Hi Alice The hotel info was sent a while ago - we are staying at the Caribe Hilton. The address info is on the local host website. For visas - the invitation letter was available quite a while ago as well. I totally agree that the new travel system is not being implemented that well and that is probably because it is being implemented too quickly. That is the problem IMO. Everything should have been worked out in detail before it was changed over. And that is why I think per diems are to be refunded after the event - they haven't as yet worked out how to give them out before! The revised policy is clear that it is supposed to be received before or at the meeting. Tickets are the cheapest possible economy unless you have asked for and received permission in advance for changes - they will pay for upgradeable tickets if you ask and get approval in advance and this is communicated to the travel agent. This was told us before Lisbon. BUT that said - the point is that we need to get everything sorted to get there, and everyone with problems needs to talk to the travel staff as soon as possible to get these issues sorted out. Jacqueline -----Original Message----- From: alice [mailto:alice@apc.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 2:09 PM To: Izumi AIZU Cc: jam@jacquelinemorris.com; Wendy Seltzer; At-Large Worldwide Subject: Re: [At-Large] Add to agenda for teleconf: travel policy to exclude participation Thanks Izumi and Jacqueline. Agree with Izumi. Lets not mix the two and more of the issues arising from this new policy. To begin with there should have been a respectable transition period given for implementing it. Regarding the per diem and difficulties in arranging travel for many participants, I think we have all involved in organising huge multi stakeholder type of conferences and understand the challenges. But this does not explain why for example, tickets cannot be upgraded or per diems are re-funded after the event. Some of us can of course get our organisations to give us an imprest, but still does not help for people who are not able to do this. Another concern is of course accommodation arrangements for some people who need this information for visa processing it is quite an issue to wait until the last few days. regards alice Izumi AIZU wrote:
2007/6/13, Jacqueline A. Morris <jam@jacquelinemorris.com>:
However, this is a new system and there will be kinks - I don't think that any of this is part of a nefarious plot to prevent participation. Rather, the whole new system is part of the plan to be able to handle more and more AtLarge participation. Can you imagine the admin overhead of a reimbursement system if we have 100 AtLarge ALS reps attending a meeting? Or ICANN paying 100 different travel agencies for the same 100 travellers?
I think bringing the extreme case counter-argument is not productive, Jacqueline.
What I would see as a pragmatic solution is, for those who can abide with the standard system, like per-diem, it can be the default.
So maybe out of 100 ALSes, 60 may accept that and 40 may go differently. Which is still far better than all 100 individual handling.
What Alice is saying is more on per-diem, not the travel agency arrangement. Mixing the two different issues may also not be productive.
I have organized some regional meetings in Tokyo for WSIS and supported some 40 people for travel fellowship and visa and all arrangements, actually twice. I understand what kind of burden ICANN staff and travel agent have. But that is part of work and good system and experience with learning and cooperation will help. I hope that will be the case here, too.
izumi
So I would urge patience and to work with Nick to get to San Juan. Jacqueline
-----Original Message----- From: alice [mailto:alice@apc.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 12:56 PM To: Wendy Seltzer Cc: At-Large writ small Subject: Re: [At-Large] Add to agenda for teleconf: travel policy to exclude participation
Was not called for the teleconference at all today so missed it entirely!
among other things, I had wanted to add my concerns regarding the recent travel policies. Indeed, there has been a need to have a clear uniform travel policy for the ALAC, however, I do agree with Wendy. Some aspects of the new travel policy are indeed ridiculous and unacceptable. For example, there is provision for per diem system but the per diem is refunded after the event, how is that supposed to work? further, tickets being purchased through the new travel agency are not upgradeable. tickets that can be upgraded as well as timely communication regarding accommodation, should be minimum. ALAC members attend these meetings to work and it is unacceptable to have volunteers treated in this manner!
alice
Wendy Seltzer wrote:
Unless ICANN has dealt with them by the call, I'd like to take 2 minutes to raise my concerns about ridiculous implementation of the new travel policies. So far, I've seen a use of process to exclude participation, which I'd hate to think was ICANN's intent in streamlining its policies.
--Wendy
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