put our vision, creativity and talents together. 
 
==================== <<<<< Face-To-Face Dialogue >>>>> =====================
4. HQ Reply to Delegate's Request for Additional Reimbursement .......... 27
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]> 10/24/94 
 
Dear Delegates Mr. Guo Yusheng and others,
 
We have reviewed your request for additional subsidies to cover your travel
expenses for attending the sixth IFCSS annual convention at Chapel Hill.
Given IFCSS's current stringent financial situation, and after consulting
with the chair of the finance committee of the IFCSS council, we regret to
inform you that right now we could not provide funds to further reimburse
you as you had requested. However, we may reconsider your request in the
second half of the current fiscal year, when the financial situation of
IFCSS is expected to improve. 
 
Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to
contact me through e-mail at [email-masked]. Meanwhile you may wish to voice
your opinions or complaints to IFCSS council members,  Mr. Li, Jinghong and
Mr. Liu, Xiang, whom you elected at Chapel Hill as your regional
representatives.    
 
We appreciate your active participation in the activities of IFCSS, and
thank you for your patience and understanding.
 
My best regards to all of you.
 
Jie Yang
IFCSS HQ Office Manager
 
==================== <<<<< Face-To-Face Dialogue >>>> ======================
5. Is IFCSS Aware of the Later-Comers' Difficulty? ...................... 19
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Forwarded by: Anonymous <[email-masked]> 10/28/94
Originally From: <[email-masked]> 10/28/94 
Source: soc.culture.china
 
Now I got a MS in computer sci and landed a job with a low $30000 salary.
According to my immigration attorney, I have to apply my PR petition under
the 3rd employment preference. Now the prospective for 3rd employment
preference is very gloomy for the reason that everyone knows. We have to
wait for approximate five to six years to get PR. I am pretty sure that
many late-comers may have the similar dilemma as mine. I know a few
students in Mechanic Engineer or EE who have to find a technician job at
first to accumulate experience. They have to file the 3rd employment
preference petition. 
  
I am wondering if IFCSS is aware of this and if they take consideration of
the interests of the vast majority of late-comers when they lobby for CSPA.
Where is the late-comer representatives?? 
 
Roger
 
====================== <<<<< Under The Sunshine >>>>> ======================
6. IFCSS HQ Working Report, July 27-September 30, 1994 (Part 2 of 2) ... 132
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]> 10/27/94
 
[Continued from CSS Today, 9402, October 18, 1994]

(3) Visiting and Meeting with Local Organizations             
 
On August 18, Luo Ning visited Chicago and met local Chinese student leaders
and IFCSS veterans there. IFCSS was founded in Chicago five years ago. It
also happened to be the first place in Luo Ning's first grassroots tour.
 
On August 19, Luo Ning attended the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Chinese
Economist Society (CES) in Chicago. A letter of congratulation was delivered
to Dr. Hai Wen, the President of CES.
 
On August 22, Luo Ning visited the campus of Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. 
He met first with local CSSA leaders, including formal CIU president Mr. Yu
Weiping, current CIU president Mr. Zhou Zijun, Chief Editor of CIU
Newsletter (Wei Hua) Mr. Wu Zongren in a small picnic gathering in the
afternoon. In the evening, he met with students and scholars in an open
session. Many asked questions about the direction and new projects of IFCSS.
Some also raised the issue of late-arrival-children and requested for help
from IFCSS. Luo Ning and Zhou Zijun agreed that the CIU would take up the
first issue of IFCSS Newsletter.  
 
On August 23, Luo Ning went to Minneapolis.  The President of CSSA of Univ.
of Minnesota, Mr. Pan Gaofeng, invited Luo Ning to a dinner together with
some current and formal CSSA officers. After the dinner, an open session
was held for local Chinese students and scholars for discussing issues
concerned with Luo Ning. An in-depth discussion about the history, structure
and operation of IFCSS took place after the open session among Luo Ning,
Mr. Tao Ye, Mr. Ji Yingquan and Mr. Zhang Yalai.
 
In all meetings of this trip, local students and scholars had welcome warmly
the visit of IFCSS president and suggested that such visits were very
important in connecting IFCSS with its grassroots and should become a part
of working routine of IFCSS.
 
