NCVA eREPORTER - December 20, 2005

The National Congress of Vietnamese Americans' NCVA eReporter is a regular email newsletter containing information on grant/funding opportunities, events/forums/conferences, available internships and news items pertinent to the Vietnamese American and Asian Pacific American communities.

In this NCVA eReporter:

EVENTS

EVENTS

• Asian and Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN) Statewode Preschool Public Policy Summit – Jan 19, 2006
• GW First Annual College Preparation Seminar for High School Students – Jan 21, 2006

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center
• Partnership for a Nation of Learners Funds Civic Collaborations
• 2006 HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative
• National Endowment for the Arts Literature Translation Project Grants
• German Marshall Fund Announces Transatlantic Policy Research Program
• Grants for Innovative Projects in Nonpartisan Youth Voter Registration
• Bridge Grants for Hurricane Recovery Efforts
• San Francisco Foundation Launches Oral Health Initiative
• National Teach-In Mini-Grants Available for Peer Teaching About American Issues
• Agape Foundation Fund for Nonviolent Social Change Invites Applications for Board of Trustees Grant Program
• SAMHSA Conference Grants
• GREAT Gang Prevention Funding

JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

• Executive Director - California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Embarking on a Fundraising Career
• “The Next Generation: Leadership in Asian Affairs" Program The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)

TIPS/RESOURCES

• Management by Objectives and Self-Control
• No Magic Formula, but Helpful Guides
• Social Edge

NEWS

• $1.8 Million to Family of Vietnamese Woman Slain by S.J. Policeman (Mercury News)
• 11 Held in Alleged Marriage Scam (Los Angeles Times)
• Charity Depends Partly on Geography (Press Release)
• Clergy's Call Still Strong for Young Vietnamese (New York Times)
• Memorial Day: Honoring the victims of Communism (National Review)
• Universities are teaching more foreign languages (Orange County)
• CNMI: Group Urges Help For White Slavery Victims (Pacific Magazine)
• Freddie Mac Report: Focus Groups Identify First-Time Homebuyer Expectations (Press Release)
• Vietnamese, Veteran Groups Hold Forum on Ending Communism in SE Asia (Epoch Times)

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EVENTS

Asian and Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN)
First Statewide Preschool Public Policy Summit

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006
St. Mary's Medical Center, Long Beach, California

For educators, advocates, providers, parents, caregivers, policy makers, and all APIA community stakeholders who are invested in the future of preschool aged children.

California is in the process of creating a statewide Preschool system that strives to include and elevate all populations and communities through early childhood education. Asians and Pacific Islander Americans are now the second largest major racial/ethnic group in four counties and the majority in eight cities in California. We now account for more than 4 million people and our socio-economic and educational profile is as diverse our composition.  We must articulate our views in this major public policy movement.

Dialogue with experts and policy decision makers, including:

*       Jack O'Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction
*        Rob Reiner, Children's Advocate
*        The Honorable Warren Furutani, LA Community College Board of Trustees and Consultant to the Speaker of the Assembly
*        Catherine Atkin, President, Preschool California
*        Joe Landon, Senior Consultant, Assemblymember Wilma Chan (Early childhood education champion)
*        KimOanh Nguyen-Lam, Center for Language Minority Education and Research, CSULB
*        Kerry Doi, PACE Head Start
*        Norman Yee, San Francisco Board of Education
*        Mike Matsuda, Commission on Curriculum and Instruction

Invited (pending confirmation): Alan Bersin, Secretary of Education

For more information, contact Diane Ujiiye at 310 532-6111 or apiscandiane@sbcglobal.net

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GW FIRST ANNUAL COLLEGE PREPARATION SEMINAR FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

On Saturday, January 21st, the students of the Vietnamese Students Association at George Washington University will host the very first annual College Preparation Seminar for High School Students. This Seminar is geared towards developing the leadership qualities, identity aspects, and academics of upcoming College Students from prospective High Schools in the DC/MD/VA area. The Seminar will compose of three different tracts: Identity, Leadership, and College with two workshops in each tract. Upon attending this Seminar, students will be exposed to questions such as; What does it mean to be Vietnamese American, What kind of a leader are you, and How to financially manage College?  The Vietnamese Student Association of the George Washington University hopes to touch the lives of young Vietnamese Americans and help them make a difference in the Vietnamese American Community.

(http://www.ncvaonline.org/regform_prjHS06.htm)

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

MARYLAND CRIME VICTIMS’ RESOURCE CENTER

HOPE II. Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center, Inc. announces funds to establish subgrantee sites in urban, high crime areas across the U.S. Subawards will be used to: (1) increase the number of crime victims served in the target community; (2) increase training opportunities for service providers assisting victims of crime; and/or (3) increase the ability of agencies providing services to crime victims to collaborate and form networks with victim service agencies. Eligible applicants include faith-based and community-based organizations. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2006. Approximately 48 awards of up to $50,000 are available. A match is required. For further information, contact Natalie Sarfin at (301) 952-0063 or natalie@mdcrimevictims.org; or go to: http://www.mdcrimevictims.org/. GrantID: GD871

(http://www.mdcrimevictims.org/)

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PARTNERSHIP FOR A NATION OF LEARNERS FUNDS CIVIC COLLABORATIONS

The Partnership for a Nation of Learners (PNL), a funding initiative of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, recognizes the positive impact that collaborations among local institutions can have on individual growth, vital communities and civic engagement. The PNL Community Collaborative Grant Program is intended to strengthen the ability of museums, libraries, and public broadcasting licensees to work together to help audiences gain knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and resources that enhance their engagement in community, work, family, and society. Grants will be made to collaborative projects that involve at least one museum and/or library and at least one public radio or television licensee. The final program deadline is March 1, 2006.

(http://www.partnershipforlearners.org)

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 2006 HP TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING GRANT INITIATIVE

HP has launched its 2006 HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative, which will award grants totaling $8 million in cash and equipment to K-12 public schools and two- and four-year universities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This grant initiative is designed to support K-16 educators who are using mobile technology in innovative ways, and to help identify K-12 schools and higher education institutions that HP might support with future grants. Based on the outcomes of the projects funded through this initiative in 2006, HP may offer grant recipients the opportunity to receive higher-value grants in 2007. Web-based applications are due by 5 p.m. PST, Wednesday, February 15, 2006.

(http://www.hp.com/go/hpteach)

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NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LITERATURE TRANSLATION PROJECT GRANTS

Through fellowships to exceptionally talented, published translators, the Arts Endowment supports projects for the specific translation of prose, poetry, or drama from other languages into English. Grants are for $10,000 or $20,000, depending upon the artistic excellence and merit of the project. The application deadline is January 9, 2006.

(http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/LitTranslation/index.html)

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GERMAN MARSHALL FUND ANNOUNCES TRANSATLANTIC POLICY RESEARCH PROGRAM

The German Marshall Fund of the United States has announced a Call for Proposals for a new program of transatlantic policy research conferences.

