2007.07.27: July 27, 2007: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Speaking Out: PCOL Exclusive: 17. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Clarification of Volunteer Rights
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2007.07.27: July 27, 2007: Headlines: Congress: Legislation: Speaking Out: PCOL Exclusive: 17. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Clarification of Volunteer Rights
17. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Clarification of Volunteer Rights
All Volunteers, but especially more experienced/older Volunteers, make substantial sacrifices in order to serve. Their rights need to be clarified so that they have full notice of the conduct that would lead to "administrative separation" by Peace Corps. In our case, Chuck retired, we rented our house in Washington, D.C., sold two cars, and arranged to have an agent handle our affairs during our absence. We incurred considerable expense. It is reasonable for us to be confident that we have certain rights and that we can assert them. Will the Peace Corps listen to Volunteers on this subject?
17. Testimony of Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff on S. 732: The Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act: Clarification of Volunteer Rights
Clarification of Volunteer Rights
Clarifying Volunteer rights goes hand-in-hand with respecting Volunteers. If Volunteers feel that Country Directors can abuse their rights, they do not speak out about the reforms that are needed to strengthen the programs in country, and they become demoralized.
All Volunteers, but especially more experienced/older Volunteers, make substantial sacrifices in order to serve. Their rights need to be clarified so that they have full notice of the conduct that would lead to "administrative separation" by Peace Corps. In our case, Chuck retired, we rented our house in Washington, D.C., sold two cars, and arranged to have an agent handle our affairs during our absence. We incurred considerable expense. It is reasonable for us to be confident that we have certain rights and that we can assert them. Will the Peace Corps listen to Volunteers on this subject?
To ensure that Volunteers fully understand what is expected of them as Volunteers, Section 306 (a) states that Volunteers may be Administratively Separated (terminated) only for violations of the specific types of conduct specified in Manual Section 204. Country Directors have separated Volunteers for generalized charges such as an assessment that the Volunteer is ineffective at site. This lack of standards allows Country Directors to act on a whim, play favorites or retaliate against Volunteers who speak out about reforms. Terminating a Volunteer's service for vague and subjective reasons violates their rights to due notice.
Section 306 (b) explicitly protects Volunteers who blow the whistle on Peace Corps staff or advocate reforms of the Peace Corps. They are entitled to full OPM "whistleblower" protections.
Finally, Section 306 (c) provides that the Peace Corps should not require that Volunteers submit stories or articles they publish to the Country Director in advance except for one category—stories, articles or other material that the Volunteer intends to publish that "relate specifically to the Peace Corps program operating in the country where the Volunteer is serving or to policies or actions by officials of the government of such country." This is a narrow exception to protect the Peace Corps from ill-considered publications that might be inflammatory in the country where the Volunteer is serving. It does not limit the right of Volunteers to publish information about the Peace Corps in general or the conduct of Peace Corps officials in Washington.
The reason for the provision is to protect the Free Speech rights of Volunteers against censorship. However, if they exercise their free speech in a manner that compromises their service, and if that violates the explicit rules of conduct in the Peace Corps manual, they can be "administratively separated" (fired or terminated). The exercise of one's Free Speech rights has consequences, but censorship should be avoided.
One issue that needs to be explored is how this rule would apply to the blogs that so many Volunteers maintain. The blogs often constitute running commentaries on the Volunteer's service, sometimes with references to specific individuals or incidents in their villages. Blogs provide valuable insights into the Volunteer experience and are consistent with the Third Goal of the Peace Corps—to "bring the world back home" to America. If under the legislation Country Directors will be required to review thousands of blog postings, which they now routinely ignore, then perhaps blogs postings need to be exempted from review.
The NPCA survey found strong support for the provisions of the legislation to protect the rights of Volunteers with 96% agreeing that the "Peace Corps Director shall ensure Volunteers reporting staff misconduct or advocating reforms be treated in accordance with federal whistleblower protections." Only 8% disagreed. Some 80% agreed that Volunteers not be required "to submit stories, articles or other material they publish to the Country Director for prior approval," with 18% disagreeing. In the written comments, several respondents expressed "full support referenc[ing] free speech." If the Peace Corps is listening to the Volunteers, it will support this provision.
This is one section from the testimony read into the record on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act by Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff, two RPCVs who are now serving their second tour in Senegal. The rest of the sections can be found by following this link. Their entire report in MS Word format can be downloaded by following this link.
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Headlines: July, 2007; Congress; Legislation; Speaking Out; Peace Corps Library; Peace Corps Directory; Peace Corps History; Peace Corps Message Board; Recent Peace Corps News
When this story was posted in July 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
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Story Source: PCOL Exclusive
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Legislation; Speaking Out
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