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星期一, 11月 30, 2015

AG HEALEY SUBMITS APPLICATION TO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CANCEL THOUSANDS OF LOANS FOR FORMER CORINTHIAN STUDENTS

AG HEALEY SUBMITS APPLICATION TO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CANCEL THOUSANDS OF LOANS FOR FORMER CORINTHIAN STUDENTS

            BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today submitted an application to the U. S. Department of Education requesting the immediate cancellation of loans taken out by former students of Corinthian Colleges in Massachusetts who were victimized by the for-profit school’s illegal conduct. 

            The 2,700-page submission, complete with investigatory findings, supporting evidence, and compiled attestations from former Corinthian students, was sent today to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Special Master Joseph Smith, who is charged with reviewing the debts of students who attended Corinthian schools and establishing state law discharge procedures. The application asks for a group discharge of all federal loans taken out by approximately 7,200 student borrowers who attended Corinthian’s Everest Institute campuses in Brighton and Chelsea between 2007 and when Corinthian closed its Everest campus operations over the last two years.

“Our students are entitled to this relief today,” AG Healey said. “This submission makes clear that Corinthian repeatedly violated our state laws by failing to provide the education, services, and career opportunities promised to students. I urge the Department to use its authority to help these students get out from under these mounting debts and move on with their lives.”

According to the AG’s Office, students who took out federal student loans to attend these predatory programs are legally entitled to immediate forgiveness under federal law, Department rules, and the terms of the loan contracts each student signed. The Department has already used its existing authority to grant discharges to defrauded students, including students at Corinthian’s Everest campuses in California, and Heald campuses in California, Hawaii, and Oregon, on the basis of its illegal conduct. 

“Corinthian’s egregious deception and mistreatment of Massachusetts students is likewise unlawful and our students are equally deserving of relief,” today’s letter to the Department stated.

Throughout the course of its investigation into Corinthian, the AG’s Office has received communications from nearly 1,000 Everest students and found widespread misrepresentations regarding job placement rates, including claims by admissions representatives that prospective students were “guaranteed employment” and that programs had job placement rates of “70%,” “95%,” and even “100%,” while the actual rates were much lower. Students also found that there was little or no career placement assistance provided.

The AG’s application also details deception by Corinthian, as alleged in a lawsuit against Corinthianbrought by the AG’s Office in April 2014, including Corinthian’s false statements regarding the earnings of graduates in Massachusetts, the nature and quality of the instruction, the availability of externships, and transferability of credits from Corinthian’s Massachusetts locations.

            In September, the AG’s Office hosted an event – attended by Department of Education officials – to help Corinthian students receive individualized assistance in enrolling in more affordable repayment plans and applying for cancellation of their federal school loans. Together with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, AG Healey called on the Department to help students in Massachusetts get rid of the unsustainable loan payments incurred by attending the now-defunct for-profit school. Included in today’s application are intakes from Everest Institute students who came to the event to apply for discharges.

AG Healey continues to lead efforts to help students who were deceived by predatory for-profit schools. This year she has rallied state attorneys general and members of Congress to speak out on the importance of loan discharge, authored letters, and organized calls and meetings with the Department of Education to help students struggling with their federal loan debt.
In April, AG Healey, along with attorneys general in eight states, sent a letter to the Department of Education calling on them to take swift action to protect students victimized by for-profit schools. In August 2015, AG Healey led a second multistate effort links to PDF file with attorneys general in 11 states, later joined by two others, calling on the Department to provide clear procedures to help students apply for loan discharges. 
For more information on AG Healey’s extensive consumer protection campaign and comprehensive and ongoing investigation into the for-profit education industry, click here.
Student borrowers who are interested in learning more about income-based repayment programs, who have questions about their options, or who would like assistance with managing their student loans, should visit the Student Lending Assistance page or call the Attorney General’s Student Loan Assistance Unit Hotline at 1-888-830-6277.

天津濱海創投黃偉慶 12/4 上BCIC演講

To celebrate the ending of 2015, a year marked with volatility, BCIC (Boston Chinese Investment Club) invites you to attend an end-of-year dinner. Joining the dinner will be 黄伟庆,天津滨海创投投资管理有限公司CEO. This is one of the few annual social gatherings without seminars. Please sign up as early as possible so we can get a clear headcount for reservation. 