The program, which replaces the fund's Research Fellowship Program, is part of an effort to encourage greater exchange between the university and policy-making communities. The aim of the program is to support research-driven conferences of scholars and policy makers working on transatlantic policy issues that will be selected and change on a yearly basis. This year, GMF will consider proposals in three areas: Democracy Promotion, Immigration, and Economic Competitiveness Policy.

GMF will award a total of six grants of up to $25,000 each for transatlantic policy conferences in the 2006-07 academic year.

American and European university-based scholars from any discipline may apply. Conference proposals should include scholars from the United States and Europe, with preference given to those proposals that demonstrate a comparative and interdisciplinary approach. Proposals will be evaluated on their intellectual merits, transatlantic cooperation, engagement with the policy community, and potential policy impact through publications or other means.

(http://www.gmfus.org/fellowships/research.cfm)

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GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS IN NONPARTISAN YOUTH VOTER REGISTRATION

To build on the increase of young voters during the 2004 elections, promote new and creative approaches to getting young people to register to vote, and keep the youth vote in the spotlight in 2006, the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management has announced a nonpartisan national competition to identify and support innovative and replicable strategies for registering young people ages 18 to 29. Funding for this competition is provided through a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

GSPM invites proposals from nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organizations interested in testing voter registration efforts with young voters. A bipartisan selection committee made up of members of GSPM’s advisory committee will choose a group of eight to ten winners working with different subsets of the youth population and employing diverse, but strictly nonpartisan, registration methods.

GSPM is seeking projects that achieve significant registration goals; develop best practices in youth voter registrations; showcase innovative methods; tailor techniques to specific subsets of the youth vote; demonstrate cost-effective models that can be used by others in the future; and capture media attention. Additionally, strong preference will be given to those organizations that have a proven track record in contacting voters (of any age) and/or conducting extensive outreach to young people. GSPM is open to partnerships between nonprofits and organizations with expertise in marketing to youth.

Applicants are eligible for funds of $50,000 up to $250,000 to implement their projects in the 2006 election cycle.

GSPM will provide travel, lodging, and meals for two staff members to attend a pre-election training where they will meet with experts in the field, learn about best practices, share strategies, and receive training on media outreach. Winners will also participate in a lessons-learned conference after the election.

Only nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible to participate in this competition.

(https://youngvoterstrategies.electionmall.name/e-contentstrategy/news3.asp)

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BRIDGE GRANTS FOR HURRICANE RECOVERY EFFORTS

The purpose of the Foundation for the Mid South's Hurricane Bridge Grants is to provide $1 million in critical temporary support to the nonprofit organizations of the Mid South region who are working to build just and equitable communities in the aftermath of recent hurricanes that devastated the region.

The current Request for Proposal is designed to provide grants of up to $50,000 to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations in addressing an equitable recovery and restoration process.

All applicants must meet the following requirements: have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or have a formal agreement with an eligible tax-exempt fiscal agent or public entity; and serve individuals and communities within the geographic region of the Mid South (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the affected areas of Alabama).

Grants awarded through the program can fund costs of business interruptions from the disaster such as temporary shelter, relocation costs, rent, technology set-up costs, personnel costs, financial management for set up and recovery, contractual short-term assistance for assessment of impact of the hurricanes and/or development of a plan to address the nonprofit's needs, organizational restructuring, reestablishing a communication network with constituencies, reprinting needs, and other costs due to hurricane-related disruptions.

Bridge Grants will not fund the needs of individuals; organizations/activities outside of the affected areas; memberships; direct religious activities; political organizations or candidates; direct fundraising efforts; telephone solicitations; courtesy advertising; or studies or research projects.

The final deadline is January 31, 2006, but proposals will be considered as received, with funding decisions made twice a month.

(http://www.fndmidsouth.org/Katrina_Recovery_Fund_Assistance.htm)

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SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION LAUNCHES ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Through its Community Health Program, the San Francisco Foundation has launched the Oral Health Initiative: Enhancing Prevention, Access, and Community Partnerships, a three-year initiative designed to improve community-based opportunities for low-income, uninsured San Francisco Bay Area residents to access dental services and prevention and treatment programs. The initiative also aims to identify and advocate for policy, regulatory, and/or legislative changes that are needed to reduce barriers to oral health services.

TSFF will consider a number of strategies to address oral heath needs and improve oral health status. Any proposed project under this initiative should seek to address one or more of the following priorities: oral health education and promotion; access to care; provider training; delivery system; and policy and advocacy.

Private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public entities are eligible to apply. Applicants must be located in and primarily serve people residing in one of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. Entities may apply as a single organization or as part of a collaborative of organizations. TSFF is particularly interested in receiving proposals from collaboratives.

Applicants may apply for either planning or implementation grants. Planning grants may not exceed $25,000 for a maximum of twelve months. Implementation grants are for a maximum of $40,000 a year for three years, or up to $120,000. Applicants are required to provide matching funds (i.e., additional funding or in-kind contribution).

(http://www.sff.org/grantmaking/program_health.html)

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NATIONAL TEACH-IN MINI-GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR PEER TEACHING ABOUT AMERICAN ISSUES

Youth for Justice, a national law-related education consortium funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the United States Department of Justice, is inviting one hundred middle and high school classes across the United States to teach others about the fundamental ideas of American democracy through the Third Annual National Teach-In celebration of National & Global Youth Service Day and National Law Day.

The first one hundred classes to register will receive a mini-grant of $200, which may be used to buy materials to conduct their teach-in, provide law-related education resources for their class or school library, host a teach-in conference with another school, or donate to a school club or charity.

Participating classes must agree to select a lesson from the National Teach-In Web site they want to conduct for a teach-in between April 17 and May 7, 2006; report their activity to Youth for Justice; and write to their representative in Congress about their work.

(http://www.crfc.org/yfj_teachin2006.html)

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AGAPE FOUNDATION FUND FOR NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE INVITES APPLICATION FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES GRANT PROGRAM

The Agape Foundation Fund for Nonviolent Social Change is a nonprofit public foundation whose purpose is to fund nonviolent social change organizations committed to peace and justice issues.

The Agape Foundation's board of trustees makes grants twice a year (in April and October) to California-based grassroots organizations working for nonviolent social change. Organizations that receive grants must be five years old or younger, with annual budgets under $100,000.

For the Spring 2006 granting cycle, Agape will fund tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or fiscally sponsored groups that address the following issue areas: Peace — alternatives to militarism, anti-war and anti-nuclear power, weapons, and waste; Human Rights — defending civil rights, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender rights, and women’s rights; Environmental Protection — defense of the environment, ecological restoration, and environmental justice; Economic Justice; Racial Justice; Building economic alternatives, nonviolent conflict resolution, and alternatives to violence; Progressive Arts & Media; and Grassroots Organizing Support.

The foundation also supports media activism by California-based media producers. The foundation supports distribution costs of social issue documentary films and videos, as well as radio programs, compact discs, vinyl records, and books.

