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Home UMass Advocates Current Action The Volunteer Archives Resources for Advocacy		Tips for Effective UMass Amherst Advocacy: The Nuts and Bolts of Legislative Visits Visits are a great way to meet your legislators. They want to hear your concerns. Registered voters get their legislators' undivided attention. Encourage other UMass supporters to visit their legislators and make UMass matter in the Massachusetts House and the Senate. Attention students: If you are an in-state student, make sure you are registered to vote in your home district. Show your elected officials that you care about UMass, that you are registered, and that you vote. Registering in your home district demonstrates the reach of UMass Amherst all across the Commonwealth. If you are an out-of-state student, consider registering to vote as a Massachusetts resident. Your time at the University is a significant investment and you should participate in the democratic process. Your perspectives are important. Join with parents, alumni, friends, donors, and businesses in advocating for UMass. Your insights complete the picture for why UMass matters. To schedule a visit to the district office: 1. Check your local newspaper or call your legislator's office to find out if and when s/he holds district office hours. District office hours are specific times that legislators set aside to be available to their constituents close to home. These times are an ideal opportunity to discuss UMass with your legislator. However, if you spend your business days in Boston, you may find a State House meeting more convenient. Your l egislators' staff can help you schedule a meeting in either location. The State House switchboard (617) 722-2000 will connect you to any legislator's office. 2. Confirm that the legislator him or herself will be present. While meetings with legislative staff can be effective, your first choice is to meet face-to-face with your elected representative. Confirm with the legislator's scheduler that s/he will be present; confirm again in writing. 3. Some legislators hold their district hours in a public location, like a coffee shop or the town library. The location may affect your ability to stay on message, if other distractions are present. Take the location into consideration as you prepare for your visit. 4. Decide if you will invite other advocates. Feel free to invite other allies you know -- but be sure to let us know who those folks are so we can thank them! To include other advocates, you will need to: Coordinate with them before setting the meeting time or invite them after the meeting has been set. Coordinating the schedules of busy people is time consuming, but will ensure that your meeting time is convenient to a large group of advocates. A less time consuming method is to set the meeting at your convenience and invite other advocates to join you. Make follow up calls a few days before the meeting. A quick call to everyone who is attending will help ensure a good turnout. Let the legislator's staff know who is coming. Don't surprise the legislator with a roomful of advocates; be certain the scheduler knows who will be in your group. Whether meeting alone or as a group of UMass advocates you should: 1. Be prepared. Create a list of 3-5 talking points that you can share in 5 minutes or can expand upon in a longer meeting. 2. Do your homework. If your legislator is newly elected, offer "Congratulations." Check to see if your legislator is a UMass alumna/us or a graduate of a state or community college. 3. Thank the legislator for past support of the University. 4. Tell your own story. The simplest message is the strongest --state why you care about UMass. Note that you live in the district and vote. Ask your legislator to support the University. 5. Find out where your legislator stands on the issue. Your visit is an opportunity to get your legislator to comment on public higher education and the University's budget. Don't be afraid to ask your legislator directly, "What's your position on UMass?" 6. Be polite. If your legislator disagrees with you, simply restate your support of the University. Thank your legislator for meeting with you and listening to your concerns. 7. Admit you don't know the answer. Legislators don't expect you to know everything about UMass. If you are asked a question and you don't know the answer say, "I don't know." Call Advocacy Programs to get the answer and send a follow up letter, email, or telephone call with the information. 8. Remember legislative aides. Your first choice is to meet with your legislator. If you meet with an aide, be polite and conduct the meeting as planned. Staff members can be terrific allies and it doesn't hurt to cultivate them. Many of them are UMass alumni or have UMass connections. After the meeting: Send thank you note(s). Good manners are noticed and remembered. Be sure to write to the legislator to thank him or her for the meeting. If other UMass advocates attended the meeting, you may wish to thank them as well. Remember to "Close the Loop". Your UMass advocacy counts!
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