2007.01.12: January 12, 2007: Headlines: COS - Costa Rica: Policy: Miss LonelyHearts: Personal Web site: Dear Miss LonelyHearts: Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: 2007.01.12: January 12, 2007: Headlines: COS - Costa Rica: Policy: Miss LonelyHearts: Personal Web site: Dear Miss LonelyHearts: Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?

By Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-245-26-66.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 70.245.26.66) on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - 9:25 am: Edit Post

Dear Miss LonelyHearts: Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?

Dear Miss LonelyHearts:  Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?

Costa Rica Peace Corps Volunteer Gringa Perdida writes: This week we've lost a volunteer. Saturday, Mike is leaving on a jet plane. This is nothing less than tragic. Actually, I believe 'ironic' would be a better describer. Mike was faced with 'administrative separation' for not calling Peace Corps to tell them that he would be passing the night out of his site. He was working in San Jose, and simply forgot to call in. It's something I, in my gnat-like attention span and attention to detail, have done more than once. Peace Corps found out and he was given the option to quit or be fired. So he had 24 hours to pack his things, say goodbye to his community and get out of the country. There is a policy, of course. The new policy is 'zero tolerance' and he is being made an example of. Anytime subjectivity is removed from punishments, it always seems to fall on the people that deserve it the least.

Dear Miss LonelyHearts: Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?

Costa Rica Peace Corps Volunteer Gringa Perdida writes: No Tolerance for Zero Tolerance

This week we've lost a volunteer. Saturday, Mike is leaving on a jet plane. This is nothing less than tragic. Actually, I believe 'ironic' would be a better describer. Mike was faced with 'administrative separation' for not calling Peace Corps to tell them that he would be passing the night out of his site. He was working in San Jose, and simply forgot to call in. It's something I, in my gnat-like attention span and attention to detail, have done more than once. Peace Corps found out and he was given the option to quit or be fired. So he had 24 hours to pack his things, say goodbye to his community and get out of the country. There is a policy, of course. The new policy is 'zero tolerance' and he is being made an example of. Anytime subjectivity is removed from punishments, it always seems to fall on the people that deserve it the least.

People need to call in. It's a safety thing. And yes, there are plenty of people that are screwing around, vacationing more than they are working, and there needs to be consequences. Those people are better (luckier) at not getting caught.

Mike was an excellent volunteer. His heart was in his work. He was doing great things. He, in many ways, embodied what a Peace Corps Volunteer should be. With zero tolerance, none of that matters. I am about to start a series of workshops teaching parents how to administer appropriate consequences to their children so that the message is not lost in the punishment. Maybe I should start with the office. The message we are getting is that as long as we are physically in our sites, it really doesn't matter if we are doing anything else or not. If our work performance is irrelevant in keeping our jobs... what does that say?

Mike will be fine. He is meant to be elsewhere. He'll move on from this and do great things...somewhere else. It's our loss. It's the loss of his community. Of course, if there were no injustice in the world, we would be out of a job.

Anyhoo, good luck Mike! You will be missed. Your absence will devastate Costa Rica's datability potential. :)




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Headlines: January, 2007; Peace Corps Costa Rica; Directory of Costa Rica RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Costa Rica RPCVs; Miss Lonelyhearts





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January 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: January 14 2007 No: 1050 January 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Dodd declares candidacy in 2008 Presidential race 11 Jan
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On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

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The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

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History of the Peace Corps Date: March 18 2006 No: 834 History of the Peace Corps
PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.


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Story Source: Personal Web site

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Costa Rica; Policy; Miss LonelyHearts

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By Joanne Marie Roll (joey) (acbfbc79.ipt.aol.com - 172.191.188.121) on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - 11:18 am: Edit Post

Another example of serving PCVs having no due process rights. This is awful. But PCVs are not government employees, they serve at the whim of administration. Zero tolerance? Enforced uniformly or selectively to "make an example?" PCVs need to be able to serve with a contractual obligation which spells out rights, responsibilities and process. Military get this. Americans who voluntarily give up a lot of their rights as citizens are fools. Ya, I know. I did, too.


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