Grants range from $500 to $2,000.

(http://www.agapefn.org/sec/s-gr/gr-main.html)

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SAMHSA CONFERENCE GRANTS

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is currently accepting applications from groups interested in running conferences that increase knowledge of addiction treatment and prevention.

SAMHSA's Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants are intended to "disseminate knowledge about practices within the mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment fields and to integrate that knowledge into real-world practice as effectively and efficiently as possible."

No total or individual award amounts have been set.

Applications are due Jan. 31. 2006. Governments, schools, and nonprofits may apply.

(http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/2006/RFA/PA_06_001_Conference.aspx)

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GREAT GANG PREVENTION FUNDING

The federal Bureau of Justice Assistance will award grants of up to $250,000 under its 2006 Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program.

Applications are due Feb. 2, 2006 for the GREAT grants, which support the delivery of the anti-gang involvement, violence prevention and positive life-skills program to middle-school students. Similar to DARE, the program is delivered by certified law-enforcement officers, usually in a classroom setting.

Governments and schools may apply for funding.

(http://www.great-online.org/)

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JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – CALIFORNIA COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT

Based in Sacramento, The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) provides the unifying vision and voice to all Californians speaking out against sexual violence. CALCASA's leadership at both the state and national level brings support, justice, and hope to victim/survivors of sexual assault, and to those who work to eradicate this pervasive problem in our communities. Founded in 1980 as a 501(c)3 corporation,  CALCASA is the only statewide organization in California whose sole purpose is to promote public policy, advocacy, training and technical assistance on the issue of sexual assault. CALCASA's primary membership is the 84 rape crisis centers and rape prevention programs in the state. CALCASA works closely with rape crisis centers, government agencies, campuses, institutions, lawmakers, the criminal justice system, medical personnel, community-based organizations and business leaders providing a central resource for improving society's response to sexual violence by supplying knowledge and expertise on a wide range of issues.  CALCASA has an annual operating budget that is approximately $3 million. It has a dedicated 20-person staff and nine person Board of Directors that includes six Executive Directors of member rape crisis centers and three at-large members.

The Position
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and staffs the following standing committees:  Executive, Finance, Public Policy, Council (comprised of rape crisis center and prevention program representatives) and Nominations.  The Executive Director serves as an ex-officio non-voting member of the board.  The Executive Director supervises a full-time staff of 20, with the following direct reports: Director of Special Programs, Director of Finance, Director of Education, Director of Library Services, Director of Public Affairs, and Executive Assistant.  The Executive Director is responsible to the Board of Directors for management of the entire organization, including policy/advocacy, fundraising/development, human resources, strategic planning, programs, finance, membership relations, communications and advancing the mission of the organization.  S/he will act as the primary liaison between the organization and government agencies, collaborative partners, community and the public.

Professional Requirements
Our client is seeking an experienced senior manager with a minimum of 10 years of general management experience as a not-for-profit executive, ideally in a sexual assault prevention and intervention, domestic violence prevention and counseling or related social justice or women's rights organization.  Experience working with a Board of Directors and fund development to ensure the fiscal health and viability of the organization are essential. Coalition-building and public policy experience is important.  Experience with a membership-based organization, while not required, is strongly preferred.  The Executive Director must have excellent written and verbal communications skills. A Bachelor's degree is required, and a Master's degree in a professionally related area is preferred.

Personal Characteristics
The ideal candidate will be a leader with vision and energy who can maintain and build consensus and collaborative relationships with other community leaders and who has the stature to represent the agency effectively to the public and the press.  S/he must have strong public speaking skills and must be extremely comfortable before an audience or a camera.

The Executive Director must be skilled in establishing a climate that fosters results-oriented teamwork across staff and volunteers. S/he must be just and fair and skilled in effective management principles, including annual goal-setting, performance evaluations, and continued coaching and counseling for staff, to ensure high employee morale levels and the continued success of the agency.  Effective management skills are also essential to properly set and manage priorities in a dynamic, high growth environment.  Integrity and discretion are essential, as is the presence necessary to become a respected community leader.  An even temper and a sense of humor would be substantial assets.

Compensation
Our client is offering a competitive salary for this position, plus a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance along with a 403(b) plan.

The Opportunity
This is a high profile opportunity to assume leadership of one of the nation's oldest, largest and most widely respected sexual assault prevention and intervention coalitions, now in its 25th year, and to take it to its next phase of growth and development.  Growth in responsibility and compensation is directly related to the growth of this organization, which continues to expand its programs nationally and which serves as a model for the other 49 state-based coalitions throughout the U.S.

Contact: Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest, resume, salary history to:

Joe McCormack, Managing Partner
McCormack & Associates
10061 Riverside Drive, Suite 890
Los Angeles, CA 91602
323.549.9200
Fax 323.549.9222
Email search@mccormackassociates.com
Online http://www.mccormackassociates.com


Ellen W. Yin-Wycoff, Interim Executive Director
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA)
1215 K Street, Suite 1100
Sacramento, CA  95814
Voice      (916) 446-2520, Ext. 306
Toll-free   (888) 922-5227, Ext. 306
TTY        (916) 446-8802
FAX        (916) 446-8166
E-mail:  ellen@calcasa.org
Website:  http://www.calcasa.org

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EMBARKING ON A FUNDRAISING CAREER

By Lilya Wagner

For young men and women getting started on a career, the option of becoming a fundraiser is one that is becoming more and more popular. Most organizations of the nonprofit sector, from small social service organizations to huge universities, employ fundraisers.  The positions also range widely, from prospect research to major gift acquisition to leadership of a fundraising department or foundation.  A fundraising professional can choose to work in a setting that is congruent with his or her values and interests.

Preparation for a career has also progressed greatly in the last fifteen to twenty years.  Most seasoned fundraisers talk about "falling into fundraising," or finding themselves in the career by accident.  Today there are many credible, accepted ways of preparing for fundraising as a profession.  These include:

Academic programs
Schools such as the Fund Raising School
Centers and institutes, often housed at academic institutions
Associations which offer their own professional development
Continuing education programs
Affinity groups which provide a collegiality along with professional development
Consultants who often give workshops
Fellowships and internships, a great entry point for a first job
In-house training
Mentoring and on-the-job training
Self-study available through books and other media

Finding that important first job in fundraising can be a challenge for a young person.  Most job ads state "three to five years experience," but the perennial question nags at us - "How can I get experience if I can't get a job?"  The following suggestions may help the young professional.

A most important technique to use in developing job leads is using your personal contacts.  It's been said that you're never more than six people (some optimists reduce that number to four) away from the individual you want to reach.  Some job search specialists state that as many as 40% of all jobs are obtained through personal contacts.  There is general agreement that networking -- the word-of-mouth approach -- is more effective than seeking a position through newspaper ads or by making "cold calls" yourself. 

