HTI Networking Guidelines

In addition to the cash scholarship award, all HTI awardees receive an additional networking fund in the amount of $1,000. The purpose of this fund is to help foster community building, particularly among HTI awardees and with other Latino and non-Latino scholars. This money will not be given to the awardee as a cash award.

In order to help facilitate the award’s access to this networking fund, the following guidelines are to be referred to, and followed, when making decisions about how best to use this money.

ALL AWARDEES: The awardee’s plan for networking must reflect the above stated goals. For this reason networking funds are divided into the following categories:

Committed Funds - Subscriptions and Memberships paid directly by HTI:

  1. A one-year subscription to Apuntes ($15.00) and The Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology (JHLT)($28.00). www.achtus.org

  2. Membership fees in Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) ($25.00). www.aeth.org

    If you are Roman Catholic HTI will also pay your membership to the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the United States (ACHTUS) ($48.00). To become a member of ACHTUS you need to apply in April. Membership to ACHTUS includes a one-year subscription to JHLT.

Particular Community Builders - Awardee’s Strategies:

The procedure for submitting expenses related to the awardee’s plan for networking is as follows:

    1. Each awardee is responsible for developing a plan for networking that will enhance his/her studies. HTI’s Director will offer assistance to the awardee if requested. (HTI will provide examples).

    2. The plan must be submitted directly to Angela Schoepf, HTI Assistant Director, in writing. This can be done via mail, fax, or e-mail (angela.schoepf@ptsem.edu), and must include a proposed budget. It should also include a paragraph explaining how your participation on the event will directly benefit your studies. See examples provided. Please remember that in order to use networking fund to attend an event you require approval before the event takes place. Please keep in mind that the HTI office makes deductions from this award for subscriptions and memberships. We strongly advise you to call or e-mail the HTI office and ask what funds you have available before submitting your proposed budget.

    3. The plan will be reviewed by the Director and Assistant Director for approval.

    4. After attending the event, the awardee must submit the expense receipts, a T-5 form, and a 1 to 2-page paper on how the networking plan submitted was helpful to the awardee in her/his research and educational pursuits. The report must be submitted with receipts and the T-5 form for reimbursement. The awardee should give at least 3-4 weeks for the request to be processed.

    Whenever possible, we ask that flight reservations be made over the Internet, where fares are usually lower than those offered by travel agents. The reservations should be made at least two weeks prior to the trip, and reimbursements for these expenses will be made after the trip has been made. We stress that fares over $500 must be authorized by HTI before being booked. If you are not able to make flight arrangements over the Internet, please contact Edward's Travel at 609-924-4443, or via email at mmy4home@earthlink.net. They will forward to us an itinerary so that we can authorize the purchase of the ticket with our credit card.

NOTE:

    1. Requests for reimbursement of expenses without receipts will not be honored. Keep all original receipts related to networking expenses (including the airfare receipt if you purchased tickets with your credit card) and submit them with the corresponding T-5 form directly to the HTI office.

    2. Funds cannot be used for:

        • Personal phone calls or any calls not related to HTI business.

        • Alcoholic beverages

        • Gasoline (Mileage will be reimbursed at the standard mileage rate established by the Internal Revenue Service)

        • Books or other research materials.

    3. Plans for networking funds must be used during the award year and reimbursement must be submitted to the HTI office no later than June 30.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

APUNTES:

Apuntes is a bilingual quarterly journal committed to theological reflections from the Hispanic margins. Apuntes is a publication, committed to dialogue between the academy and the church. Quality submissions from pastors, laity, and scholars are reviewed and given serious consideration for publication. Book reviews are also considered by the book review editor. Apuntes is published quarterly by the Mexican American Program, Perkins School of Theology, and the Southern Methodist University.

JOURNAL OF HISPANIC/LATINO THEOLOGY (JHLT) www.achtus.org/journal.html

JHLT serves as an important and challenging witness to the need for diversity in Christian tradition, enriches and reflects the ideas that affect and/or enrich U.S. Latino theology, and welcomes non-theological scholarship that helps to further understand the religious life and expressions of U.S. Latinos.

Published by The Liturgical Press under the editorial direction of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the United States (ACHTUS), the Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology is a quarterly refereed journal. Published for a professional audience, its focus on the concerns of pastoral theology and the wide-ranging issues reflects the international, interdisciplinary and ecumenical composition of its editorial board and board of contributing editors.

MEMBERSHIPS

ACADEMY OF CATHOLIC HISPANIC THEOLOGIANS OF THE UNITED STATES - ACHTUS (Only Catholics can apply in June) www.jhlt.org/achtus

The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians is an association of scholars dedicated to promoting research and critical theological reflection within the context of U.S. Hispanic Experience.

While influenced by other theologies, the articulation of faith experience of U.S. Hispanics is a distinct theological enterprise whose depth and richness remain largely untapped by the Church. The urgency of providing a theological voice for the lived faith of U.S. Hispanics is further underscored by the rapidly increasing demographic significance of the Hispanic population.

In order to carry out its mission, the Academy seeks to:

    1. Accompany the Hispanic communities of the United States, helping to critically discern the movement of the Spirit in their historical journey.

    2. Thematize the faith experience of the people within their historical, socio-economic, political and cultural contexts.

    3. Encourage interdisciplinary scholarly collaboration.

    4. Create resources, instruments and a professional network to develop a U.S. Hispanic teología de conjunto.

    5. Support Hispanics currently engaged in theological research and studies.

ASOCIACIÓN PARA LA EDUCACIÓN TEOLÓGICA HISPANA (Both Catholics and Protestants can apply) www.aeth.org

The Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) exists to stimulate dialogue and collaboration among theological educators, administrators of institutions for ministerial formation, and Christian ministerial students in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

AETH was founded as a result of a meeting of Hispanic theological educators that took place in August of 1991. AETH has since experienced a dramatic growth. Its current membership includes over 800 individuals and 60 affiliated institutions.

AETH has regional chapters in Puerto Rico and in several regions of the United States. Regional chapters sponsor workshops, stimulate ministerial development of its members and encourage the exchange of educational resources.

AETH publishes books and educational materials related to its objectives. Its bulletin “Encuentro” informs its membership regarding Hispanic theological education.

AETH encourages the creation and development of programs and projects aimed at strengthening and equipping people of God for Hispanics.