Date

Event Description

Legislative Action Days (LAD) are a semi-annual event enabling graduate and professional students nationwide to gather in Washington DC to carry out one of the important missions of NAGPS - national advocacy. At LAD, students meet with their congressional representatives and address the issues they face as graduate and professional students. NAGPS runs an on-site, professional advocacy training session for all LAD attendees and provides advocacy materials to help attendees in their meetings.

LAD is an excellent opportunity to talk with your US Representatives and Senators about issues that are important to you, the graduate-professional student!  Experience the legislative process first hand and register today!

<<Register Today>>

Join the Delegation

Our goal is to bring a delegation of constituents that covers as many states, districts, and individual voices as possible.  Below is a map that represents registered Spring 2012 LAD attendees to date (02/01/2012).  Join us, so that we can deliver a nationally coordinated message from Graduate and Professional Students.

Accommodations

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Advocacy Reporting Form

Please take copious notes during your lobby visits and share these with the NAGPS LAD delegation during the debrief meetings at the end of each lobbying day. These notes will help refine advocacy efforts and assist you filling out the online NAGPS Advocacy Reporting Form.

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Advocacy Training Materials

Top 10 Advocacy Tips for Graduate Student Organizations

1. Develop a relationship with the government affairs staff on your campus. Most universities have dedicated staff who track state and federal legislation. They are often invaluable resources when it comes to understanding the personalities and dynamics behind the scenes of local, state and federal politics. Get to know them, and have one of your Executive Board members schedule regular meetings to keep abreast of new developments that may impact your student body. They should be your first point of contact when planning lobbying trips to Washington, D.C. or to your state capitol.

2. Never underestimate the power of a polished appearance, and speech. First impressions really do matter, especially when you have a limited amount of time to make an impact. Choose student leaders who can represent your organization in a thoughtful, articulate way without sounding elitist, or uninformed.

3. It takes time. Be patient with the progress you make, and institutionalize resources dedicated to your lobbying efforts so that when new leadership transition in, they can pick up where you left off.

4. Know the key players. At the state level, set up meetings with your Governor’s office, the chairs for various higher education committees, and sympathetic allies. At the federal level, work with your government affairs liaisons to determine which committees are most important to target based on impending legislation, and for future strategic positioning.

5. Maximize local resources. Whether you have a public affairs Masters or PhD program, or other related academic units or offices on campus, use their expertise to provide training on effective lobbying techniques for your executive board, and student body. If your organization cannot afford to lobby in Washington, D.C. or make a trip to the state capitol, meet with your representatives locally. Contact their staff to see when they will be coming to your area, and invite them for an on‐campus tour.

6. Know yourself, know your team. Keep in mind the strengths of each person on your lobbying team. Is Kate great at research? Is Todd a phenomenal speaker who can easily connect with people? Never take on the organization of lobbying on your own. Use the strengths of your team and you will not only be more effective and efficient, but you will help cultivate student leaders who are in the know. This helps to further infuse a culture of lobbying within your organization, and you’ll have more folks who understand the importance of funding your lobbying efforts.

7. Know the facts. How many millions of dollars does your institution receive in federal funding? In state funding? How will tuition increases impact students at your institution? Gather this data in coordination with university officials, conducting surveys, and simply by chatting with your constituents.

8. Have a story. Are you a first‐generation college student? Do you receive federal funding? Are you working on innovative research that will benefit the citizens of your state? Make sure that you have a story that’s relatable and of interest to the person you are speaking to.

9. Be professional. Have folders with your university or organizations logo with business cards, and literature on the issues you are advocating on behalf of.

10. Follow-up. Lobbying is a continuous effort, and you should always send handwritten thank you cards to those who spent time with you. Make sure a member of your team is coordinating this effort, and following‐up on the follow‐up!

Other NAGPS Training Materials:

• Lobbying 101
• Advocacy Training Videos

More Information from Congress.org:

• Communicating with Congress
• Visiting Capitol Hill
• Congressional Staff
• The Legislative Process
• Write Your Local Media About the Issues

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Attire

Please look your best when conducting lobby visits on Capitol Hill. Traditional business attire is recommended, which means men are in full suits with ties and women are in skirted suits or tailored pantsuits. Lobbying is about looking confident and professional while being prepared to discuss in depth the issues that are of concern.

