For the avoidance of doubt, we are not now, nor will we, end up with a system in which people can decide whether or not to follow travel policies. That's not an option. We are not going to end up with some people on per-diems, some on reimbursement, some buying tickets independently all the time, some using travel agents. That's simply not sustainable. You have all been provided with the current travel policy. If you have constructive criticism, or proposals to improve it, I'm absolutely keen to hear that. What isn't helpful is hyperbole or accusations of deliberate misapplication to attempt to prevent participation. If ICANN were interested in preventing participation, ICANN wouldn't be funding 35 members of the community to attend EACH International Meeting. I would hope that the very obvious considerable commitment to At-Large participation represented by such comprehensive travel funding would be something that would be widely admired. If that is the case, I must tell you that it is completely absent from the many recent postings related to travel. On 12 Jun 2007, at 18:46, 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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Izumi Aizu <<
Institute for HyperNetwork Society Kumon Center, Tama University * * * * * << Writing the Future of the History >> www.anr.org
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