News Article

COE: Do you know what time it is?
Monday, June 28th, 2010

Click To View Documents: Sample Meeting Request Letter.doc (24KB); July 4 Recess Talking Points.doc (32KB);

Do you know what time it is? At the end of this week, Congress will adjourn for 10 days for its annual 4th of July Recess. What does this mean? Members of Congress will be home at the end of this week for an extended break (lasting until July 13th). It is critical that each Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate hear from the TRIO community during the holiday break. There are two ways you can do this: schedule a meeting with the Member or Senator in their local office during the recess or attend a town hall meeting while they are home. (Complete information for your congressional delegation appears at the bottom of this message.)

How do you schedule a meeting with your Member of Congress? Call the Member's Washington DC office (via the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121) and ask for the correct person to contact regarding scheduling a meeting in the local offices. E-mail a meeting request form (see sample form attached) to that person and set up the meeting. Once your meeting is set, assemble a team of TRIO directors, alumni, and students to accompany you on your meeting! Remember, there is strength in numbers when telling the story of TRIO and it is important that the Member and his or her staff understand how important TRIO is in their community! Also, contact Kimberly or me at the Council (202-347-7430) to get up-to-date talking points and detailed information relating to your individual member (general talking points are attached). With Congress beginning to set its appropriations calendar for this year, this holiday break is extremely important. The more Members of Congress who hear the voice of TRIO in their districts and states, the more successful we will be in advancing TRIO.

How do you know if your Member or Senator has a town hall meeting scheduled? Call your Representative or Senator's Washington DC office (via the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121) and ask the front desk if they have town hall meetings scheduled. If they do, it is important that you get a large TRIO constituency to attend the event wearing TRIO pins and TRIO shirts. Also, have one or two people prepared to ask a detailed question of the Member or Senator - COE staff can help you draft these questions.    

We know that many of you are on summer break, but without a constant and consistent message, the TRIO voice will be lost! As you all know, it is an election year - which means they are counting on YOUR VOTE! Make sure that you carry the message that your vote depends on the support and advancement of TRIO!

Please feel free to contact Kimberly or me if you have any questions (heather.valentine@coenet.us or kimberly.jones@coenet.us). Please do not respond directly to this e-mail as I cannot view the responses. 

Thanks and I look forward to our continued work together,

Heather
COE staff