Fwd: Re: Clarification regarding POSSE and "hackfest" cancellation

[Bert de Jong <brrrrrrt_(_at_)_xs4all_(_dot_)_nl>]

----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: Re:
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 22:22:42 +0200
From: Bert de Jong <brrrrrrt_(_at_)_xs4all_(_dot_)_nl>
To: Fernando Pereira <pereira_(_at_)_cis_(_dot_)_upenn_(_dot_)_edu>

Sounds nice all that, but have you heard of the word "reasonable"?

Don't you think the university, darpa and openbsd might have worked out
something together, if someone somewhere would have just picked up the phone
and talked, instead of cancelling reservations, retracting funds, breaking
promises, without prior notice or explanation?

What you suggest is perfectly sound reasoning for someone who knows no other
type of organisation than bureaucracy.
Worthless explanation, my two cents.

- Bert



On Wednesday 23 April 2003 21:58, Fernando Pereira wrote:
> According to the applicable cooperative agreement, work must be stopped
> if the contracting agency so requests. The Air Force Research
> Laboratory, which is the contracting agency for POSSE, requested that
> work on the "security-fest" parts of the contract be suspended pending
> a review of the project. The hotel costs for the planned conference
> were to be billed to the University of Pennsylvania as prime
> contractor, and would then submitted to the contracting agency for
> payment. When the contracting agency requested that work be stopped on
> the security fests component of POSSE, the only expenses that they
> would still allow are documented losses to the conference hotel due to
> cancellation. Any other use of funds, including use of the cancellation
> costs in partial support of conference accommodation, would not be an
> allowable contract expense. Contrary to a widespread misconception, the
> University of Pennsylvania could not have "allowed" that use of US
> Government funds. The funds belong to the US Government, not to the
> University.
>
> Please do not respond to this message, as I am not able to handle
> individual questions or comments.
>
> Fernando Pereira
> Andrew and Debra Rachleff Professor
> Chair, Dept. of Computer and Information Science
> University of Pennsylvania

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