WRITE TO YOUR FEDERAL LEGISLATORS AND ASK FOR THEIR SUPPORT
WHY PARTICIPATE?
Participating in federal advocacy for California State University (CSU) is essential for ensuring SF State remains an accessible institution for all. When you participate in advocacy, you influence decisions that directly affect our students' access to education. Your voice has the power to shape legislation, resulting in enhanced experiences and opportunities for our community members.
Together, we can push for legislation that benefits our exceptional student body, such as increasing Pell Grants and backing the DREAM Act. Your engagement in federal advocacy plays a vital role. We are counting on you to be changemakers with us.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
- Find Your Own California Legislators by visiting Find your Legislator at: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
- Click on your members.
- Click “contact.”
- Use the sample letters.
- Fill out the online form with your information and cut and past the sample letter, below, into the message section.
DREAM Act
The Dream Act of 2023 will cancel removal and grant conditional permanent resident status for Dreamers (undocumented people who arrived in the United States as children). Dreamers are an extremely valued part of the SF State community.
Dear (Add member’s title and name)
I am writing to you to urge you to support the DREAM Act (S.365), which grants conditional permanent residency to eligible DACA recipients who arrived in the U.S. as minors, with protections for their personal information and expanded access to state educational benefits.
With recent threats to the DACA program, this risks the safety and protection of approximately 559 DACA recipients and undocumented students served by the Dream Resource Center (DRC) at San Francisco State University. These students are extremely high achieving and essential members of the SF State community. In fact, 92% of students supported by the Continue the Dream for Academic Excellence Scholarship Fund, an SF State program that helps students pursue higher education regardless of their immigration status, have graduated or are actively pursuing their graduation goals.
These Dreamers are our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and leaders. I stand with San Francisco State University in their advocacy to provide Dreamers with a clear pathway to citizenship and access to Title IV federal student aid, believing these steps are essential for their success and well-being. A bipartisan solution must be reached to ensure their rights and safety.
I ask you to support bill S.365 to offer DACA and undocumented students protection and opportunities for success. These Dreamers are an integral part of our schools, our communities, and our nation. Providing them with security and the means to thrive is a critical matter of justice.
I look forward to your support in making a significant positive impact on the lives of these deserving individuals and our community at large.
(Insert name here)
PELL Grant
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. These grants allow over 6 million students yearly to attend college. With inflation, the value of the Pell Grant is not nearly as high as it once was. The CSU asks the federal government to double the amount awarded to each student in the Pell Grant.
Dear (Add member’s title and name),
I am writing as a proud alumnus of San Francisco State University to express my support for the doubling of the Pell Grant program.
At SF State, 9,092 students at SF State (representing approximately 40% of the total student body) relied on Pell Grants to attend school in the academic year 2022-23. These grants are fundamental to boosting enrollment, supporting retention, and reducing student loans. Without Pell, thousands of members of the SF State family would be unable to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Despite their demonstrated effectiveness, Pell Grants now cover a significantly smaller share of college costs than they did in the past. In the early 1970s, the Pell Grant covered more than 75% of a student’s total cost of attendance at public four-year institutions. Today, at SF State, where the estimated total cost of attendance is $36,050, the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395 covers a mere 20% of these costs.
The lack of adaptation to inflation in Pell Grant funding is disheartening and presents a growing barricade to higher education for countless students from low-income backgrounds. The economic landscape has changed, and our financial aid systems must evolve accordingly. Doubling the Pell Grant to $13,000 and ensuring it keeps pace with inflation through permanent indexing are essential steps to maintaining college affordability.
Legislation supporting these goals would ensure that higher education remains accessible and attainable for all students and help significantly more low-income students to achieve their dreams of receiving college education.
I strongly urge you to support the doubling of the Pell Grant and its permanent indexing to inflation. Our students’ futures are in your hands and depend on actions taken today to dismantle blockades toward educational equity.
(Insert name here)