Good Morning CENCAL/WESTOP: Follow this link to see how your Congressional Rep voted on Budget Control Act of 2011. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_member.php?cs_id=36151 I am disappointed to report that of the 7 Central California Congress members we visited during Policy Seminar, and have continued to contact repeatedly with regard to proposed TRIO cuts, 4 of them voted YES and 3 voted NO. We should thank Republican Devin Nunes (Fresno State, COS), Democrat Sam Farr (CSUMB), and Democrat Dennis Cardoza (UC Merced) for standing with us and voting NO. You can contact them and seen a message directly from their home pages online, or on their Facebook to express your appreciation on behalf of your students and your campus. I am shocked that our two other TRIO Caucus Members Democrat Jim Costa (all West Hills College locations) and Democrat Lois Capps voted Yes. I am not surprised that Republican's Jeff Denham and Kevin McCarthy (CalPoly) voted Yes as they did not commit to support TRIO. Denham's stand is that he feels that ALL educational program funding should come from State budgets and not Federal dollars. McCarthy's office was only willing to take our materials but flaked for the second year in a row on the appointment. We definitely need to bombard these offices with emails, letters, phone calls to change this mindset, and invoke a desire in these reps to respond to our attempts to help them understand the population that we serve and their needs that may be very unique in comparison to the image they may have of a Central California student. (???) Some people see only what they want to see, and it is up to us to present our students and our TRIO history of success from 1965 til now. If you have any activities going on at your campus, invite them to come out - - - our CENCAL team witnessed firsthand the positive vibes expressed in Washington when speaking of having a rep visit the students on campuses. Those we met with ALL in favor of visiting those campuses they represent and become more active with our students. Democrat Zoe Lofgren represents San Jose area and National Hispanic University. Candelario left us to visit her office during Policy Seminar with other NorCal team members to represent NHU. She voted NO as well and those CENCAL members, staff, students should thank her. We can sit and do nothing, or we CAN make a difference by doing something : by sounding a voice for TRIO. Visit this link and see how your representative voted and then either thank them or send them a "shaking" message of the reality of your students need, but most importantly the SUCCESS of so many students thanks to TRIO. I am also forwarding additional email from COE received this morning with link to a page that allows you to email the President, your Senators, and your Congressman. It's so easy - write your comments/message of concern and appeal on a word doc, copy and paste it to each of their links, SEND. 15 minutes of your time. More information on Budget Control Act of 2011: http://tax.cchgroup.com/downloads/files/pdfs/legislation/debtceiling.pdf Choose to make a difference today! Kimberly Hughes, Program Assistant Student Support Services, CSUF Foundation 5241 N. Maple Ave., Room 122 MS TA 35 Fresno, CA 93740-8027 559-278-5725 phone 559-278-1441 fax Email: [log in to unmask] TR i O ...it works! We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. ~Cesar Chavez