Good Afternoon WESTOP Team Leaders and Team Members:

LEGISLATIVE APPOINTMENTS: I just wanted to remind you that as we are just weeks away from Policy Seminar that each of you should have already contacted legislative offices for your districts to secure your appointments to meet with congressional representatives. 

GET THAT TIME SLOT! : If you have not already received confirmation of your appointment with either the congressman/woman or their educational aide, then please contact those prospective offices as soon as possible to follow-up.  You can ask to speak directly to the educational aide and hopefully secure those appointments. Since their staff are so busy, this is something that you have to stay on top of, even if it means multiple calls or emails.

I am attaching Key Talking Points and Tips for Visiting Your Representative.

Other tips for preparation for your visit:

• Research your congressman/woman's website to see where they stand on education.  You can also find out how they have voted on the Appropriations Bill or Labor HHS in the past.
• Research success points of ALL TRiO programs, not just your own program, so that you can give a "well-rounded" but brief presentation sticking to how each of our programs objectives stay in line with current administration's Higher Education goals.
• Last year I printed out these key points that I researched and made a binder of each representative, their background (veteran/non-vet, low-income, disadvantaged populations, rural or farm working populations, disabled/non-disabled, etc), and took it with me to Washington.  I read it on the plane, in my hotel room, etc, so that I knew how to approach each one and which program and program services to focus on just a little more with that certain representative. I think that made a difference. We were able to secure 3 of our representatives on the TRiO Caucus; so I think it may be a strategy that might have added to our presentation.  
• Take some student, student alumni, parent, university president or other letters to leave with the representative from your chapter programs.  We had students write essays for their grant aid and surprisingly over 1/2 of them wrote TRIO in front of our program name in the letters more than times than once.  Their essays ring with "Why I Need TRIO" even though that was not the subject.  So we had them sign clearance for us to duplicate and present in Washington.  It is not to late to get these done! 
  
• Get 10 students that have successes to share and how TRIO has contributed to their academic success or their future academic goals.  These can be left with the aide or representative on the day of your visit.  Pictures or newsletters work too! They want to hear the voices of the students along with our voices. 
  

So we have our work cut out for us WESTOP.  If you are not attending Policy Seminar, you can still help by putting together "success" stories or plea letters for your chapter team leader or team member to take with them.  Contact them today to pledge your assistance in this so very important matter.

Looking forward to hearing back from you all soon,

Kimberly Hughes
SSS Program Assistant/WESTOP Legislative & Education Chair
5241 N Maple Avenue, TA35
Fresno, CA 93740-8027
559-278-5725 work/559-470-5782 cell
559-278-1441 fax
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