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General Conditions
Governing AIYS
Fellowships |
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1. Under the U.S. competition all fellowships to
U.S.-based scholars using funds granted to AIYS by the
Department of State's Bureau of Cultural and Educational
Affairs (the former USIA) may be awarded only to U.S.
citizens. Other funds are severely limited and may not be
available in any one program year.
2. Applicants for and holders of pre-doctoral fellowships
must be students in good standing enrolled in an accredited
graduate degree program.
3. The Fellowship Committee, consisting of scholars
from AIYS member universities, will rank the applications
according to the merit of both the project and the applicant,
and on the appropriateness of both for the fellowship
program. Applicants will be notified of the action taken
on their applications.
4. All fellowships awarded to U.S.-based scholars are
fully taxable and must be reported as income to the
Internal Revenue Service. Costs incurred in carrying out
the fellowship project may qualify as legitimate professional
deductions. The relation between fellows and AIYS is that
of an individual contractor and is not and at no time shall
be that of an employee. AIYS does not advise fellows on tax
questions relating to their stipends.
5. All fellowship funds should be appropriately expended
within 21 months from the competition deadline under which the
fellowship is funded. Fellowship projects must be carried
out during the time indicated in the acceptance letter.
Schedule changes require prior consent from the AIYS Executive
Director.
6. Because award money may be insufficient to carry
out a project completely, applicants contemplating research
projects should be prepared to secure additional funding. However, if other fellowships are received for all or part of the time period of the project for which AIYS has made an award, AIYS must be notified immediately and reserves the right to adjust or cancel its award.
7. Yemeni law requires all foreign scholars who wish
to carry out research in Yemen to obtain permission prior
to entering the country. The fellowship award letter will confirm the appropriate procedure. The AIYS Resident Director in Sana'a will assist fellows requiring research permission to secure it. If a fellow does not obtain proper permission, the fellowship award will be void and any fellowship funds received must be returned to AIYS.
8. At the conclusion of the project, AIYS fellows who
were required to obtain official Yemeni research permission
are required to submit a research report to the relevant
Yemeni agency before leaving the country. A copy of this
permit report must also be given to the AIYS Resident
Director in Sana'a. All AIYS fellows must submit both a
brief narrative report on their project or the program they
participated in and an accounting of all fellowship funds
to the AIYS' office in the U.S. immediately upon completion
of the fellowship tenure. AIYS may at its discretion
publish fellowship reports in the AIYS bulletin, Yemen Update.
The final 10% of the fellowship cash stipend will not be
released until after the relevant grant reports have been
received in AIYS' U.S. office.
9. Eventual publications of research supported by
fellowships administered by AIYS should acknowledge support
of federal fellowship funds. AIYS asks that two copies of
the relevant publication be donated to AIYS; one
will be kept in the AIYS library in Sana'a and the second will be
forwarded to YCSR for its library.
10. If fellowship funds from federal sources are
specifically designated to cover air travel, fellows are
required by law to use an American carrier on the trans-Atlantic
portion of their flight. Failure to do so may result in
the obligation to return the affected funds to the federal
government. This means that in the case of U.S.-flag
carriers that are partners with foreign airlines and have
shared flight numbers, the travel documents must show the
flight number of the U.S. carrier. Accounting of travel
funds must include not only the unused ticket stub showing
the travel itinerary and the ticket price, but also a copy
of the invoice paid; this is a requirement of the audit to
which AIYS is subject as part of the conditions under which
it receives its fellowship funds. It may be possible to
secure passage to Yemen via agencies specializing in discounted
tickets; these tickets must conform to all applicable governmental
regulations. Federal grant funds may be disbursed to
fellows only on receipt of proof that a ticket is being
issued.
11. Fellows are required to carry medical and evacuation
insurance (MedEvac) during their work in Yemen. This
insurance may be part of the coverage provided by the
fellows' home institutions; if this is not the case, it
must be obtained separately. Grant funds may not be
disbursed to fellows unless proof of insurance is in hand.
12. AIYS in awarding a fellowship to individual students
and researchers acts only in a facilitating capacity
between the original funding agency and the individual
researcher. AIYS assumes no responsibility for the
viability or success of the funded project or for the
individual supported.
13. Fellows and other researchers planning a trip to
Yemen should take into account how existing security
considerations -- including State Department
consular information sheets and
travel warnings -- may affect their ability to do their
work, and all fellows are strongly encouraged to
consult the State Department announcements concerning
travel in the Middle East before departure from the U.S.
Other sources of information include
British Foreign Office warnings; international
on-line news-services and the index to articles provided
by the Yemen Daily Times;
the on-line edition of the weekly Yemen
Times; and the website Yemen Gateway,
which gives background information on ongoing stories.
14. AIYS accepts no responsibility for decisions made
by individual researchers, but the AIYS Resident Director
in Sana'a will upon request provide current information
for those planning a research trip.
15. All AIYS-affiliated
researchers are required to register with the U.S. embassy
immediately on arrival in Yemen. Should a security crisis
arise, they should be guided by consular warnings. In the
event a departure from Yemen before the completion of the
funded research project becomes necessary, AIYS fellows
should consult the contingency planning statement
that was part of their acceptance packet for regulations
concerning their fellowship award.
16. Fellows are to stay in the AIYS hostel in Sana'a
whenever feasible. The AIYS center in Sana'a contains a
library, hostel, conference and working rooms, and the
AIYS office. Current hostel rates for AIYS members are:
$25/night, $150/week, $250/fortnight, $350/month. Special
rates are available for double or triple occupancy and for
students. The AIYS membership fee for individuals is $25
per year, $10 for students and retired persons. Fellows
needing a computer for their work should plan to bring
their own.
17. Specific questions concerning conditions, requirements,
and fellowship competition deadlines may be addressed to
Dr. Maria Ellis, Executive Director of AIYS.
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