Date: 12/4, Friday, 6pm
Venue: TBD


Bio of 黄伟庆

黄伟庆现任天津滨海创投投资管理有限公司CEO,管理着多只政府出资的创投和天使基金。

黄先生拥有十多年的股权投资和投资银行经验,曾参与过多家公司的早期投资和大型企业的并购。在带领中国公司在北美股票市场上市方面具有专长。他领导了中国风电国际有限公司在加拿大上市的全过程。曾担任西藏夏木拉天然含气矿泉水公司的代理CFO。

黄先生在对互联网、通讯、媒体、高科技、娱乐业、消费品、航空、清洁技术和可再生能源等行业有着丰富的投资经验。他曾带领由五家中美公司联合组成的团队在北京开发总投资超过10亿美元的大型主题公园项目。他也参与对中国和美国的影视娱乐和体育行业的投资,并担任电视剧和电影的制片人。

黄伟庆先生荣获2010年“美国杰出50名亚裔企业家”奖,以表彰他的成就和对社会和社区所做出的贡献以及他所表现出的卓越领导能力。

黄伟庆先生在上海复旦大学电子工程系取得电子工程学士学位,在美国辛辛那提大学研究生院学习三年。

[HCSSA] 讣告: 杨艳同学逝世及为杨艳母亲募捐倡议

轉載自 Harvard CSSA
尊敬的各位老师、同学们:
我们沉痛地得知,杨艳哈佛大学教育学院在读博士生,于2015年11月13日突然离世,年仅三十三岁。杨艳聪明、善良、充满活力,喜欢诗歌、观星、远足和写作。富于哲思的她,常常问我们:人类的好奇心是如何产生、如何发展、又是怎样驱使人们去不断挑战、创造和超越?我们也很想知道,杨艳,勤于阅读、思考和工作的你,是否在这个秋天得到了关于这个问题的新想法,是否这些思考又再激发了你的好奇心?然而你再不会告诉我们答案。
杨艳从小生活在江苏溧阳农村,家境贫寒,父亲在她十七岁时去世,母亲长期患病,勉力在街头卖水果和早点维生,辛苦抚养她成长。师专毕业后,杨艳并没有停下她的学业,而是以非凡的毅力和勤奋,努力考上南京师范大学研究生,再于2009年申请到哈佛大学教育学院硕士生,并于次年进入博士项目就读。生活的清贫没有阻碍杨艳精益求精的学业追求,然而现实却给了她过于残酷的负担,她的身体情况每况愈下,最终困于身心的巨大痛苦,早早离开了我们。
杨艳是家中独女,是杨艳母亲的精神支柱和唯一希望。她的匆忙离世,母亲的精神和身体都濒于崩溃。在国内的校友和朋友已积极联系帮助杨艳母亲度过难关。哈佛大学教育学院也开通了捐款渠道,可登陆募捐网站 https://www.crowdrise.com/inmemoryofyanyang/ 也可直接到教育学院Gutman  Library (6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138)一楼学生事务办公室现金捐款。所募款项将于12月初在学院举行的追思会上交予家属。详情请见以下哈佛教育学院致全院师生的公开信。希望我们能一起尽自己的一份绵薄之力,点滴心意,都是杨艳母亲最需要的关心和慰问。



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IN MEMORY OF YAN YANG
 
Dear HGSE Students,
As a community, we are deeply saddened by the recent loss of Ed.D. student, Yan Yang, Ed.M. ’10, who passed away on Friday, November 13th.  Yang is remembered by many as a friend, colleague, teacher, student, and mentor. During her time here at HGSE she had a deep impact on all who knew her, loved her, and worked with her.

In the Chinese culture it is customary to raise money for the family of the deceased.  In this case, the Harvard community would like to honor Yang by raising money for her mother, Heping Yu, who lives in Jiangsu Province,China.  As you can imagine, Yang’s mother is overwhelmed with grief and unfathomable sadness and will not be able to travel to the US for our memorial service to honor Yang’s life.

Yang was born in Liyang, a small rural town in Jiangsu Province.  Her father passed away when she was seventeen.  After graduating from Nanjing Normal University in China with a major in early childhood education, she came to HGSE in 2009 for her Ed.M. degree in Arts in Education.  She began the Ed.D. program in 2010 concentrating in Culture, Communities and Education.  Despite long-term health issues, Yang’s mother works on the streets of Liyang selling fruits and breakfast food to local members of the community. As someone close to Yang said, “Yan was her only child and hope.”

