CSS Today 95006
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            ]]]    ]]]   ]]] ]]]   ]]] ]]]   ]]]    ]]]     No.  95006
            ]]]     ]]]]]]]  ]]]]]]]]  ]]]   ]]]    ]]]    _1995.02.19_

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CSS Today Editorial Board                             csstoday@iastate.edu
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In This Issue


O Special Topic: IFCSS Insurance Plan


* IFCSS Medical Insurance Plan Faces Change

LIN Xiping/CSS Today

The underwriter of the IFCSS Medical Insurance Policy, the Pan American Life (PAL), through its agent International Group Services (IGS), has informed IFCSS that the premium for our Policy would be increased dramatically starting March 1, 1995. IFCSS HQ release the news today.

The reason for such change, according to the underwriter, is that the insurers claim costs show a sudden rise in the last several months.

As the IFCSS HQ is actively negotiating an alternative plan, it recommendates all members either to purchase or renew the insurance before March 1 to avoid the higher rate or wait until after March 15 to check the new plan. According to IFCSS HQ, the preliminary information indicates that the new plan will be very comprehensive and competitive.

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* LUO Ning Addresses the IFCSS Insurance Issue

LIN Xiping/CSS Today

Talking about the recently proposed change by the underwriter to the IFCSS insurance plan, Dr. LUO Ning, the president of IFCSS, indicates that a drastic increase of premium is not acceptable by IFCSS. According to LUO, the HQ has been trying all means to press IGS and PAL to control the sudden price hike. Medical insurance expert and the legal counsel of the IFCSS have been consulted throughout the negotiation process. They have participated the meeting with the management of IGS and its parent company, AVEMCO.

Due to the nature of the negotiations, which are yet to be concluded, IFCSS HQ feels it cannot disclose the details to public at this moment. The understanding and support of the members is called by LUO.

Although the medical costs in the United States have risen significantly in the last few years, IFCSS has made great effort to keep the premium low while at the same time offer the benefits complying with Title IX through the steady growth of the number of insureds. LUO indicates that the IFCSS plan has grown in four years from zero to the largest foreign student group insurance plan which is also the most reliable and best served. LUO expresses confidence that the medical insurance program to IFCSS members will be maintained stably and in health. He calls upon the members to help keep our plan in that way.

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* HQ's Handling of the Insurance Issue Raises Criticism

LI Daowei/CSS Today

"Almost all the IFCSS activists were shocked by the news, except the IFCSS president Mr. Luo Ning and the IFCSS HQ office manager Mr. Yang Jie, I am afraid, " said Mr. LIU Yuhe, an IFCSS vetran and the chairperson of the IFCSS Structure Reform Task Force, in his message dated Feb. 14 on the Internet usergroup SCC in a reply to a netter's inquiry about the the IFCSS insurance issue.

Accodring to LIU, the IFCSS HQ received the news of the rate changes as early as mid January or even earlier, but it fialed to take immediate action and tried hard to hide the information from the public. An IFCSS officer questioned LIU when pushed for a legal action against the insurance company: "What if the IFCSS loses?" LIU wrote in his message. "Will IFCSS have the gut to stand up to protect the CSS' interests?" LIU asked at the end of his message.

LIU's message was a reply to an angry IFCSS medical plan insurer who posted a meesage on SCC demanding a "straight answer" from IFCSS to the question "is IFCSS health insurance program in any jeopardy?"

IFCSS HQ's lack of or sluggishness in response to concerns and inquieries on some issues has raised serious critism in recent months. A call for the impeachment of president LUO Ning was spread in the IFCSS VC net (a network with limited-accessibility) not long ago, and it was echoed by the Council Chair in his recent message to the public.

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O In the Community


* Reformed IFCSS NL Has Become an Instant Success

PU Dai/CSS Today

With a color printed cover girl and a hand designed Chinese character "Xue" (Learning), the reformed IFCSS Newsletter (Chinese) has become an instant hit among IFCSS activists and CSS. "Xue" is the new symbol of the magazine, which was designed by Dr. CHENG Ming, the editor in chief of the magazine.

The first two issues have been distributed to students on campuses across the US and are well received by the readers.

Xue is one of the few reform programs that this term's President, Dr LUO Ning, has proposed and implemented successfully this year. In the past, the NL was compiled and distributed by the HQ staff. This year, student organizations in local schools have been solicited to edit the magazine in turn. Dr CHENG Ming serves as the coordinator and editor-in-chief as a volunteer, working closedly with the HQ liaison Ms. XU Yingyin.