Join professional groups.  Increase your contacts.  Be genuinely friendly and interested in wanting to get acquainted with peers and colleagues in your field.

Find a mentor.  Mentors may be senior professionals and often can be found through professional associations.  Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) chapters frequently have formal mentoring programs.  An inexperienced fundraiser can also seek out a mentor by making personal contacts.  Most people are willing to assist colleagues, whether inexperienced or established professionals.  Be sure you are specific about what you desire from the mentoring relationship, and don't wear out your welcome!

Attend workshops, seminars, conventions and conferences.  Determine to become acquainted with at least one person during the conference, and select this person carefully.  College or university courses related to nonprofit management (which usually includes fundraising) will also bring a person in touch with established professionals.  In addition, more university placement centers are providing information about nonprofit employment.  Students seeking information and contacts are often allowed access to organizations and professionals to a greater degree than established professionals.  Therefore students should be encouraged to do academic work in such a way that they draw on the community and professional resources.  In a recent AFP survey, 14% of the U.S. respondents said they came to fundraising from being in school, which makes the numerous academic programs an excellent entry point into the career (see http://tltc.shu.edu/npo for information on this).

Volunteer.  Volunteering may provide valuable training for a new fundraising professional, although sometimes the experience does not reflect reality as much as it should.  However, volunteering does provide visibility and contacts, and an overall view of at least some portion of the nonprofit sector.  It can be included on a resume as credible experience.  Sometimes organizations are highly dependent on volunteers, and these individuals can gain actual job experience that serves as a basis for their resume.

Become an intern.  Internships may be the best solution for acquiring "on the job" experience.  Internships are available at many nonprofit organizations, some foundations, and some corporations.  A number of students can state that their internships landed them jobs at the same organizations, such as foundations, or they were more marketable as a result of this experience.(1)

In progressing up the ladder of professionalism, both in practice and positions held, the fundraising professional will find a constantly changing set of challenges and opportunities.

Job satisfaction is generally high among fundraising professionals.  The satisfaction of working with human needs, interesting and worthwhile causes, and achieving results that go beyond the bottom line of financial gain has attracted many young people, among excellent professionals who have made the switch from other sectors.

A 26-year-old Harvard University graduate who co-founded Peace Games believes that jobs in nonprofits can be as rewarding as those in the high-tech world.  He is quoted as saying, "What I can offer folks is something they can't get at Microsoft: the ability to help kids be peacemakers." (2) 

1 - For further, complete information on all aspects of fundraising as a career (not just for young professionals), please see Careers in Fundraising by the author, published by Wiley.
2 - Billiteri, "Keeping the Best on Board."

Lilya Wagner is vice president for philanthropy at Counterpart International and was formerly with the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  She can be reached at lwagner@counterpart.org.

Click here to read a related article by Lilya Wagner, "Read Only if You're Under 30," which appeared in onPhilanthropy last week:
http://www.onphilanthropy.com/tren_comm/tc2005-11-11.html

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“THE NEXT GENERATION: LEADERSHIP IN ASIAN AFFAIRS" Program The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)

NBR's Next Generation Leadership program is a new year-long fellowship that focuses on bridging the gap between scholarship and policymaking. The fellowship will be based at NBR’s headquarters in Seattle. Fellows will collaborate with leading scholars to publish research and share their findings with the policymaking community in Washington, D.C.

The Next Generation Leadership program will break new ground by mentoring and immersing young Asia specialists from a wide variety of fields and interests in the skills and the practice of bridging the gap between scholarship and policy. Each fellow will receive a fellowship award, as well as travel and research-related expenses.

Application deadline is January 16, 2006. Fellowships begin June 5, 2006. For further information and application materials please visit http://www.nbr.org/NextGeneration

(http://nbr.org/nextgeneration/announcement.pdf)

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TIPS/RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES AND SELF-CONTROL

The greatest advantage of management by objectives is perhaps that it makes it possible for a manager to control his or her own performance.

Self-control means stronger motivation: a desire to do the best rather than just enough to get by. It means higher performance goals and broader vision. Even if management by objectives were not necessary to give the organization unity of direction and effort of a management team, it would be necessary to make possible management by self-control.

"Control" means the ability to direct oneself and one's work. It can also mean domination of one person by another. Objectives are the basis of "control" in the first sense; but they must never become the basis of "control" in the second, for this would defeat their purpose.

Indeed, one of the major contributions of management by objectives is that it enables us to substitute management by self-control for management by domination. It should be clearly understood what behavior and methods the company bars as unethical, unprofessional, or unsound. But within these limits every manager must be free to decide what he or she has to do.

Source: The Practice of Management, by Peter Drucker.

(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750643935/nationcongreo-20/102-9924895-4556165?creative=327641&camp=14573&link_code=as1)

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NO MAGIC FORMULA, BUT HELPFUL GUIDES

By Susan O'Leary

A reader writes, "Are there formulas for determining what size gift I should ask a donor for, based on net worth or other criteria?"

Answer: There are some formulas, but as in other aspects of major gifts fundraising, there is as much art as science involved. Here are some guidelines that are used by leading development officers:

If you're looking at net worth as the criterion, capability equals five percent of the prospect's net worth, if that net worth is less than $10 million. Prospects with a net worth of more than $10 million can be considered capable of making a gift equal to ten percent of net worth.

In The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko suggest  determining net worth using a formula of the prospect's age multiplied by total income, then divided by ten. Total income includes salary, dividends, annuity payments, etc. Variables to be considered include market stability, life state, prospect interest, asset distribution, etc.

If you're considering a donor's prior giving history as the basis for a campaign gift over five years,  you could consider a range between two and four times the amount of her annual gift times five.  For example:  a donor who consistently gives $15,000 annually could be asked for a campaign gift of $150,000 to $300,000.  The commitment would be paid over five years.

There are several formulas such as these in use, but a wise major gifts officer will know to temper the mathematics with well-rounded research about the prospect, her affinity for your organization, her other philanthropic priorities, and the instincts that are shaped by careful listening and attention to each individual donor.

- Prospect Research expert Susan O'Leary is a Senior Director in the Fundraising Division at Changing Our World, Inc. a leading philanthropic services firm helping nonprofits, corporate foundations and philanthropists achieve their goals.

For additional helpful information by this author, read:
Prospect Research: It's Amazing What You Can Find...At No Cost
(http://www.onphilanthropy.com/tren_comm/tc2005-11-18.html)

You may contact the author at: soleary@changingourworld.com

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SOCIAL EDGE

Social Edge, an initiative of the Skoll Foundation, is a global online community where social entrepreneurs, nonprofit professionals, and other social sector practitioners gather to network, learn, inspire, and share resources. Social entrepreneurs in the field in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. looking for practical help to better run their operations join Social Edge to get advice on a wide range of matters -- including funding, technology, marketing, and human resources. In turn, they share their successes (and failures) with  fellow social entrepreneurs.