Chinese students and friends of Yang in this community and the Harvard community have asked us to continue with Chinese tradition to honor Yang and support her mother, so that she will continue to have hope as she deals with the loss of her only child.

You can help honor Yang in one of two ways.  Donations can be provided through CrowdRise at https://www.crowdrise.com/inmemoryofyanyang/.

We will also be accepting cash donations or donations of Chinese currency in the Office of Student Affairs, the first floor of Gutman Library, Appian Way, Cambridge, MA. Our contact information is osa@gse.harvard.edu617-495-8035. Our hope is to provide the donations to the members of Yang’s family who will travel from China to be here at the Memorial Service.

We hope to have a date for the Memorial Service in the very near future, and a community email will provide further information.

Finally, I wanted to share with you Yang’s concluding thoughts following the completion of her Qualifying Paper as she reflects on her childhood and family.

Concluding thoughts of Qualifying Paper: written by Yan Yang

The act of looking back at my 2009 moon study has become a search for the forgotten and the unnoticed roots in experience.  This act of reconnecting to the roots has simultaneously extended and furthered my experience at present.  In the notebook pages, there I found a moon gazer, a true learner, a human being with a history.  In reading those pages, I saw not only myself, but others whose images had long been blurred, distorted, or neglected.  Amazingly enough, I even started to see my own childhood.

I grew up near the fruit stand my parents owned, helping with carrying boxes of fruit, laying them out into piles on the stand.  In scorching summer, I pushed the cart loaded with watermelons while my father pulled it up the bridge and I pulled it back while the cart was sliding downwards going off the bridge.  I learned to unload boxes of apples, oranges, bananas from the cart in a way that the cart did not lose balance and tip over.  I learned to put my hand on the end of the handle when the cart did lose balance and was about to tip over.  I watched my parents set up a canopy with bamboo poles, tarpaulin, and ropes, to get ready for pouring rain.  My father invented efficient ways of doing multiplication in his fruit selling practice.  The flexibility exhibited in his methods amazed me.

I grew up watching my parents cultivating crops in the field, following my mother while she was walking along the ridge carrying rakes, pulling weeds from the field with my father.  I loved gazing toward the end of the field far away where the sun set behind the endless mountain (and, of course, measuring the size of a man with the cracks of my fingers!).  The best time of year was the harvest season, when work was done, when grains were piled up on the flat earth ground, when fire was lit to burn away the crop straws in another big pile.  When it was dusk, we children played chasing games, running around, cooking sweet potatoes in the burning straw pile. 

Those lives, tastes, measuring, carrying, waiting, pulling, desires, delights...  now I start to see them as the root of me as a human being.  I thought I was getting further and further away from home because education had taken me.  Now, I am learning to find my way back, back to home.  

波士頓華僑文教中心年終感謝志工

經文處副處長陳銘俊(左三),波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文(右一)和兩名波士頓
僑務委員,蔣宗壬(左一),梅錫銳(右四),以及嘉賓紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦
(右二),牛頓市議員萊斯(
John Rice)(右三)一起頒發橋物資委員聘書給
左二起,范紀琛,李壽泮,周仙梅。(周菊子攝)
(Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導) 波士頓華僑文教中心1128日中午在牛頓市會址舉辦「志工培訓會議暨年」,頒發表揚狀,感謝終身志工暨僑務諮詢委員陳家驊,麻州牛頓元極舞健身會。各界僑領不下70餘人出席。
經文處副處長陳銘俊(後中),波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文(後右一)
表揚麻州元極舞聯誼會成員。(周菊子攝)
駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處副處長陳銘俊還在會上代表僑委會,頒發僑務諮詢委員聘書,陳士魁委員長賀詞給琛、李泮及周仙海等三人。
陳銘俊致詞時代表政府感謝僑胞經由做志工,表達了懷念灣鄉土,支持傳統僑社,以及民自由民主理念的心意。做為駐美外交人員,他深刻感到美之所以蓬勃展,有很大原因是社階層、各域都有很心的志工積極參與,形成一股巨大的相互扶持力量,使得更加祥和、美好。
中華藝術協會總監陳玉律,林愛迪夫婦,五胥山公所主席伍侃茲(前左二)
等人,一一被僑教中心主任郭大文點名感謝。
(周菊子攝)
他半開玩笑的指出,做志工不但讓人生活更有意,生命更有值,往往有意外收,譬如經文處處長賴銘琪就是在做志工時,認識了處長夫人。
            紐英崙中華公所主席阮鴻燦,波士頓僑務委員梅錫銳在會上透露,他們也都是在做志工時,認識了自己來自台灣的另一半。
  波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文(右起)邀請嘉賓,牛頓市議員萊斯(John Rice),
中華公所主席阮鴻燦,經文處副處長陳銘俊,波士頓僑務委員梅錫銳,
蔣宗壬主持志工培訓,感謝會。
(周菊子攝)
            波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文在會上點名感謝每一位出席志工,坦言沒有他們的支持,熱心奉獻,無論是元旦,雙十的升旗典禮,遊行,餐會,今年明華園的文化綜藝訪問團等等活動,都不可能辦得那麼成功,順利。
麻州元極舞聯誼會會員攜手當志工。(周菊子攝)

