UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Checklist for Advocacy for Threatened Programs and Departments

1. Email and call colleagues on the home campus to make sure they know of the threats to the program. Often programs are reduced or eliminated because there was no one there on campus who voiced significant opposition!

2. If open meetings or hearings are called to discuss severe cuts or elimination of programs, make sure that colleagues both around the home campus as well as at other area colleges and universities are informed ahead of time. Sometimes a strong show of support/opposition at such meetings can have an effect (and at least it can't hurt!).

3. Email your local newspapers, including your campus newspaper, as well as local TV stations, to make sure the editors of the newsroom are aware of the threat to your program. They may or may not be interested in covering the story, but if you don't inform them, then they definitely won't be interested!

4. Email campus student organizations that would be concerned with or at least interested in the threat to your program (language clubs, international clubs, honor societies, etc.). Again, they may or may not opt to get involved, but it's important to give them the option.

5. Post information and updates on the status of the threatened program on this AAUSC website (see Advocacy Forum).

6. Set up an online petition detailing the threat to the program and the timeline for action. Make sure your own contact info is in the introduction so people can write to you about it. Send notices about the petition to as many people as possible (see number 5).

7. Email information and updates on the status of the threatened program to relevant email lists, and of course, directly to colleagues in your region, or nationally in your field. See list of some mailing lists under Contact Information and Links for Advocacy. When you send to these mailing lists, consider the following:

A. Be concise and specific about what actions you would like colleagues to take, such as sign an online petition (see petition site links under Contact Information and Links for Advocacy), or write letters.

B. If you are asking colleagues to write letters of protest, provide relevant contact information of preferred recipients. These should include your university president, dean, academic senate chair, chair of review committees, etc. You may also wish to ask colleagues who help with a letter-writing campaign to cc you, so you can gather all materials for your own on-campus opposition.

C. Include a sample protest letter for colleagues, if appropriate.

D. When you email to colleagues through listservs, consider cc'ing newspaper or other media, and/or local or state political officials.

8. Stay active! Send out updates on the situation to interested colleagues.