(http://www.socialedge.org/)

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NEWS

November 30, 2005

City settles suit over shooting
$1.8 MILLION TO FAMILY OF VIETNAMESE WOMAN SLAIN BY S.J. POLICEMAN

By Sandra Gonzales and Rodney Foo
Mercury News

After a San Jose police shooting that left two children without a mother and triggered an outcry among Vietnamese-Americans, the long legal saga of Bich Cau Thi Tran ended Tuesday with a $1.8 million settlement of a federal lawsuit.

San Jose agreed to pay the settlement to Tran's estate, more than two years after the 25-year-old mother was shot and killed in her kitchen by a San Jose police officer, sparking a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit.

``I'm relieved it's over,'' said Dang Quang Bui, 36, who lived with Tran and fathered her two sons, Tony, 6, and Tommy, 5. ``It's been a really hard two years going through this process for me and my family.''

In exchange for the payment, all claims against officer Chad Marshall, former police chief William Lansdowne, then-assistant police chief Tom Wheatley, and current Chief Rob Davis will be dropped with no admissions of liability, City Attorney Rick Doyle said.

The agreement, which avoids a trial, will be submitted to U.S. District Court Judge James Ware for approval.

The settlement was reached after two mediation conferences, Doyle said. The city council approved the $1.8 million payment Tuesday.

``Our big concern has been the tragedy and making sure the kids are provided for,'' Doyle said. ``In our view, it's been a tragedy all the way around, and this begins the healing process.''

The family's attorney, Andrew Schwartz, said the settlement brought closure.

``Nobody's ever pleased in a situation like this,'' Schwartz said. ``We feel that the amount of the payment is significant and represents the significance and the weight of their loss. This was a real tragedy. A great deal of work went into the case.''

The settlement is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Northern California.

Tran's death ignited an outcry among Vietnamese-Americans, who pressured police for answers in the shooting. And in an unusual move, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office sought a public grand jury hearing into her death, which resulted in Marshall being exonerated on Oct. 30, 2003.

``It's a good thing for the family, the city and for the community in general, so we can now move forward from this,'' said Richard Konda, executive director of the Asian Law Alliance and also the Coalition for Justice and Accountability. Both groups had worked on behalf of Tran's family.

Marshall arrived at Tran's home July 13, 2003, to investigate reports that her sons were left unattended in the street and also about a potential domestic violence situation.

He entered her home and within a few seconds shot and killed Tran as she waved an Asian-style vegetable peeler that he mistook for a cleaver.

Doyle said the breakdown of the payment includes:

• $800,000 that will be invested in an annuity for Tran's two sons.

• $200,000 for housing or to be used as a down payment for a home for the boys.

• $100,000 to Tran's mother and father.

• $630,000 in attorney's fees.

• $70,000 in federal court costs.

• $25,000 in fees for other attorneys who worked earlier on the Tran estate's lawsuit.

Speaking through an interpreter, Bui said he plans to buy a house for the children in the Bay Area. ``It's been really difficult financially,'' said Bui, who rents a room in Milpitas and is unemployed.

During the past 20 months, the city has been hit with large payouts related to lawsuits.

In March 2004, the city was ordered to pay $1.4 million in legal fees to the attorneys who represented the tenants and landlords of the Tropicana Shopping Center who thwarted the San Jose Redevelopment Agency's attempts to seize the aging mall and replace it with a shopping center.

In September, Dennis Fong, the primary property owner at the Tropicana, received a $6.5 million settlement to end his lawsuit for damages he incurred during the aborted takeover.

Contact Rodney Foo at rfoo@mercurynews.com or (408) 975-9346.

(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13290517.htm)

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November 30, 2005

11 HELD IN ALLEGED MARRIAGE SCAM
Officials arrest some of 44 people accused of using phony weddings to offer citizenship to Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.

By Anna Gorman and David Reyes, Times Staff Writers

Calling it one of the biggest operations of its kind in the country, federal authorities Tuesday arrested 11 men and women in L.A. County, Orange County and the Bay Area for operating an alleged phony marriage scheme that targeted Asians seeking U.S. citizenship.

Authorities said the document ring, which charged Chinese and Vietnamese nationals up to $60,000 to marry American citizens to obtain green cards, was unusually sophisticated. The couples produced fake wedding photographs, joint tax returns and even love letters.

"Marriage fraud is not a new phenomenon," said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement whose office is in Orange County, "but clearly this scheme was one of the most ambitious and creative we've ever encountered."

Operation Newlywed Game, a three-year investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, resulted in indictments of 44 people, mostly Chinese and Vietnamese Americans. The charges include conspiracy, misuse of visas and marriage fraud.

"It doesn't totally eliminate" the problem, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Carmen Luege, who is prosecuting the case, "but it makes a significant impact."

During a hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Nakazato released some of the defendants to house arrest while setting bail for others at $25,000 to $75,000. Many of the suspects were already in custody in other cases, and three remained at large.

Earlier in the day, immigration agents searched several sites throughout the state, including a Little Saigon home where they discovered the records of a defunct travel agency believed to be a front for the sham marriages.

Lan Quoc Nguyen, an immigration attorney in Westminster, said wedding scams have been an ongoing problem in the Vietnamese community.

Nguyen said part of the problem is that it takes many years for Vietnamese to get visas to enter the U.S.

"People think it would be easy to pretend they are husband and wife, and they think they can get away with it," Nguyen said. "In reality, it's not that easy."

For foreigners, marriage to U.S. citizens is often the fastest way to immigrate. The spouse of a U.S. citizen can become a permanent resident in about nine months, and then can apply for citizenship after three years.

In recent months, there have been phony marriage cases in other states. In June, 32 U.S. citizens and Kenyan nationals were indicted in Iowa for their alleged roles in marriage fraud schemes. Three months later, 30 people were indicted in south Florida for allegedly arranging fake marriages for more than 100 foreigners. Also in September, a dozen others were indicted in Chicago in a similar case.

In the Orange County case, Citizenship and Immigration Services employees discovered the alleged scheme when they began to notice U.S. citizens who were petitioning for more than one spouse to receive green cards. They passed the information to ICE, which launched its own investigation.

As part of the probe, agents reviewed immigration files, travel histories and employment records.

According to immigration authorities, recruiters were paid $1,000 for each U.S. citizen they referred who was willing to marry a foreigner and submit a visa petition. The U.S. citizens received $3,000 to $5,000, in addition to travel expenses, to fly to Vietnam or China for an arranged marriage and to apply for visas for their spouses, authorities said.

Back in the United States, the foreigners and the U.S. citizens were coached on what to say in interviews with immigration officials, and were given bogus documents and photographs, authorities said. The leaders "basically took care of everything that the individual would need to complete the fraudulent marriage," said Kevin Jeffery, a deputy special agent in charge for ICE investigations in Los Angeles

"It just demonstrates how desperate people are to get here and to what lengths they will go," he said.