            到台灣出席了僑務座談會,才剛回波士頓不久的波士頓新任僑務委員蔣宗壬,在會上報告了與會概況。他先為自己講話不好聽道歉,再直言如今回台灣開僑務會議和當年回去開國建會很不一樣,因為僑委會委員長權力不大,面對向立法院爭取經費這類建議,只能官式回答“盡力而為”,會議等於開得沒有效率,有浪費時間之嫌。
            蔣宗壬也間接批評了國民黨參選總統的臨陣“換柱”,指出很多人對該一狀況不滿意,也稱許洪秀柱年輕,會講話。
            在僑界一向講廣東話的梅錫銳,在會中用國語表示,希望將來見到更多穿黃色背心的義工,齊心協力的為僑社服務。
鄭玉春 (右) 等人在現場服務。 
            麻州牛頓元極舞健身會的鄭玉春,曾秀梅,曾正泉,邱茜薔等許多人,當天一早到會場,包餃子,煮餃子,讓到會義工們在一碗熱騰騰的餃子下肚後再開會,個個感到格外溫暖。



         


紐英崙藝術學會”醉美一年“攝影展美不勝收

二排左起,胡斌,Stanley,張小茵,Sophia Yee,Sam Wong,
金薇薇,張微波,Aling,張君,顏珍棣,梅芬芳。前排左起,
林卓成,梅國治,陸德禮,梅宇國,謝偉明。(菊子攝)
紐英崙藝術學會1128日舉辦“醉美一年”攝影展。攝影班老師梅國治和20名會員、會友的山水,風景,花卉,生活寫實作品,把學會愛丁保羅街會址妝點得美不勝收。
曾任學會攝影組班長,現已升級為老師的梅芬芳說明,“醉美一年”攝影展將從即日起展至1218日,每日早上11點至下午3點再學會會只展出,星期天不開門。
這一攝影展由梅國治邀請他本人的攝影好友,以及學會會員,拿出各自在過去一年裡拍下的美麗鏡頭展示,共有20多人參加,展出美國東西兩岸四季風景,生態小品,嬌美花草,生活寫實作品80餘幅。
來自紐約的陳俊雄,陳子杰,在梅國治開班後,大約第二期就參加學習了的金薇薇,後來的張君,在郊區和攝影發燒友成立波士頓華人攝影協會(BCPA)2014年曾參加學會攝影班,跟隨梅國治再學習的陸德禮,以及梅芬芳,梅健民,黃定國,范鵬飛,張小茵,張微波,顏珍棣,林卓成,袁佩慈等等人,都挑了幾幅自己滿意的作品來共襄盛舉。
梅國治本人的攝影作品,還被作家姚蜀平選為她今年3月發表新書“愛之四季”的封面。
紐英崙藝術學會攝影班學員們在過去這一兩年間,足跡踏遍許多美麗景點,包括波士頓市後灣區,麻州內的玫瑰花園,荷花園,鱈魚角,秋天到佛蒙特州的Jenne農莊,斷頭谷(sleepy hollow)拍楓葉,還遠征美國西部的大堤頓國家公園,黃石國家公園,拱石國家公園摩押(Moab)的死馬點,栗鐘(Maroon Bells)等。
梅芬芳(左)介紹後,梅麗梨說明自己正參選華埠社區議會議員。
梅國治表示,許多人看到學會學員們拍的美照後,常提出許多問題, 辦這場攝影展,既給社區內喜愛攝影者近距離欣賞美麗照片的機會,也讓人和攝影者直接交流,在哪兒些景點,一天中的什麼時刻,站在哪個角度,才最有機會拍出絕美照片。
他感謝梅芬芳策劃這次展覽,也感謝所有參展者,給彼此一個很好的互相學習機會。他說,攝影需要恆心,要拍到一張滿意作品,天時,地利,人和的運氣,缺一不可。
梅國治作品
他以幾幅作品為例做說明,譬如“Red Horse in Dunbar“這張照片,山丘整齊草坪的圖案線條,把人的視線導向了主體紅屋,和襯托天空白雲的斜線,山丘的地線,形成X形構圖,十分美妙。
另一張珍妮農莊(Jenne Farm)秋景,是他數十年,每年到那拍楓紅後,第一次遇上地面覆蓋皚皚白雪的特殊秋景。
另外兩張照片,攝影組抵達時,正是景點秋意狀況最佳時刻,剛好那時又無風無浪,水平如鏡,他們一團12人簡直樂壞了,拍個不停。
梅國治作品
紐英崙藝術學會擅書法,兼及繪畫的會長梅宇國在梅國治的薰陶下,近年也拿起了相機,這次展覽,也擠身參展者行列。不過他在致詞,重點提示,繼“梅宇國書法”,“棣書三步法”之後,他即將於今年底前出版定名“秋之愛”的第三本書,收錄他撰寫的詩稿。
梅國治作品
在開幕式中,波士頓華人協會的陸德禮,參選波士頓華埠社區議會議員的梅麗梨都出席致詞,學會新人Sophie Yee還朗誦了其中一首詩,給出席者欣賞。梅宇國透露,有一名熱心粉絲索要一份詩稿後,當晚錄了一段朗誦音頻寄給他。
紐英崙藝術學會下一期攝影班預定農曆新年後擇期舉行,在那之前,將舉辦“用iPhone拍照”講座,教有意拿手機拍照的人,認識,熟悉iPhone上的按鈕,耳機上的調節器都可用作拍照按鍵等功能。

