Contacting Your Legislator, Made Easy
The following steps are intended to help make contacting your legislators fast, easy, and effective:
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Enter your address or county into this online tool, provided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, to find the names and contact information of your legislators.
Make Contact
Call, e-mail, or write a letter to your legislator. Do more than one if you can.
Formatting the Letter
If you choose to write a letter, here is a quick guide to formatting it.
[Your Name]
[Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
[Date (Month, Day, Year)]
The Honorable [Full Name of Legislator]
[Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
Dear [Representative or Senator] [Legislator’s Last Name]:
[Body of the letter. See guide below.]
[Closing. See guide below.]
[Your Name]
What to Say/Write
Make the following points in the body of your letter or in your e-mail or phone call. They are in a suggested order.
- My role in the legislator’s district
- I live in the district you represent
- I own a business in your district
- Possibly an important community role I play
- I have been closely following the news about funding for IUP and other state institutions. I was very concerned about the governor’s proposed cuts but am heartened by the increases to his plan suggested by House and Senate members.
Expand on why cuts in the state appropriation would concern you. Use your own words and experiences, but here are some ideas:
- My tie(s) to IUP and the State System:
- I am an alumna/alumnus
- I am an IUP student
- I am a parent of an IUP student
- The proposed cuts will hurt the quality of education the university provides and, ultimately, the university's reputation
- Affordable access to high-quality higher education is crucial to
- students
- potential students
- their families
- economy of region/state
- future of region/state
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Talking Points
It is crucial to insert your thoughts and experiences as they relate to these talking points:
Ninety percent of PASSHE students come from Pennsylvania; 83 percent stay in Pennsylvania after they graduate.
You may want to discuss how important your experience at IUP was to your life and any effect it may have had on your decision to stay in Pennsylvania.
- PASSHE and the state-owned universities have been
- consistent, good stewards of the public’s money
- a major economic force where I live
Localize the impact of IUP and the State System on your community or region. Here are some examples:
- IUP is a major force in the region’s economy
- I value the services IUP provides to the community at large:
- resources
- expertise
- arts and culture
- business support
- health and wellness services
- athletics and recreation
- educational opportunities
- events and activities
Closing the Letter
Close with one last push for the legislator to do everything in his/her power to reduce the proposed cuts to appropriations for IUP and the other thirteen State System member institutions.
Find More Information
Find more information on the following:
For more information about contacting your legislators, please contact Robin Gorman, executive assistant and chief of staff to the president, at 724-357-2410 or rgorman@iup.edu.