Those arrested Tuesday were Julie Tran, Kathy Tran, Minh Hong Duong, Hoa Hoc Phung, Cuong Thoia Diep, Thuy Linh Thi Tran, Paul Hill, Victor Quoc Truong, Lien Tam Vo, Alex Pham and Tuong Vi Thi Phan.

Julie and Kathy Tran, who are believed to be sisters, allegedly arranged some of the sham marriages in December 2000. Others named in the indictment included Nancy Ngoc Bui, a U.S. citizen who allegedly was paid $10,000 for marrying two Chinese men in 2002.

Not all of the suspects were Asian. One defendant, Paul Hill, allegedly married at least two women.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone who fraudulently got green cards could be placed into deportation proceedings, officials said.

"I believe this is one small tip of a larger iceberg," said Frank Johnston, assistant special agent in charge. "We will continue to work offshoots of this case."

(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage30nov30,1,6275449.story?coll=la-headlines-california)

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December 9, 2005

CHARITY DEPENDS PARTLY ON GEOGRAPHY

How much Americans donate -- and to what causes -- differs significantly by region, according to a new report from the Giving USA Foundation.

The report, "Analysis of Regional Variations in Charitable Giving," found, for example, that New England is the only region of the country where people gave more money to secular causes than religious ones. The study also found that residents living in the North Central region of the U.S. -- Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and the Dakotas -- tended to give the most to charity.

But the report noted that there were many ways to measure charity. "Americans are not one-size-fits-all," said Hank Goldstein, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation. "There are marked differences that must be understood before assigning terms such as 'generous' or 'stingy' to residents of any particular state or region."

(http://www.aafrc.org/press_releases/trustreleases/differences_abound.htm)

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December 11, 2005

CLERGY’S CALL STILL STRONG FOR YOUNG VIETNAMESE

By Neela Banerjee

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 - When the Rev. Augustine Tran went to Vietnamese-American parishes as a seminarian a couple of years ago, pastors and worshipers would hand him money to help him with school, though they had little of their own. When he goes to the Vietnamese enclaves of suburban Virginia, where he now works, Roman Catholics often greet him like a celebrity, his siblings said.

Strong support from the community, as well as their own families, has helped propel Vietnamese-American men like Father Tran, 29, into the priesthood in ever-larger numbers.

At a time when fewer American Catholics are expressing interest in the priesthood, Vietnamese-American men are an anomaly. They are now the second-largest minority ethnic group in seminaries, only slightly behind Hispanics, who account for a far larger percentage of the general population.

While church experts and priests say that some Catholics frown upon their sons' joining the priesthood and are even embarrassed by it in the wake of the sex abuse scandals among members of the clergy, Vietnamese Catholics continue to hold the priesthood in high regard. They say that the sex scandal marred individual clergymen but not the vocation itself.

Like many of his counterparts, Father Tran, a priest at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Va., came to the United States from Vietnam when he was young, in his case at age 17. Those of his generation, like the one before him, often describe the priesthood as the pinnacle of service and success, as many European Catholic immigrants did a century ago.

"If you go to a Vietnamese parish and ask people, would they prefer that their son be the president, a doctor or a priest, they would say, 'A priest,' " Father Tran said. "It is seen as a blessing from God for the family."

Asians and Pacific Islanders constitute about 1 percent of American Catholics, but they account for 12 percent of seminarians, or about 397 of 3,308 men; a vast majority of them are of Vietnamese heritage, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. In 1999, they were about 9 percent of seminarians, although the number of seminarians overall was only slightly less than it is now.

That such a small group of American Catholics is able to deliver so many new priests reveals the grip tradition, family and faith still have on many Vietnamese-Americans.

"I feel like our path is different from Americans', in that they don't get the support from their family," said Paul Nguyen, 26, who is studying at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Mr. Nguyen's older brother, John, is also a seminarian, as are three other men from their parish in Silver Spring, Md.

"When you get that support from family and from parishioners, it's very reaffirming," Mr. Nguyen said. "Sometimes when men don't have the support of parishioners, they feel alone, and some have left the seminary because of that."

The Rev. Joachim Hien, pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Spokane, Wash., estimates that at least 30 percent of the approximately 1.1 million Vietnamese in the United States are Catholic.

For the most part, the Vietnamese-American men now studying for the priesthood left their homeland after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and through the early 1980's. Many Vietnamese immigrants flocked to places like Orange County, Calif.; Houston; New Orleans; and the suburbs around Washington. They chose to live in close communities, brought over their extended families and built churches where Mass was held in Vietnamese.

"Those born in Vietnam have been through a lot of sacrifice and difficulty," said Bishop Dominic Luong, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Orange County and a Vietnamese immigrant. "When they suffer so much and see things passing so fast, they have to find some kind of permanence, and religion seemed to assure that."

Some seminarians were adults when they immigrated, but the majority were children and teenagers. A few older seminarians, like Trinh Quang Le, 51, who is studying at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago to join the Congregation of the Holy Spirit order, had been in the seminary before the fall of Saigon, after which seminaries were closed.

Most Vietnamese-American seminarians are nourished by early memories of their lives in towns that, because of the influence of previous French rule, were predominantly Catholic. Mr. Nguyen, the Mount St. Mary's student, who came to the United States when he was 11, remembers walking with his grandmother in the predawn darkness to Mass every day in his hometown.

The only day that Father Tran's family does not attend Mass near their home in Annandale, Va., is Tuesday, their son's day off. On those days, before a makeshift altar the Trans created in their living room with an excerpt from the Bible emblazoned on a wall and a statue of the Virgin Mary that they spirited out of Vietnam, Father Tran conducts Mass for his parents, brothers, sisters and their children.

"When my brother celebrates Mass, you have the feeling that he is one of those who were chosen, and it's very, very special," said Kim Tran, 27.

Father Tran told his parents when he was 10 that he wanted to be a priest like his uncle, now a bishop in Vietnam. His mother, Hien T. Nguyen, said she wept with joy. His father, Phuc Q. Tran, said that even then, as an altar boy, his son worshipped with a fervent devotion.

Father Tran's younger brother, Dai, 17, listening to his family on the edge of the living room on a recent Sunday afternoon, piped up with the most enthusiasm.

"In school, when some of my teachers hear that my brother is a priest, they say, 'Wow, what an honor,' and my friends think that it's really interesting," said Dai, himself an altar boy. "It feels good because you have someone to look up to."

A web of relationships in the Vietnamese-American community supports young men considering the priesthood. Many have relatives in the priesthood. Many Vietnamese priests take it upon themselves to help young men decide whether they want to join the priesthood, "which is rare in this country," said Bishop Luong of Orange County.

"The Vietnamese community responds communally sometimes, even sacrificing with money to help those who cannot afford to go to seminary," he said. "They work together to help those in seminary as a community project."

When Father Tran tells his own parishioners, mostly non-Vietnamese, that their sons might end up as priests someday, they often demur. They want grandchildren, they explain. Or they are afraid of something ineffable, Father Tran said. He added: "There isn't that level of support."