University of Wisconsin at Madison and University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) have been the editorial schools for the first two issues.

The new magazine has been praised for both its content and outlook. Moreover, it now costs IFCSS less. Except operational expenses paid to the local schools and printing and shipping fees, there is not much overhead.

Anyone interested in the magazine or advertising on it, please contact Dr CHENG Ming or the IFCSS HQ at .

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O IFCSS Watch


* LUO Ning Concluded a Weeklong Trip to Georgia and Florida

YANG Jie/IFCSS

Dr. Luo Ning, the President of the IFCSS visited the Chinese students and scholars and the Chinese community activists in the South last week.

Dr. Luo flew to Atlanta on Sat. Feb. 4, amid a heavy snow storm sweeping across the US. He was greeted by many local community activists there, including several IFCSS veterans of the 1989 era. He also met local leaders of several Chinese community organizations. On Feb. 5, Chinese newspapers World Journal and Atlanta Chinese News, and Atlanta World, the largest AfricanAmerican newspaper in Atlanta, interviewed Dr. Luo on current issues of China and IFCSS. The activities in Atlanta were hosted by Mr. Zhou Hongguang, the 5th term IFCSS Council member and Prof. Wang Yang, the 3rd term IFCSS Council member.

Dr. Luo drove to Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee on Wed. Feb. 8. He gave a brief speech to a gathering of CSS before showing movie he brought with him, answered the questions from the audience about IFCSS. The event was organized by Mr. Ma Dianjun and Mr. Deng Shaomin, the President and Vice President of FSU CSSA. Dr. Luo also met Mr. Qi Jusheng, IFCSS Council representative from the South. Dr. Xiao Dong, member of the CBS Incident Committee hosted Dr. Luo.

On Feb. 9, Dr. Luo arrived at Miami. Mr. Zhang Tianming, the President of CSSA at University of Miami, arranged a movie show and Dr. Luo had the opportunity to meet many local students. He also met the President of CSSA at Florida International University Mr. Zhang Lei. Mr. Lu Ping, member of IFCSS SVC, accommodated Dr. Luo and discussed with him issues of IFCSS. This was the first time that an IFCSS President had visited the CSS in this southmost city of the US mainland.

On Feb. 10, Dr. Luo went to West Palm Beach and had lunch together with the Chinese professionals working in that area. Dr. Wu Yegang, the Acting Chairman of the IFCSS Working Committee on Exchange, was the local host. Dr. Luo introduced the new agenda of the IFCSS to promote community development to the leaders of the Chinese Association for Science, Economy and Culture in South Florida. They shared many common concerns and thoughts. Dr. Guan Weihe, a long time IFCSS veteran, was the cohost of the lunch meeting.

In the evening of Feb. 10, Dr. Luo went to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He introduced IFCSS to the CSS before the video and movie show. Many Chinese students and professionals in the surrounding area came to the show, which was organized by Mr. Xia Wei and Mr. Ye Yubin, the President and Vice President of CSSA at FAU.

On Feb. 11, Dr. Luo arrived at University of Florida, Gainesville. Mr. Wang Houyu, the President of CSSA at UF, introduced him to the CSS during a video presentation. Dr. Luo gave greetings to the CSS at UF and thanked their long term support to IFCSS. He also answered questions about IFCSS insurance program and other activities. Dr. Zhou Dawei, the 1st term IFCSS Council member, hosted Dr. Luo. Dr. Luo discussed the history and future of IFCSS with Mr. Wang, Dr. Zhou and Mr. Chen Jienan, the 2nd term IFCSS Council member. He also exchanged views about the current operation with Mr. Yu Senqiu, IFCSS Council member representative from the South.

Dr. Luo returned to Washington, DC, at the midnight of Feb. 12, after driving over 2,500 miles alone to the South. He would like to thank all the people who have given him warm welcome and helped him to make this trip successful.

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* IFCSS Professional Information Center Reviews Its Work

PU Dai/CSS Today

Having finalized its statement and registration form and finished some preliminary works, the IFCSS Chinese Professional Information Center (CPIC) established under the 6th IFCSS Congress the resolution (6001) is currently limited by lack of funding, according to a report submitted to the IFCSS President LUO Ning by CPIC Chairman HE Baoping on February 14, 1995. Further development of the program needs a budget of $3,945, the report says.

The purpose of CPIC is to establish an expertise database of Chinese professionals, to gather information from all channels and uses the information to serve the Chinese professional community. Since the CPIC statement and registration form were sent out in November, 1994 through CSS Today. CPIC has received some response from CSS in US and about 40 completed forms. That was considered as very low, according to the report.

