ACTR and their program in Moscow

[Thomas Garza]

Dear Mr. Hosseini,

My initial response to your comments is 
puzzlement as to why you haven't chosen to 
address them directly to ACTR Outbound Programs 
who, I'm certain, would be most responsible in 
responding to your allegations. Your decision to 
put these specific questions to SEELANGS instead 
of to ACTR directly seems to me to be overtly 
hostile.

In any case, I would like to give my own 
experiences with the organization since you have 
solicited such comments. My first in-country 
year-long experience in the Soviet Union was 
under the auspices of ACTR in 1982. That 
experience is what convinced me to pursue a 
career in Slavic studies and was due in large 
part to the professional and supportive program 
that ACTR provided. Since then, I have not only 
returned repeatedly to Russia under the auspices 
of ACTR, but since 2041 have coordinated a summer 
study abroad program for our students at the 
University of Texas through ACTR at Moscow 
International University. Our group experiences 
have been only positive -- both programmatically 
and logistically -- thanks to the efforts of the 
Washington and Moscow-based staffs. Further, 
during one of my own private excursions to Moscow 
with a UT alumni group, my wife an I found 
ourselves in visa-related situation that our 
private travel organization couldn't resolve. It 
was the ACTR staff in Moscow that were able to -- 
on a Sunday! --sort out the situation quickly and 
professionally.

I have been involved with ACTR since 1976 and 
have served on their board of directors for the 
last decade. I do so because I continue to find 
ACTR to be the strongest and most active voice 
for our profession in the country, not only for 
faculty, but especially for our students. No 
other single institution in the country generates 
more grant-based scholarship funding for 
undergraduate and graduate students to do work in 
the former Soviet Union than ACTR. I am loathe to 
think of a single colleague of mine who has not 
receive some kind of benefit from ACTR programs 
or resources.

I hope that you might consider contacting ACTR 
directly, as you will find their staff willing 
and ready to address any concern you might have 
about the quality of programs and services that 
this unique and valuable organization provides 
our students, colleagues and the profession.

Sincerely,
Tom Garza

At 12:03 AM +0300 12/2/07, Dustin H. wrote:
>Dear SEELANGers,
>
>I am not exactly sure how to address it, so I wanted to discuss it in the
>open since it concerns all who are interested in ACTR and their program in
>Moscow.
>
>I have several acquaintanes, friends, and colleagues who have dealt with
>ACTR from within the past few years up until the present.  I have only heard
>negative comments about ACTR and their program in both Moscow and St.
>Petersburg from my close sources - again friends and acquaintances.  People
>have constantly mentioned (complained about) how unprofessional and untimely
>the ACTR often responds to requests - from those students on ACTR Moscow
>program and even to those even requesting information.
>
>My questions are these:
>
>1) Why were students told to take a long Thanksgiving break, but not told
>until approximately one week before Thanksgiving that their visas would have
>to be extended (or renewed?) and therefore they would not have their
>passports, which are necessary for travel within Russia?
>
>Some students made travel arrangements, bought tickets, and then were not
>able to go because the resident director had contradicted him/herself and
>misinformed the students, taking their passports at the last possible
>minute.
>
>2) Why were students told that they could audit courses with Russian
>university students, but at the same time the students were not given
>information on exactly how to do this?
>
>An answer from the resident director to the effect of "There's a schedule
>somewhere in the university.... and you have to look at it yourself" is
>ineffective and will only confuse American students, who generally do not
>know how Russian universities function.
>
>3) In regard to job applicants, ACTR has persistently dragged out the
>application process and not given timely answers to their applicants.  This
>reflects negatively upon ACTR as a potential employer and as an organization
>in general.  Giving an especially highly qualified applicant a positive
>answer and then not responding is outright rude and unprofessional.
>
>Why does the ACTR allow this?
>
>Again, these are concerns which I feel should be addressed by the community
>that the ACTR serves.  This is why I have chosen to mention these issues
>here.
>
>--
>Dustin Hosseini
>
>"Earth laughs in flowers."
>- Ralph Waldo Emerson


-- 
******************************************************************************
Thomas Jesús Garza
University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Director, Center for Russian, East
      European and Eurasian Studies
University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station  F3600
Austin, TX 78712
(512) 471-3607 [Slavic]	(512) 471-6710 [fax]
(512) 471-7782 [CREEES]	(512) 471-3368 [fax]
CREEES: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/creees/
Slavic: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/slavic/

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