Communicating with Your Member of Congress
- Contact Your Member of Congress
By Letter | By E-mail | By Phone
- Visiting Your Member of Congress on the Hill or at Home
On the Hill | On Campus
Writing a letter is the simplest and one of the more effective ways to let your member know how you feel. The quickest and surest way to deliver your message is to fax or e-mail the letter directly to your member's office. Since the anthrax scares in 2001, members of Congress rely heavily on fax and e-mail. If neither is available to you, send your letter by mail. Remember, it only takes a few well-crafted personal notes to get the attention of a member of Congress.
Making the Most of Your Written Message:
- Make the letters/e-mail brief, concise, and neat. State your message clearly at the start of the letter. ("I'm contacting you because I want you to make sure Congress focuses on funding federal student aid in the debate over the reauthorization of the HEA.") Then give the details of your personal story. ("The students at rely heavily on federal aid to pay for college. We need Congress to focus on funding and increasing student aid in the debate over HEA reauthorization." Or, "I'm attending college today because of the federal student aid I receive."). Keep points short, and don't forget to provide your return address.
- Address members of Congress appropriately. When writing your representative or senators, be sure to use the correct format and titles.
Date
Honorable Rob Roe
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-1101
Dear Representative Roe: |
Date
Honorable Jane Doe
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510-1103
Dear Senator Doe: |
- Take advantage of e-mail. Most members of Congress maintain e-mail addresses. Use the Contact Your Elected Officials tool above to fiand and then compose your email.
- Communicating with Your Member of Congress by Telephone. Calling a member directly is another way to get your point across. Depending on the member's schedule, you may have to leave a message or ask for a return call. If the representative or senator is not available, ask if you can speak with the legislative assistant who is responsible for higher education. They understand the issues that concern you, and will make sure your message gets to your member.
Making the Most of Your Telephone Call:
- Be prepared. Have in hand the specific information and examples of how important federal student aid is to your school. Make it personal. Use the information from the Campus Summary Sheet or prepare a few personal stories illustrating why Congress needs to focus on funding federal student and not federalizing America's colleges and universities.
- Be concise. Keep your message brief and to the point. Any member of Congress can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard.
U.S. House of Representatives (202) 225-3121
U.S. Senate (202) 224-3121
For the telephone numbers of district offices, check your local phone directory.
Visiting Your Member of Congress on the Hill and at Home
Visiting a member of Congress is one of the best ways to communicate a message. If you intend to travel to Washington, D.C., in the coming months, be sure to schedule a meeting with your member of Congress or the staff person responsible for higher education issues. Alternatively, you can seek a meeting with your member or his/her staff in their district or home office.
Members often have more time for constituents during congressional recesses when they visit their home or district office(s). Maintaining a steady dialogue with a member of Congress even when there are no pending votes will benefit your campus and the students who rely heavily on
federal student aid.
Making the Most of Your Visit:
- Call for an appointment. Ask to speak with the scheduler, and explain who you are and your institutional affiliation. Indicate that you want to meet with your member to talk about higher education reauthorization and federal student aid funding. If the representative or senator is not available, make an appointment with the legislative assistant who is responsible for higher education. They understand the issues that concern
you, and will make sure your message gets to your member.
- Be prepared. Go into the meeting with specific information and examples of how important federal student aid is to your schools. Make it personal. Members of Congress usually like to know the specifics of how legislation will help or hurt their constituents. Fill out a Campus Summary Sheet and be sure to bring it with you on your visit. Use the HEA Talking Points and the HEA Questions and Answers: Things You Should Know to prepare yourself.
- Be brief. Respect the busy schedules of members and their staff. A typical appointment might last no more than 20 minutes.
- Follow up. After your meeting, write a note to the member and the aides with whom you met. Thank them for their time, and reiterate why focusing on federal student aid funding in the HEA is so important.
Bringing a Member of Congress to Campus
Members of Congress are usually eager to meet the people who live, work and attend school in their congressional districtŠand when they do, the experience often remains with them for many years. Invite your members of Congress and the staff person(s) responsible for higher education issues to campus. Introduce the human face of student aid, and show them the quality of your institution and its value to the community.
Given the schedules of members, it may take weeks, months, or even longer to succeed in getting a member to visit your campus. Think of this tool as a long-term investment of your time and energy in establishing or enhancing a relationship with your member of Congress.
Making the Most of a Campus Visit:
- Send a letter of invitation. Fax or e-mail a formal letter of invitation to your federal official at the district office asking him or her to come to campus. Explain the purpose of the invitation (e.g., to meet with the president and other members of the administration, tour the financial aid office, participate in an inissues forum,ls meet with faculty or students, etc.). Be prepared to be flexible on the date, and plan for last-minute cancellations. The legislative calendar often changes with little notice.
- Follow up with a telephone call to the member's scheduler. Wait five to seven days after sending your invitation to make the follow-up call. Refer to your invitation by date and subject, and ask when the member's schedule would allow a visit.
- Be persistent but understanding. Members of Congress have many demands on their time. If the scheduler can't confirm a date for a visit, ask when it would be appropriate to call back.
- Be prepared. Once a date is set for the visit, do your homework and be prepared to make the most of the member's visit. Remember your messages and try to personalize the information as much as possible.
- Stick to the schedule. Do your best to end on time. It is likely that your guest will have another appointment immediately following.
- Send a thank-you letter. Use the opportunity to reiterate your messages, while thanking the member and staff for taking the time to visit your campus.
Please Note: Be aware of how you sign your letter. Are you signing as a constituent and an administrator at xyz or just as a constituent? If you are writing on your institution letterhead, and including your title, please be sure to check with your institution, supervisor, etc.
When talking with a staff member on an issue, please remember that these staff cover dozens of issues (not necessarily all education-related), so they may not have had the chance to familiarize themselves with the intricate details. Be patient and use the time as an opportunity to be the
expert and offer suggestions. If complaining about legislation or an issue, be as specific as possible, while making every effort to put a human face on an issue.