The $4,000 budget approved by the 6th IFCSS Congress was not materialized, so the proposed equipment could bot be purchased to further campaign for more registration, HE says in his report.

After IFCSS 6th Congress, Blacksburg Chinese Professional Club has been working on the implemtation of the resolusion #6001. Four meetings have neen held to discuss the working plan, the draft of CPIC statement and CPIC Registration Form. On November 15, the final version of the CPIC Statement and registration form were sent to IFCSS HQ for distribution. At the same time, a P.O. Box was purchased for CPIC.

To facilitate the database building, on November 16, a computer was purchased. However, on November 21, HQ officer YANG Jie informed CPIC that the HQ could not pay the bill. CPIC was asked to return the computer. The computer was returned to the computer shop the next day.

At the moment, CPIC plans to continue the effort to establish the center. A modified CPIC statement and registration form will be sent to the network and IFCSS Newsletter to collect more registrations. CPIC still hopes to get the needed computer and printer if HQ's financial situation permits. It is also proposed that the CSPA database (4,300 registrations) be used to collect CPIC information. Mass mailing is needed for this work.

The budget for the above plan is $3,945 which breaks down to: 1. Computer (486-66MHz w/ 500 MB Harddisk) $1,695; 2. Printer: $ 650; 3. Mass mailing to CSPA registrants (4000 X $.40) $1,600.

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* Differences Deepen As IFCSS Council Meeting Near

PU Dai/CSS Today

The IFCSS Council will hold its 3rd quarterly meeting (the 4th Teleconference of this year) on Saturday, February 25, 1995, starting at 9:00pm EST, according to an announcement sent out by the Council Chair on February 15. The confenrence will be a semi-annual review of IFCSS' financial situation and general work and make preparation for the 7th IFCSS Congress. The agenda includes: Financial Situation Report by the HQ and Council Finance Task Force; SVC Resolutions Introduction by SVC; Motions on the 7th Congress Preparation; and other motions from Council members.

This quarterly meeting was originally scheduled on February 18, 1995, but 10 days before the scheduled time, Mr LI Jinghong, the Council Chair, sent out a message to call a delay of the conference, while putting the blame on Dr. LUO Ning, the IFCSS President for his being late to submit a written report to the Council. Now with this newly proposed date, Mr LI Jinghong has extended the deadline for the President to submit his written report to February 18. "Any further delay and/or problems cuased by such delays shall be the responsibilities of the IFCSS president," LI says in his mail to the Council.

The Council Chair does not seem to have a good relationship with the President at all, not to mention cooperation. The Chair has been complaining that he could not communicate with the President. Recently, LI was hung up in his phone conversation with LUO twice, LI said. In an unusual move, Mr LI publicized his own phone conversational record to the general CSS in an effort to show his own good-will and collect public sympathy.

The President seems to be very upset by Mr. LI Jinghong's sudden change of conference schedule without even asking his schedule in advance, according to the conversational record LI released to public. "What if I will be in the middle of something by then?" LUO supposedly asked LI.

While disagreement between the Council and HQ is sometimes inevitable, many IFCSS activists are deeply concerned and worried about the current situation.

To be worse, the four year old IFCSS medical insurance program is facing some crisis because the insurance company has planned a premium hike, claiming they are losing money with the program. Such price hike may effectively drive a lot of students away from the program, which will cut off a substantial part of IFCSS' revnue, hense its many projects.

Such a possible grave senario has not only created external stress on IFCSS, but also internal tension among IFCSS branches and activists. Former Council member Mr LIU Yuhe has come out to openly accuse the HQ and LUO Ning personally of lacking reaction to the crisis, joined by some current Council members in open nets. Such fingerpointing has made the medical insurance issue not only financial, but also political.

Meanwhile, the Council Chair has issued a warning to the President in a mail for his recent trip to the US South. "Without informing the council," LI said, "Mr. Luo Ning's trip violated a council resolution past early in this term. It specifically requires that the council must be informed before such trip takes place, any violations could be base for impeachment."

Indeed, IFCSS is "facing one of the most difficult time in IFCSS history both financially and politically," as Mr LI pointed out. The Council and HQ will have to come up with a way to deal with all these. Whether the IFCSS branches will be able to be cooperative and constructive, many are waiting to see the incoming Council conference.

Anyone willing to express concerns and suggestions to the conference or interested in auditing the conference may contact the Council at council@ifcss.org. One can also order the conference audio tape afterwards by contacting the above address.