Still, there are exceptions among Vietnamese families. Mr. Nguyen said his father was alarmed because both of his sons chose to become priests. "He wasn't very pleased with my decision," said Mr. Nguyen, who had been on the path to becoming a doctor. "I pray a lot for him to understand. It has brought me closer to my dad. I talk to him every week."

And as Vietnamese Catholics spend more time in the United States, their attitudes toward the priesthood might change, becoming more like other Americans'. Seminarians say anecdotally that American-born Vietnamese are still turning to the priesthood, but Bishop Luong and others expect the numbers to taper off as the new generation becomes more assimilated and more secular.

Bishop Luong said: "Those born here are interested in making a lot of money. I had a very successful priest come and speak to a group of 12th graders. They asked, 'How much money do you make?' He said, '$35,000 a year.' They said, 'That's not enough for me - I need to make two to three times more than that.' "

(http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/national/11priests.html?hp=&adxnnl=0&adxnnlx=1134660975-l95b8q2yJsCVABGxx/3NSg&pagewanted=all)

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December 12, 2005

MEMORIAL DAY
Honoring the victims of Communism

"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin," said Ronald Reagan. "And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."

In the future, understanding Communism may not require dusting off an old copy of Das Kapital, but instead merely visiting the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. That's because this memorial, in the works for more than a decade, is on the verge of being built a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

"We hope to have it dedicated in the fall of 2006," says Lee Edwards, chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which was established by an act of Congress in 1993. "But there's still a little more work to do."

It has been a long march. Building a memorial on federal land in D.C. involves a mind-boggling journey through a wilderness of government bureaucracy: various approvals must be gained from the National Capital Memorial Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Authorization for the memorial's site and design are normally separate procedures.

Suffice it to say, the experience demands forests of paperwork and mountains of patience. "It's all on behalf of the 100 million people who were killed in Communism's wars, revolutions, and purges," says Edwards.

Edwards, who doubles as a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, has shepherded the project through various incarnations and locations. The current plan calls for a 10-foot-tall bronze statue based on the "Goddess of Liberty" figure erected by the martyred Chinese students of Tiananmen Square. After years of getting moved from potential site to potential site, everyone finally has agreed that the replica should stand at the intersection of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues, N.W., on a little triangle of property near Union Station and within view of the Capitol's dome. When it is done, the Victims of Communism Memorial will become a must-see stop on the conservative tour of Washington.

Although the memorial has not yet broken ground, a sculptor is already at work and Edwards is scrambling to raise the last few dollars his organization needs. "Our total budget is for about $650,000," he says. "We've received $500,000 so far and now we're galloping down the last lap. I'd love to collect the rest in the next 90 days." If the money arrives by March, Edwards foresees a dedication ceremony next November, around the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Every penny for the memorial has come from private sources; the government's only gift is the land. Major donors to the project so far have included Thomas L. Phillips, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Earhart Foundation. Edwards also credits Vietnamese Americans in northern Virginia for contributing heavily, as well as associations of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians. "And make sure you mention the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy," he added when we talked last week. "They've helped out, too, and if you mention them it will irritate the ChiComs."

The final fundraising push begins this week. In the title of one of his most famous essays, Vladimir Lenin asked "What Is To Be Done?" You can help build the Victims of Communism Memorial by making a donation. You can also attend the foundation's annual Truman-Reagan Freedom Awards ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday night at the Polish Embassy in Washington. This year, the winners are retired general Edward Rowny, a Polish-American arms negotiator during the Reagan-Bush era; Pope John Paul II, whose award will be accepted by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo of the Apostolic Nuncio; and the Solidarity Free Trade Union of 1980, which is Lech Walesa's old group. The event is open to the public, but a donation of $100 is requested. You know what it will go toward.

"The Communists," wrote Marx and Engels, "disdain to conceal their views and aims." It is now time to lay bare their sins and crimes, in a memorial that stands in the political capital of the free world.

— John J. Miller is national political reporter for National Review and the co-author, most recently, of Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America's Disastrous Relationship with France He is author of the upcoming A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America..

(http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200512120846.asp)

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December 12, 2005

UNIVERSITIES ARE TEACHING MORE FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Student demand leads O.C. universities to add foreign languages

By Marla Jo Fisher
The Orange County Register

IRVINE – Amira Abed always wanted to learn Arabic, which she heard her father speak occasionally when she was a child. Now, she's taking the first Arabic course offered at UC Irvine – one of four languages the university began offering this fall.

"This course has exceeded all my expectations," Abed, 20, said, adding that she's already enrolled for the coming winter term.

UCI, Cal State Fullerton and Concordia University are among the universities involved in a national trend that has seen interest in several foreign languages rise.

The trend began decades ago, but interest has particularly spiked since the World Trade Center bombings, experts said.

"Especially since 9/11, I think students have become aware they need languages to compete globally and to keep our country secure," said Rosemary Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, based in New York City. "Language and culture are tied so deeply, there's no way to understand a culture without it."

She also cited increased immigration, which brings more people into the county familiar with more than one language, as well as renewed interest in liberal-arts studies as reasons that college enrollment is increasing.

While interest in most types of languages has been growing, including Latin and Greek, many universities are now adding formerly uncommon tongues such as Arabic and Chinese to traditional Western European offerings of Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

Nationally, the number of students taking Arabic rose from 5,505 to 10,584 between 1998 and 2002 – an increase of 92 percent, according to a Modern Language Association study.

Concordia University, in Irvine, added German and Chinese this year.

In recent years, Cal State Fullerton has added Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese and Persian, said Tom Klammer, dean of humanities.

UCI's humanities department added Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Tagalog this year to its existing offerings of Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Universities have also gone into partnership with other schools to offer languages that might not be available otherwise.

At UCI, Tagalog was added because of student demand. Because of a lack of instructors, it's being taught via videoconference with UCLA, which has a Filipino studies program, said Jill Robbins, UCI's humanities associate dean of undergraduate studies.

Both Arabic and Persian have waiting lists for next term, she said.

Cal State Fullerton was able to add a Korean course at its Garden Grove center that is taught jointly with Cal State Long Beach, Klammer commented.

"Garden Grove is about halfway between the two campuses," she noted.

In the European Union, 45 percent of people say they speak at least one other language.

As the United States absorbs more immigrants and does more business with the rest of the world, Americans are responding.

Both Cal State Fullerton and UCI have added Persian classes, for example, after fundraising and urging from local Persian immigrant communities.

Several colleges added Arabic in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, only to find there was pent-up demand not only from academics but also from students like Abed who were simply interested in the language.

"We're trying to expand with two criteria in mind: languages that are important in our world, and languages that are important to our community," Klammer said.

Academic requirements are also a factor in the upswing. While it is increasing its offerings, Cal State Fullerton is also demanding new language skills from its students.

"Starting next fall, freshmen who enter will have to demonstrate competence in a foreign language here before they can graduate," Klammer said.

