communicating with your elected officials: you don’t need luck presented by zora aubuchon, mdhe...
TRANSCRIPT
Communicating with your elected officials:
You don’t need luck
Presented by
Zora AuBuchon, MDHE
Will Shaffner, MOHELA
Paul Wagner, MDHE
Today’s Agenda
• General Do’s and Don’ts– Why communicate– Developing relationships– Tips for meetings
• Missouri’s elected officials
• The Congress of the United States
Why Communicate?
• Issues faced by your institution• Issues faced within the financial aid profession• Student or borrower issues
Identifying Contacts
• Identify members of Congress sitting on specific committees
• Identify the elected official’s staff member(s) for higher education issues
Developing Relationships
• Meet in person as often as possible
• Periodically provide updates about your organization– News releases– Announcements
• Frequency of contact– Do not overdo email messages
Note: Staff turnover can be high; it is important to keep a continuous dialog going
Key Staff to Know
• Administrative Assistant (Chief of Staff)
• Legislative Director
• Senior Legislative Assistant
• Legislative Assistant
• Executive Assistant (scheduler)
A First-Time Meeting
• To schedule, contact the scheduler/executive assistant and provide:– The requested meeting date
– Issues to be discussed
– Who and how many will be attending• Constituents are more likely to obtain the meeting
• The scheduler should follow up with you within five business days
Tips for Meetings
• Be aware of whether the member sits on the committee with jurisdiction on your issue
• Ask for the Legislative Director to join
• If meeting with a junior staffer– Subtly test his/her knowledge of the issue
– Educate the staffer
• Staffers tend to be “jacks of all trades”– NOT specialists
– Overworked and underpaid
More Tips for Meetings
• Arrive on time– Avoid canceling at any cost!
• Meetings should be 10-15 minutes MAX– Get to your point and stick to the issues
• If you want the member to do something– Be clear about what you want the member to do
– Be responsive to their requests for information!• Provide what is needed the same day
– Follow up
Legislators with an Interest in Higher Education
• Constituents come first
• Any legislator with a college or university will be interested
• Legislators receive many calls from constituents having problems with financial aid, admissions, or other higher education issues
Legislators with an Interest in Higher Education
• Members of committee to which a bill is assigned
• Members of the House Higher Education and Senate Education Committee
Contacts: Missouri 111th Congress
• Missouri’s U.S. Senators– Mr. Christopher (“Kit”) Bond– Ms. Claire McCaskill
• Missouri’s Representatives
Correspondence to a Senator
• Envelope:The Honorable (insert full name)
United States Senate
(Insert address)
Washington, D.C. 20510
• Letter salutation:Dear Senator (insert last name)
Correspondence to a Representative
• Envelope:The Honorable (insert full name)
United States House of Representatives
(Insert address)
Washington, D.C. 20515
• Letter salutation:Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms.(insert last name)
House Committees
• Committee on Education and Labor– George Miller (D-CA), Chair– Buck McKeon (R-CA), Ranking Member
• Subcommittee on Higher Education– Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Chair– Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Ranking Member
House Committees
• Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary & Secondary Education– Dale Kildee (D-MI), Chair– Mike Castle (R-DE), Ranking Member
Senate Committee
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions– Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Chair– Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member