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| Example: Forward email messages through groups with similar interests. In this case, the web was used to find graduate student organizations at every Cal State University campus. |
Dear Graduate Student Leader:
I am an English graduate student at Cal Poly. I am working to organize support for Senate Bill 1896, which proposes to lower graduate student tuition fees by five percent. Could you please help me circulate this action alert to graduate students at your campus? Quick action is crucial. |
| Provide vital facts on the issue and a source for more information. | Summary: Senate Bill 1896 would reduce fees
for resident graduate students at the University of California and
the California State University systems by five percent beginning
in fiscal year 1999-2000. During Fall 1999, for the first time in
CSU history, graduate students paid higher tuition than undergraduates.
This fee differential sets a dangerous precedent. Fortunately, we can gain
the same five percent fee reduction as the undergraduates via Senate Bill
1896.
Arguments in favor of the bill include preserving fairness since undergraduate fees have already been decreased, recognizing the financial struggles faced by so many self-supporting graduate students, and encouraging all efforts to keep education both affordable and accessible. Descriptions of pending legislation and daily status updates can be
obtained from the following site:
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| Clarify the deadlines and timeframe for action | Immediate Action Needed: Senate Bill
1896 (Graduate Student Fees) is currently in a "suspension file" pending
with the State Assembly Appropriations Committee. On August 19th, the committee
will evaluate the current status of budget appropriations amd choose which
pending measures to fund. Thus, our first priority is to encourage all
committee members to vote approval .
If Senate Bill 1896 receives this committee approval, the bill will next be voted on by the full Assembly. Then, the bill would return to the State Senate for a final vote. If successful, the bill will go to the Governor's desk for a signature. So our second priority -- after contacting committee members -- should be to lobby the representatives for our district. |
| Clarify who to contact and how. | Contact Legislators: Send letters, write e-mail messages, or make phone calls in support of SB-1896. Easy to enter your zip code into a search directory at this web site -- www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html -- to find contact info for appropriate representatives. |
| Make responses easy by including sample messages and explicit action steps. | Sample Message. Dear _____: Please support
Senate Bill 1896 regarding student fees in public postsecondary education.
This bill would reduce the education and registration fees charged to resident
graduate students in the California State University system. Fees
for the 1999-2000 fiscal year would be reduced by five percent below the
level charged during the 1997-98 fiscal year. Undergraduate students have
already benefited from a similar rollback in 1998 fees.
As a graduate student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I have been delighted by the high quality of the education provided by the CSU system. Although tuition costs are reasonable, particularly in comparison to private institutions, I struggle each quarter to cover the expenses of my education. I urge you to vote "yes" on SB-1896 so that higher education will remain feasible, accessible, and affordable for self-supporting students on moderate budgets. Sincerely . . . |
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