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O Information Sharing


* Software for Kids Ages 2-6

Warren Buckleitner, an editor of the Children's Software Revue newsletter, evaluates and recommends some computer software for kid ages 2 to 6 in the December 1994 issue of Working Mother. (Average street prices are given rather than suggested retail prices.)

o o Crayola Amazing Art Adventure o o

With this easy-to-handle creativity program, kids use the mouse as a crayon, paintbrush or even magic wand to sprinkle the screen with cobwebs and 15 other special effects. In addition, there are 10 more activities, such as dot-to-dot puzzles, coloring books and paint-by-number pictures. Two especially fun features: letters that "say" their name as they are typed and a "rainbow" coloring option that fills pictures with a spectrum of different colar. Format: Disk or CD-ROM. Runs on: Windows 3.1 (Micrpgrafx, 18006763110; $40, 3 to 6 years.)

o o Early Math o o

Kids will meet Loid, a cute talking alien, who leads them through five animated games to help develop early-math skills. Younger children can practice counting sheep to help Loid sleep, while older kinds build a special bridge of matching patterns for Loid to cross. The skill level of each activity adjusts automatically, so that the better a child does, the more challenging the puzzles become. Format: disk or CD-ROM. Run on: Windows 3.1 and Macintosh. (Sirra On-Line, 1-800-757-7707; $34.95, 4 to 7 years).

o o Reader Rabbit I Deluxe CD-ROM Edition o o

Reader Rabbit software has been updated thanks to CD-ROM technology. Now beginning readers can both see and hear the program's 200 words (like D-O-G and B-O-X) while playing four games that teach reading skills. In one, kids look for words that begin with a particular letter and toss all others into a talking trash can. They can also play concentration by matching pictures with corresponding pictures (easier level), or with words (harder level). Format: CD-ROM. Runs on: Windows 3.1 and Mac. (The Learning Company, 1800852 -2255; $50, 3 to 6 years.)

o o Ruff's Bone o o

In this top-notch eletronic "pop-up" book, children help Ruff the dog find his bone by clicking on the words (for help with pronunciation) or objects that "come alive". the delightful animation follows Ruff from sunken ships to the moon, through the jungle and finally back home -where his master throws the bone again! (A paperback version fo the book is included.) Format: CD-ROM. Runs on: Windows 3.1 and Mac. (Living Books, 1-800-521-6263; $39.95, 3 to 8 years.)

o o Sammy's Sceince Hourse o o

Sammy the snake greets children from his lab, where he introduces a variety fo science conceps through games. The Weather Machine lets kids adjust temperature, wind and clouds on the screen to change weather conditions. The sorting Station teaches how scientists classfy objects by asking children to arragne different plants and animals by colors, fur and other attributes. Format: Disk. Runs on: DOS, Windows 3.1 and Mac. (Edmark, 206-556-8400; $40, 2 to 6 years.)

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* Table of Content of IFCSS Newsletter Volume 6, No. 1

CHENG Ming/IFCSS NL

Foreword: Unlimited Learning The Editor

Wang Juntao's Speech at North Carolina Compiled by HuHu

My Account on Participation ZHANG Kangcong An Absolute/Unconditional Goal or Relative, Secondary to Principles? Participation and Re-orientation? Participation and Community Development;

Debate on Intellectuals' "Chastity"

Make Effort to Win Wei JingSheng the Nobel Peace Prize

Reminiscence of CIU's Establishment WANG Cong Old Stories of Madison WANG Cong

Concerned About FANG Zheng LI Daowei

Relfection on the Taiwan Trip LI Kening

Community Activities: CCF's Better Your English Program A Wonderful GetTogether XinMin Evening News Began Circulation in LA

Over the World: Today's HE Zhili (Former Pingpong Champion) Political Oppression in Overseas D-Movement Wang Shang On "Third Eye" and "Forth Eye" Such Condition YAN Zhi

IFCSS Medical Insurance Plan

Selected Essay: My Roommates LUO Qing

Hsu's Ginseng (Advertisement)

Cover: ChunHua (Spring Blossom, Oil) LI Zijian Xue (Learning, Calligraphy) CHENG Ming

Inside Cover: UM Madison, a Quiet Campus by a Beautiful Lake

Back Cover: IFCSS Activities photographs Pacific Regional Delegation to 6th Congress IFCSS China Lecture Tour Member Giving Seminar CBS Top Management Meeting With IFCSS/CBS-IC Representatives

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The End

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