梅國治作品
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            金薇薇(左)是梅國治(右)的得意門生之一,曾應邀在多地辦展覽。(菊子攝)


            攝影展的出席者圍聚討論他們對攝影作品的各自觀點。(菊子攝)
梅芬芳作品

梅芬芳作品

梅芬芳作品

梅芬芳作品

波士頓華埠社區議會8人等額當選 258人投票

梅麗梨(左),雷國輝(右)在華埠社區議會投票站門口拜票。(周菊子攝)
(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)波士頓華埠社區議會(CNC)昨(11月29)日辦理改選,共258人出席投票,8人參選,等額當選,其中梅麗梨得204票,票數最高。
右起,梅伍銀寬,朱慶玲,雷國輝,梅麗梨,阮鴻燦,李有香,陳文浩,曾雪清,
余麗媖等人在波士頓華埠社區議會投票結束後合影。(周菊子攝)
8名等額當選的波士頓華埠社區議會議員及得票數依序為,機構類雷國輝196,其他類陳偉民134票,梅麗梨204票,居民類李有香103,李麗嫦111,Raymond Ptay73,商類周樹昂111,鄺炎彬113票。他們的任期除了遞補梁志生席缺者之外,都是一任三年。
波士頓華埠社區議會在華埠一帶可發展的土地幾乎都已蓋了高樓,前任議會共同主席陳灼鋆年事漸長,和波士頓市府,土地發展商之間的聯繫不如以往密切後,會議大都議程清淡的情況持續多年。
每年的議員改選,只有參選者出現派系之爭時,才有激烈競爭。201312月時,參選人馬有兩派之分,各自搬兵投票,結果出現有1436人投票的熱烈情況,團體類的余麗瑛,梁志生,其他類的阮鴻燦等人,以逾千票佳績當選的情況。
昨日的投票卻是無人競爭局面,8名候選人中只有一半,最認真的是雷國輝,梅麗梨,來到投票站外拉票。
獲得最高票的梅麗梨表示,儘管有沒人投票,他們都可當選,但為尊重這選舉,她很認真的各處拜票,昨日和另一名候選人雷國輝站在夏利臣街61 號的永豐銀行門外,向過往行人表達政見,拜票。
主持選務的梅伍銀寬,做發票義工的陳文浩,朱慶玲等人,昨日在永豐銀行內受理投票。包括阮鴻燦,余麗媖,李有香,梅麗梨,余麗媖,曾雪清等都在會場協助算票,發票。候選人之一的陳偉民進進出出。
波士頓華埠社區議會將在12月份月會上正式公佈選舉結果。