May 12, 2005
HELLO TRIO COMMUNITY
As you all are well aware, we are entering a crucial time in Washington with regards to the TRIO programs. It is critical that we keep pressure on Members of Congress and Senators to restore and increase funding for the TRIO programs. An excellent way to reach out to your Member or Senator is by submitting an op/ed in your local newspaper. In order to assist you with this, we have provided a brief fact sheet on how to write and submit op/eds and a sample op/ed you can modify and make your own. We hope you find this information helpful. If you have additional questions contact Susan Trebach at: susan.trebach@coenet.us. If you are able to get your op/ed published, please send a copy to Susan so we can make sure your member of Congress sees it. Thank you for your continued dedication to making sure the TRIO programs are thriving in years to come.
Heather
Heather Valentine
Vice President, Public Policy
Council for Opportunity in Education
1025 Vermont Avenue, NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 347-7430
Fax: (202) 347-0786
Q&A How to Write and Submit Op/Eds
May 2005
What is an op/ed?
An op/ed is a guest editorial column on the editorial page of your newspaper. It is written about a topic of current local interest or importance, written by someone who is not a regular columnist or contributor but who has valuable knowledge on the subject.
Describe the ideal op/ed?
The ideal op/ed is 500 words or less. It addresses a subject of local importance and tells why it is important. It hooks the reader with a provocative or intriguing or compelling beginning, has a distinct, logical and concise message and a clear conclusion, often with a call to action. Keep the sentences short and to the point. Be sure to include all LOCAL data - student success statistics, number of students who would lose services, number of local projects that would be lost. And if you want the local member of Congress to act, use his/her name and state that clearly.
Who should be the author?
Ideally the author should be a third party - someone whose livelihood is not directly affected by the outcome of the debate. A local business, political or religious leader, an educator or the parent of a student would all work well. But if none are available, TRIO directors can offer their own opinions in op/eds. certainly you can offer to draft the piece FOR the third party for his or her review.
Where and How do you submit an op/ed?
Start with the daily or weekly newspaper that most closely covers the community your TRIO program serves. Call the newspaper (the receptionist who answers the phone will know) or check online to find the person who is in charge of the editorial and opinion pages. For a smaller publication, it may be the editor-in-chief. For a larger paper, it could be the editorial or opinion page editor. Find out how they like to receive op/ed submissions (e-mail? Fax?), what their particular requirements are, and to whom it should be addressed. If possible, talk to the person in charge to learn whether he or she is receptive to the column before you submit it. If the person is encouraging, make sure you follow through with the piece asap. And emphasize that the op/ed is time-sensitive because Congress is dealing with our budget issue over the next month. (You don't want the editor to think the piece can be held indefinitely). Be persistent. Follow up with a call or e-mail if you don't ! get an immediate response.
Any last Advice?
Put a human face on the problem. Yes, give overall local statistics. But couple them with the potential impact on individuals. Talk about a current or former student who has been successful, thanks to TRIO. But make sure, in advance, that anyone you name individually is comfortable with seeing his story in print and will be supportive if contacted. And if the column is published, please send copies to your senators and members of Congress, and to the Council.
Sample Op/Ed
Jeremy Smith,16, used to saunter in to the Upward Bound computer lab (at X State University) with an easy, breezy confidence, knowing he would be sure to find help with his toughest math assignment or his most complex question about college admissions. Now he wears a slightly worried expression. Jeremy knows that his academic safety net and the advisors who treat him like family might no longer be there to work with him.
For Jeremy and the hundreds (thousands?) of low-income high school and middle school students like him in this community, Upward Bound and its sister program, Talent Search, have become lifelines to academic success. Jeremy is one of five siblings in a single-parent household. His mother works two jobs and has neither the time nor experience to provide guidance about preparing for and going to college. And there's no way she can pay for college. Upward Bound will teach Jeremy how apply to college and help him find the financial aid to make his educational dream a reality. But Jeremy has grown more anxious about his future, thanks to events in Washington DC.
In February, in his 2006 federal budget President Bush proposed eliminating the funding for both college access programs. If Congress goes along with that plan, our community will lose (number) of Upward Bound and/or Talent Search programs, currently serving xxx low-income students. Jeremy and his peers will find themselves without the academic and college admissions mentoring they have come to rely on - the same kind of help that middle and high-income students with college-educated parents find at home.
The mystery is why President Bush would try to kill programs that are so effective. At X State University, the Upward Bound program has an excellent track record. Last year, for example, xxx students graduated from Upward Bound. Of those, yy students or Y% went on to college or some kind of post-secondary education. That compares very favorably with the 41% of low-income high school graduates nationally who go on to college.
The Republican majority in both houses of Congress is intent on controlling spending. But surely no one in either party intends to cut programs that turn low-income kids into productive tax-paying citizens? That would make no economic sense. Let's hope Senators Smith and Jones and Congressman Brown have a longer term view of education and the value of college degrees for low-income students in our community. For Jeremy's sake.