Dr. Ding Yungui hosted Luo Ning's visit to Chicago.  Mr. Zhang Yalai
arranged Luo Ning's trip to UW Madison and UM.  Their efforts are greatly
appreciated by the IFCSS President.

(4) Out-reaching Efforts 
 
>From the beginning we put considerable emphasis on reaching out to the US
Congress, government agencies and other organizations in D.C. area.  
 
On August 2, Heping Shi, the vise-president of IFCSS for last term,
introduced Luo Ning and Yingyin Xu to Edward Gresser, legislative assistant
to Senator Max Baucus (MT) who is an emerging figure in the Congress on
China affairs.  Mr. Gresser accompanied Sen. Baucus on his trip to Beijing,
Shanghai, Szechuan Province and some other provinces in inland China in
1992 and learned a lot about the structure and operation of provincial
governments there.  He started off by asking Luo Ning a series of questions
ranging from the priority on this term's agenda, the objective of this
term's leadership, the most strategically effective ways the US government
should adopt in its dealings with its Chinese counterpart to achieve the
result it expects, to the most imminent social problems besetting China
today.  One felt as though he were "setting" Luo Ning up for a news
conference.  Luo Ning responded to them one by one and went on to explain
IFCSS's position on many issues of mutual interest. In his turn, Luo Ning
discussed with Mr. Gresser possibility ways of collaboration between IFCSS
and the senator's office to keep up the pressure on China's human rights
situation, and between IFCSS and various US government agencies or
non-government organizations to help China improve its urban environment and
safety at work place. 
 
The meeting and the subsequent two-hour talk was illuminating and sobering
in that it sent a clear signal to us that there are a considerable number of
people working for the US government who are much better informed of the
current situation in China than we usually imagined, and that we need to be
better informed ourselves of the latest development in China's economic
reform, the re-shuffling of leadership and the re-allocation of power in
the central government, etc. before we venture to stake our position in
issues that concern the two countries.            
      
On August 16, Luo Ning and Liu Chengyan met with Bob Kapp, chairman of the
U.S.-China Business Council and one of the key and instrumental lobbists
for de-linking China's MFN status and human rights issues. In recent years,
this Washington-based non-government organization has played increasingly
prominent and influential role in affecting the Clinton administration's
China policy.  We wished to explore the possibility of cooperation between
IFCSS and his Council.  In his conversation Mr. Capp expressed his
reservation about an "open" alliance as he was aware that the Chinese
government was suspicious or wary any individual or group associated with
an "political" organization such as IFCSS.  
 
On August 17, Luo Ning and Liu Chengyan paid a visit to Mr. Burt Wides,
attorney at Arent Fox , the law firm that has provided IFCSS invaluable
counselling on numerous issues prior to and during the CSPA lobby. Mr. Wise
offered many useful suggestions and advice on improving our operation and
organizational structure. In addition he drew up list of names of people we
could get in touch with in the White House, in different departments or
agencies of the US government. 
 
On September 21, Luo Ning and Yingyin Xu met with Diane Kelly, an officer at
the China Desk of the U.S. Department of State, which has jurisdiction over
its overseas posts, i.e. U.S. consulates in Asian countries.  One of the
purposes of the visit was to seek her advice on the problems some students
reported their family members encountered in visa application. At the same
time we hoped to find out from her how the Clinton administration reacted
to the recent surge of human rights violation in China. 
 
Diane has been following closely the problems that plague China right now
and that obstruct the economic development there; she reminded us that our
concern for the human rights of political dissidents and prisoners should
not overshadow our attempt to address other problems that pose as much
threat to the Chinese people as human rights abuse, such as environmental
issues, workers' safety issues, issues related to women and children's
welfare, etc. 
 
She expressed her strong interest in the situation and experience of
students and scholars who have returned to China from abroad. At the end of
our talk, Diane reiterated her interest in hearing IFCSS's positions on
other issues in addition to human rights.

* Concluding remarks
 
Poising at the beginning of the second quarter, we look forward to continued
cooperation and support from the Council and all the working committees for
the projects about to lift off ground, and of course, from the general CSS
public.  The high hopes from all around shall be a constant reminder of how
much our efforts still fall short of public expectation.  As outlined in our
working plan submitted to the Council, in the months to come, while seeking
to substantially improve our financial standing, we shall explore other
channels to provide membership services and develop the infrastructure of
CSS community.            
 
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