DREAM Act - before the House of Representatives votes tomorrow ...

Just received this from Campus Progress:

The House of Representatives will vote on the DREAM Act tomorrow (Friday). There are a few more offices that need to hear from you. See below's list.

If your representative happens to be on this list, then please call your representative first. Then go down the list and call all of the representatives.

If your representative is not on this list, then please just go down the list and start making phone calls.

To reach the offices, call 1-866-587-3023 and ask the operator to transfer you to the representative that you are trying to reach.

Give the following message to the member's office: Invest in America's military, economic and academic future. Vote yes on the DREAM Act.

Adler, John NJ-03
Arcuri, Michael NY-24
Baird, Brian WA-3
Barrow, John GA-12
Bishop, Sanford GA-02
Boccieri, John OH-16
Boucher, Rick VA-09
Boyd, Allen FL-02
Chandler, Ben KY-06
Cooper, Jim TN-05
Dahlkemper, Kathy PA-03
Deutch, Ted FL-19
Ellsworth, Brad IN-08
Hall, John NY-19
Herseth-Sandlin, Stephanie SD-AL
Higgins, Brian NY-27
Holden, Tim PA-17
Kirkpatrick, Ann AZ-01
Kissell, Larry NC-08
Marshall, Jim GA-08
Matheson, Jim UT-02
Michaud, Michael ME-02
Miller, Brad NC-13
Mollohan, Alan WV-01
Murphy, Scott NY-20
Nye, Glenn VA-02
Owens, Bill NY-23
Peters, Gary MI-09
Ross, Mike AR-04
Ryan, Tim OH-17
Schrader, Kurt OR-05
Scott, David GA-13
Shuler, Heath NC-11
Space, Zach OH-18
Spratt, John SC-05
Stupak, Bart MI-01
Tanner, John TN-8
Visclosky, Peter IN-01
Wilson, Charlie OH-06

As the hours pass and this blog post grows more outdated, I encourage you to go here for newer news:)

Political Engagement in the Millennial Age

Stumbled upon this on the Poptech website. Super good!

It was filmed at the annual Poptech conference, held in Camden, Maine. Approximately 600 people gather together to discuss using technology and innovation to tackle global problems such as climate change, poverty and disease.



Erica Williams is a Washington, D.C.-based activist and commentator who currently serves as the Deputy Director of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress.

HA. Stay Covered. Vote on Nov 2.

One Day Training - How to Get Out the Youth Vote. Washington, DC. June 21

Campus Progress' upcoming campaign training event, How to Win in 2010: Mobilizing Young Voters taking place on June 21st at the Center for American Progress.

This nonpartisan day of trainings, which is being co-sponsored by Rock the Vote, the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, and the American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, will focus on equipping campaign staff, candidates and members of the media with tools to help them effectively engage, utilize, and turn out young voters.

Great speakers include Steve Hildebrand (former Obama for America Deputy Campaign Manager), Karen Hicks, and trainers from Rock the Vote, PEW, the Fair Elections Legal Network, and many other organizations.

The training day is free and limited travel and housing scholarships are also available.

Additional info & registration is here.

5 Myths about Student Loan Reform Debunked

Campus Progress circulated this PDF today with counterpoints to the student loan companies (and a few US Senators) who are claiming that student loan reform measures are bad for a variety of reasons ...

For example:

Myth 2: Passage of student loan reform legislation will result in the loss of thousands of loan industry jobs.

“The student-loan provisions buried in the health care legislation intentionally eliminate private-sector jobs at a time when our country can least afford to lose them." -- Sallie Mae Spokeswoman Martha Holler, March 22, 2010


Fact: There will be no shortage of work for loan companies under the new reforms; all current loans under the old Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) will still need to be serviced, as will all new loans made under the Direct Loan Program (DLP), and the same big lenders have already lined up for contracts to service new loans.

In fact, student loan giant Sallie Mae has announced it is in the process of bringing back 3,400 jobs from overseas. These jobs are returning to the U.S., at least in part, so that the company can be eligible for Department of Education contracts to service Direct Loans. In addition, most loan companies today do more than make federal student loans. Many offer consultation services to schools, private student loans, collections services, and other products and services, and will continue to be in business and employing people for these activities after reform is passed.

Companies like Sallie Mae seem to be playing politics with jobs, frequently changing their job loss estimates, and exaggerating the impact that the legislation will have on their workforce. Opponents of reform have claimed that 30,000 to 35,000 private sector jobs would be lost, but this is a very rough estimate of the total number of jobs that are involved in the FFELP program. No one seriously believes that job losses—even in the worst possible estimation—would approach this figure.

In addition, the bill’s investments in community colleges and minority serving institutions, made possible by ending the lender subsidies, will save and create jobs. And by expanding educational opportunity, the reforms will enable more young people to gain the skills and experience necessary to enter the workforce, thereby creating more jobs and strengthening the economy in the long term.


Excellent stuff.

A College Education :: Priceless

Some background: On Tuesday, November 17th the University of California's Board of Regents approved a 32%, or $2,500, increase in undergraduate fees.


Here's a new YouTube video about the fee hikes. It was made for an Intro to Communication class at the University of California San Diego, and was filmed on campus at UCSD.




I found this video on the blog Student Activism, which is run by one of the panelists @ this upcoming event:

Campus Progress invites you to...

Is College Only for the Rich? Student Organizing for College Affordability

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Center for American Progress - 1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005


With fees increasing 32% for University of California students, amid passionate protests, college affordability is making headlines once again, at a time when college affordability reform legislation awaits action in the Senate. This panel will examine the implications of the tuition debate in California, and look ahead at efforts to make college more affordable and accessible on the institutional, state, and federal levels.

Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY) will give the opening remarks.

Speakers for this event include Victor Sanchez, president of the University of California Student Association; Bruce Cain, executive director of the University of California - Washington Center who will be speaking on behalf of the administration; Angus Johnston, a historian of student social movements, and blogger at www.studentactivism.net; and Campus Progress's Pedro de la Torre, a policy expert on student financial aid. The panel will be moderated by Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Campus Progress.

Click here to RSVP.

Food and Refreshments will be served.

If you cannot attend in person then check out the live stream here!

Sponsored by Campus Progress and the United States Student Association, and US PIRG.

If you have questions, please email speakers@campusprogress.org.

Is College Only For The Rich?

This is an update to my November 11th post "Making College More Affordable."

Campus Progress has raised money to put this 30 second spot on cable TV and on Hulu in key states across the country:



Since the organization doesn't have the kind of money that student loan companies have, the organization is going to need your help spreading the above ad on Facebook, Twitter, and email to get the word out.

Campus Progress also helped get this ad printed in the Washington, DC politics newspaper Politico, yesterday.

Stupak Amendment Info Session/Happy Hour in DC on Wed Nov 18

Campus Progress invites you to...

The Stupak Amendment and You: A Happy Hour/Info Session

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Where: Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005

Pissed off about the Stupak amendment? Confused about what it means for women's health and how it affects health care reform?

Join Campus Progress for a conversation with Jessica Arons, Director of the Women's Health and Rights Program at the Center for American Progress and Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of Choice USA, about the amendment and what we can do to ensure that the final health care bill provides real, comprehensive health care to all Americans and doesn't infringe on the rights of women.

Click here to RSVP

Pizza will be served, and complimentary beer and wine will be available for those over 21.

Sponsored by Campus Progress. If you have questions, please email speakers@campusprogress.org.

If you can't make it to the event but want to learn more about Campus Progress and their coverage of the Health Care Debate, then check out these Crib Notes.