1. USAID Member Survey: Last week, we sent out a survey that is intended to gauge the opinions of AFSA’s USAID constituency. We ask that you please complete the survey, which you can find at http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB224M2ZSF59S. It is mostly multiple-choice and should not take more than a few minutes to fill out. The results will help shape our agenda for the coming year. We are encouraged by the excellent early response and thank the many who have already sent in their thoughts.

2. LFCU Conversion Update: We know many of you are following the proposed conversion of the Lafayette Federal Credit Union to a for-profit financial institution. Here’s a quick update on where things stand. The voting materials, which describe the proposed changes, have been sent to members. They have until November to send in their votes. In the meantime, some members have begun circulating a petition opposing the conversion. Here is the position of the anti-conversion camp: http://www.savemycreditunion.coop/. The case for the conversion is presented by the LFCU board at: http://www.lfcu.org/conversion/dear_member_letter.pdf. Many members have expressed their opinions in the USAID AFSA VP blog. A dditional comments are always welcomed. As before, we will not tell you how to vote, but simply suggest that you read all the materials and become well informed before deciding how to cast your vote.

3. Memorial Service for Lost Colleagues: The U.S. Agency for International Development will gather on Tuesday, November 7, for two memorial ceremonies honoring Ms. Margaret Alexander and Dr. Bijnan Acharya. They died in the line of duty in a helicopter crash in Nepal on September 23, 2006. The official memorial ceremony will be held from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm in the 14th Street Lobby of the Ronald Reagan Building. Ambassador Randall L. Tobias and other dignitaries will deliver remarks, and will join with representatives of their families for the placement of their plaques on the USAID Memorial Wall. We urge you to attend this solemn event to honor our friends and colleagues. The link to the General Notice is http://iapp1.usaid.gov/notices/notDetail.cfm?msgid=12057&prev=true&currmo=10&curryr=2006.

4. Voucher Changes: We here at AFSA have been hearing about problems associated with the new electronic voucher processing system being tested in the Global Health Bureau. Numerous members have come to us with complaints about late payments, interest accrued on work-related credit card charges, and other frustrations. If you are experiencing something similar, please let me know at fzamora@usaid.gov. If this is a growing problem, we want to nip it in the bud before it gets any worse and would not like to see it replicated Agency-wide unless these problems are fixed.

5. Launch of New Junior Officer (JO) Program: Since 1999, over 400 USAID FSOs have been recruited under the New Entry Professional (NEP) program, and a good number of International Development Interns have come on board since the revised IDI program was launched in 2004. With the approval and encouragement of AFSA, HR will now cease hiring under those two programs and instead seek new hires under the new Junior Officer Program. This new program incorporates many of the positive aspects of the old programs, but fewer unnecessary restrictions are imposed on the applicants. AFSA is hopeful that this change will result in easier recruiting of new officers. Please read more in the Agency notice on this issue, published on October 30. Link: http://iapp1.usaid.gov/notices/notDetail.cfm?msgid=12058&prev=true&currmo=10&curryr=2006.

6. Get Your Flu Shots! Beginning Wednesday, November 1, walk-in hours for flu shots in the RRB health clinic are: Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The clinic is located in RRB G-120. There is no need to call for an appointment, but please be aware that this free service is for federal employees only (not contractors, family members, etc.)

7. College Scholarships from AFSA: High school seniors and college undergraduates of Foreign Service employees (active-duty, retired and deceased) are eligible to compete for one-time only AFSA Academic/Art Merit Awards and apply for renewable, need-based AFSA Financial Aid Scholarships. Awards range from $1,500 to $3,000. Applications are available November 1, and the submission deadline is Feb. 6, 2007 for the 2007/08 year. Visit AFSA's Scholarship Program web page at www.afsa.org/scholar/index.cfm for complete details or contact Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org or 202-944-5504 or 1-800-704-2372, ext. 504 (toll free).

8. Exercise Your Right: Don’t forget that Tuesday, November 7 is Election Day. AFSA urges everyone to do their civic duty and cast his/her vote. If you want to know how your representatives have voted on issues concerning the Foreign Service, check out our annual round-up of votes: http://www.fsjournal.org/oct06/keepingscore.pdf.

9. The Door Remains Open: We encourage visitors to our humble offices in RRB 2.10-C. We endeavor to be available for our members, whether in person, over the phone (202-712-1631) or on e-mail (fzamora@usaid.gov). Doug Broome, our Senior Labor Management Advisor, is available at 202-712-0947 or dbroome@usaid.gov. The main office number is 202-712-1941, and AFSA HQ is at 202-338-4045. As always, there is a stash of candy for Halloween, so come on by for a sweet treat!