Some people were concerned the new requirement might drive students to other CSU campuses, such as Cal Poly Pomona, that have no language mandate, Klammer said.

"Around the country, it's very obvious to everyone that it's not in the U.S. best interest to be provincial and isolated," she said. "We just have to be more in tune and understanding of people all over the world, including where things aren't going so well."

Both UC and CSU have formed consortiums to try to teach as many languages as possible to as many students as they can.

UCI's Robbins said the new language offerings came about largely because of demand from professors, whose students need the skills.

Anthropology graduate student Neha Vora, 31, for example, needs to learn Arabic to help her with her fieldwork in the Persian Gulf.

"If I hadn't been able to take it at UCI, I would have taken it at Saddleback (College)," Vora said.

"I think it's completely necessary, though, that they offer it here. They need to have more languages that reflect their student body."

UCI Arabic instructor Amina Yassine said she's been surprised by the demand for her course, considering how hard the language is to learn for most English speakers.

"It's a very difficult language. It takes six weeks just to do the alphabet," said Yassine, who also teaches Spanish.

She said 22 students of the initial 25 finished the course. "I have a lot of respect for the students who stay in class."

CONTACT US: (714) 796-7994 or mfisher@ocregister.com

(http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/education/article_885512.php)

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December 13, 2005

CNMI: GROUP URGES HELP TO WHITE SLAVERY VICTIMS

An international humanitarian group called the United States International Mission is asking the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI) to provide refuge to Vietnamese girls — some as young as eight years old — who were held against their will in various brothels in Cambodia.

The group’s Saipan president, David Sablan, said some of the girls were sold by their poor families at the going rate of US$500 to US$2,000 each.

“The girls were deceived. Human traffickers — this is how they work. They come to a poor region. They look around and they see poor children. (They tell the parents), ‘Why don’t we take your children and we will educate them in Cambodia. Get them a job or whatever.’ They make all kinds promises. They buy the children and then sell them to brothels,” Sablan said.

Once the girls are in the custody of human traffickers they turn them into sex slaves, he added. “They say to the girls, ‘You have to pay back what I have just loaned your family for bringing you here and therefore I want you to do this and sell your bodies.’”

Some of the victims have been rescued and now the United States International Mission is looking to bring at least 30 of the girls to Saipan within the month.

Mr Sablan said the local government will not have to spend anything for allowing the girls’ entry.

Steve Nutting, legal counsel of the United States International Mission on Saipan, said the non-government group is funded by benefactors in the U.S., mostly wealthy Vietnamese-Americans.

He said because the Northern Marianas has control over its immigration policies, it can allow the entry of the girls who will eventually move to the United States.

To allow the girls to stay on Saipan, the Attorney General’s Office has proposed a new immigration rule that creates a “Safe Haven Permit.”

The safe haven rule will also allow international safe haven organizations such as the United States International Mission to operate on Saipan.

The public can comment on the proposed rule until 25 Dec.

(http://www.pacificislands.cc/pina/pinadefault2.php?urlpinaid=18864)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: December 19, 2005
CONTACT: Patti Boerger, 703-903-2445

FREDDIE MAC REPORT LOOKS AT ASIAN HOMEBUYERS IN THE U.S.
Focus Groups Identify First-Time Homebuyer Expectations

McLEAN, Va.- Many Asians in the U.S. state that their lack of knowledge about the homebuying process could delay or prevent them from purchasing a home, and that they need to feel financially ready, stable and secure before they can consider buying a home, according to focus group participants. Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE), one of the nation's largest investors in residential mortgages, compiled the focus group results into a new report, Homeward Bound: An In-depth Look at Asian Homebuyers in the United States, which is available online at www.freddiemac.com/corporate/reports/.

Freddie Mac conducted 30 focus groups in mid-2005 of nearly 300 Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian and Filipino immigrants; American-born Asian consumers; and Asian real estate professionals to gain a better understanding of the cultural norms and expectations of Asian first-time homebuyers. Although the focus groups revealed many differences among ethnicities, the report highlights recurring themes across groups that may lead to a greater understanding of the needs and expectations of Asian consumers. The key findings include:
*        the need to feel financially ready, stable and secure before they can consider buying a home;
*        an aversion to debt and the need to determine the most cost-conscious financing package; and
*         a lack of knowledge about the homebuying process.

"Homeownership is a family value, one that ensures social and economic benefits that enhance entire communities," said Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.). "I commend Freddie Mac on the release of their report to help increase the participation of Asian and Pacific Islander American families in this slice of the American Dream."

"Expanding housing opportunities for all families is at the core of Freddie Mac's mission," said Dwight Robinson, senior vice president of Freddie Mac. "We wanted to determine what motivates the Asian community to become homeowners, as well as what prevents them from doing so. It is our hope that this report can help the real estate and residential mortgage industries better understand and reach this burgeoning minority market."

Asians represent the second fastest growing minority population in the United States, and many of these immigrant households will become homeowners in the coming decades.

At 59.9 percent, the homeownership rate for Asians and Pacific Islanders is higher than that of Latinos and other minority groups, but it lags behind the national average of 69.1 percent and the 75.7 percent rate for non-Hispanic whites. (Based on Census Bureau data.)

Focus Group Findings

The focus groups uncovered certain cultural norms, beliefs and behaviors associated with Asians that affect their feelings of readiness to purchase a home. These factors may delay Asian consumers' timeline for buying a home by years, and may discourage eligible low- to moderate-income buyers from entering the market altogether.

Participants described the many challenges they face as immigrants to a new land. These challenges include being unfamiliar with the U.S. financial system and, for some immigrants, not speaking the language.

Above all, participants described their need for stability and security as a major factor affecting their readiness to buy a home. Participants defined readiness in different ways, such as having:
*        enough money for the down payment and/or being able to safely afford the monthly mortgage payments;
*        a steady job, feeling established in an area, or obtaining a Green Card;
*        a business that has reached a certain level of stability; or
*        money to pay for a child's college education and having enough savings set aside for emergencies.

For most focus group participants, the source of their down payment comes primarily from savings. However, a good number also said they have funds from other sources, such as monetary gifts or loans from family. A small number of participants said their parents had helped or planned to help with the down payment. Borrowing from friends is also an acceptable, common practice. In addition, participants noted that funds might be sent from their homeland, including money from family or their own money kept there.

Many participants said they would put down a 20 percent down payment because they thought that was the standard practice. The reality is that down payments today are much less, often 5 percent of the loan amount or less.

Focus group participants said that when they are ready to buy a home, they often start by researching the neighborhoods in which they are interested and home prices. Participants said their primary sources of information at this initial stage are family, friends and co-workers, especially those who have previously purchased a home.

A majority of participants, especially fluent English-speakers, said they also use the Internet to search for real estate agents, properties or interest rates. Other sources of information include in-language newspapers and fliers that are commonly distributed in local, ethnic supermarkets and stores. Some participants said they get information from their banks.

Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt

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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.

Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107