Legislative Advocacy 101

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Legislative Advocacy 101

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Objectives

• To teach Financial Aid professionals HOW to
  effectively develop and disseminate an advocacy
  message.
• To increase campus and community AWARENESS of
  advocacy issues and opportunities.

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Overarching Goals

• To foster awareness about legislative advocacy
  among Financial Aid professionals and the aid
  community.
• WHILE
• Empowering Financial Aid professionals to be
  active advocates for student aid issues, both now
  and in the future.

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What is Advocacy?

• Act of pleading for, supporting or
  recommending Websters Dictionary.
• From the Latin advocare to call to ones aid

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What is Advocacy to US?

• To assist educational institutions, foundations,
  government agencies and private and community
  organizations to promote and develop effective
  programs of student financial aid. NYSFAAA
  Constitution
• to work with SUNY System Administration, public
  policymakers, and campus administrators in
  serving the best interests of applicants, the
  University, and the public. SUNYFAP
  Constitution

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The Three As of Advocacy

• Awareness
• Your own, students, colleagues, legislators.
• Advancement
• By getting involved, you can help advance a
  movement or effect a policy change.
• Action
• Make contacts, write letters, call or visit your
  elected officials, support an organization.

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Why Should WE Be Advocates?

• Students and the needy do not always advocate for
  themselves
• We have a unique position to see problems and
  understand their implications
• The problems matter
• We have respect and credibility this needs
  to earned and cultivated

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.jpg
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Why Should We Be LEGISLATIVE Advocates?

• You may hate politics, but you cant ignore the
  consequences of politics especially for those
  who dont speak for themselves.

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Examples of Leg. Advocacy

• Mandate that Pell Grant funding be left in tact
• Increase TAP maximum award if SUNY Tuition goes
  over 5000
• Reinstitute Graduate TAP
• Keep Campus based programs
• Eliminate Burdensome regulations
• Fill in the ____________________

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The Legislative Process

• Sloooooooooow
• Varies for different Legislative bodies
• Know when your voice will be heard
• Proposal of a bill
• Public Hearings on the issue
• Lobbying individual legislators
• And Intervene!

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How does a Bill become a Law?

• http//www.votesmart.org/resource_govt101_02.php
• http//www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/Bill_Beco
  mes_Law/Bill_Becomes_Law.cfm
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vmEJL2Uuv-oQ (video)

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How a Bill Becomes a Law
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Who are your Representatives?
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How to Choose your Hot Topic?
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up.jpg
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Leverage your Expertise

• Become the campus advocacy person
• Know the campus government relations person
• Know the elected officials and their staff
• Use the media
• Use students
• Data rules
• No action on your part stop complaining

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Formal Approach

• Institutions Government Relations Office they
  work with elected officials on a whole spectrum
  of issues. They maintain a more over arching
  relationship with elected officials. However
  your Governmental Relations office needs to be in
  touch with you the local expert on aid issues

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Aid Professional Approach

• Financial Aid professionals advocate lawmakers
  directly
• Propose advocacy message to be approved by
  government relations person and possibly
  president
• Coordinate with assiciations
• Advocate the lawmaker

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Contacting Elected Officials

• In- person visits most effective likely to
  meet staffer first 5 minutes are crucial.
• E-mail convenient, always copy staffer and
  state,regional, national associations
• Phone calls do work its old school but it
  works
• Fax This works too!

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Preparing for the Visit

• Do Your Homework!
• Prepare a one-page leave-behind document that
  contains
• -Specifics about your school/students
• -Summary of the issue
• -Specific recommendation
• - Your Contact information

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Day of the Visit

• Dos
• Arrive on time
• Clearly state who you are representing
• Show gratitude
• Listen first, then speak
• Be concise
• Ask for support
• Focus on students

• Do Not
• Engage in political discussion
• Offer suggestions on cutting other programs to
  pay for student aid
• Answer a question you do not know the answer to
  get back to them

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After The Visit

• Follow up with a Thank you note
• Follow up with additional information as needed
• Encourage an on-going relationship invite the
  member to campus
• Visit them in the home-district office

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Summary Tips Effective Advocacy

• Its easy to be an advocate.
• Keep it local
• Keep it personal
• Understand your members position
• Keep it factual
• Know the issue

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Questions?
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The End