Dress as if you were applying for a professional interview at the White House. All garments should be clean and pressed. Cover up any tattos and visible piercings. Ladies, you can keep the jewelry in your ears, but keep it toned down. No tennis shoes, jeans, short skirts, visible cleavage, or spandex. 

Remember the three Cs: Comfortable, Confident, Crisp.

SMART TIP: Bring an extra pair of comfortable shoes for the long walks in between visits to your representatives and conceal them in your briefcase or a professional looking bag.

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General Meeting Pointers

Print out your meeting schedule and map of Capitol Complex before each lobby day. Plan to arrive at your meeting location 5-10 minutes early to ensure you are never keeping a staffer or legislator waiting. Have a stylized logo folder from your university containing the leave behind documents ready to hand out. Designate speaker roles before entering each meeting to ensure there is no confusion during these short meetings.

The leave behind documents will be sufficient to provide you with talking points for your visits, but be prepared for more detailed discussions. Take a look at the history of your legislator and see what parallels can be drawn upon in support of our efforts. Be polite but try to keep them on topic if they start sidetracking the conversation.

Try to get a statement of support by saying something along the lines of: "Would your legislator support/cosponsor issue/bill X? What could they support/what would it take?" Try to be a resource if you have information of which they are not aware. Gather information for NAGPS on the issues you discuss with the legislator or staffer and note any recommendations they might have which could help future lobby visits - this may include things such as information sources or points of contact.

Please take copious notes during your lobby visits and share these with the NAGPS LAD delegation during the debrief meetings at the end of each lobbying day. These notes will help refine advocacy efforts and assist you filling out the online NAGPS Advocacy Reporting Form. Don’t forget to send a personalized thank-you card or email to everyone who met with you during your visits.

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Issues

• [Updates Coming Soon!]

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Leave Behind Documents

•   [Updates Coming Soon!]

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Planning for LAD

Attendees are responsible for making appointments with their local congressional delegation. Please try to do this scheduling a month in advance of LAD. A fax to the Legislator's office is often required but an email with a PDF attachment of the letter followed by a direct phone call is a better method. Walk-ins while at the Capitol are possible but you are much less likely to obtain a meeting. Ask to speak to the Legislator, if possible, or their education and tax policy staffers, depending on the issues you plan to discuss. Please plan on meeting with the committee members from your state, even if you are not in their district. Based on the issues that NAGPS focuses on there are a few key committees to target.

• House Ways and Means Committee
• House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
• House Education and the Workforce Committee
• Senate Finance Committee
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Senate Judiciary Committee 

Call the legislator's Capitol office directly and ask to speak to the meeting scheduler to expedite the process. They will likely end up giving you the scheduler's email address, to which you can then send your meeting request letter. Normally meetings are scheduled in 30-minute blocks which is manageable if all the meetings are in the same building/area. Allow more time between meetings that are scheduled on opposite ends of the Capitol Complex.

Tips on Scheduling a Meeting

Plan your meetings well in advance. You should set up your meeting at least six weeks before your planned appointment. You can find the congressional schedule by looking at the House or Senate website at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov or by calling the Member of Congress' office. 

When calling to make an appointment:

• Introduce yourself as a constituent.
• Explain the issue you would like to discuss. Be clear about any sense of urgency.
• Be flexible and accomodating of you member's (or staff person's) schedule. 
• Obtaining a meeting may be a long and difficult process. Be polite but persistent.
• Make sure you get the name, title and email address of the person who scheduled your appointment and the staffer you are scheduled to meet with.
• Immediately after you schedule a meeting, send a confirmation letter via email and fax that includes the date, purpose of your meeting, and a list of people attending.
• Several days before the meeting, call the member's office to confirm your appointment.
• Call again the day of your meeting. If you have only scheduled a meeting with a staffer ask again if the member might be available to join your meeting (it doesn't hurt to keep trying and schedules often change the day of). 

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Schedule

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Transportation & Maps

SPARC Offices

View Larger Map

Washington DC Metro

U.S. Capitol Complex

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