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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Weeding out freeloaders from a fellowships process takes effort.
But yes, it can be done, given people who are active in a particular
region and good at identifying who are genuine + deserving fellows and who are freeloaders
out for an expenses paid vacation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>The issue is not accountability as such. And it is
actually tough to play mother hen to a couple of dozen people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>You can, however, do a lot by not leaving them to their own
devices once they arrive at the conference venue. Regular sessions targeted at
fellows tends to help (orientation / welcome program to start with, and if
possible hooking groups of fellows up with a mentor). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Before that, targeting the right people / groups for fellowships
announcements, and developing what can only be called a “bullshit
detector” might help. Of course, it is even easier when you operate
a conference for network operators (people who run networks at ISPs) in the
Asia Pacific region, and so can easily fend off requests from people whose job
profiles, or geographic location, don’t match selection critieria.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>That (being asiapac specific) certainly helps us when various
people claiming to be from Nigerian “trading companies” apply for
fellowships and ask for visa invitation letters … it is not just
freeloaders looking out for junkets we have to be careful of, there is a lot of
fraud out there too. Especially where someone issuing a visa invitation
letter often has to assume responsibility for repatriating a fellow [per visa
regulations].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Speaking of that, visa regulations are often the single largest
barrier to attending these global events. Especially where some
countries’ embassies may have completely unreasonable, locally invented
requirements for issuing a visa. I hardly need to tell
you that, or people from other developing economies who have to travel
internationally. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Funnily enough, the easiest places to get visas to are (say) the
USA, Australia etc. If you want to go to, say, Argentina from India ..
suffice to say that’s the only country that demands notarized affidavits,
letters from “the chamber of commerce your employer is a member of”
etc for a business visa.. somewhat tough when you are a consultant, going to speak
at a conference. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>We Indians kind of inherited red tape and bureaucracy from 300
years of being a British colony .. and then went ahead and refined
it. As I found to my irritation when dealing with an Indian
clerk working for the argentinian embassy in New Delhi, not too long back …
</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:#1F497D'>J</span><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'> suresh<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> kwasi
boakye-akyeampong [mailto:kboakye1@yahoo.co.uk] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, December 11, 2007 6:28 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> governance@lists.cpsr.org; Suresh Ramasubramanian<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [governance] How do we engender effective participation
from developing countries (Africa)?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Suresh writes:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>"Or find some way to actually mentor fellows from the
start to finish - so<br>
that they can be drawn into the process. And improve fellowship selection<br>
so that finding quality people from a particular location takes priority<br>
over the usual CS catchphrases like "inclusive"."<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>And I coundn't agree more with him. He was trying to make a
point by suggesting hosting events in some remote and obscure place. That may
be less attractive to those who don't really mean business.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>I'm not sure how it's going to be done but I believe strengthening
regional structures is one possible solution. That way selection of
participants for global CS/ IG related events will come from the regions
themselves but not from a panel who may not have an idea who those they are
selecting are and their motives for participation. Participants will then be
made accountable to their respective regions.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:5.25pt'>Kwasi<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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