Spring 2014 Advocacy Summit & Legislative Action Days

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/01/2014 - 03/04/2014
All Day

Location
Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol

Categories


[headline]Join Us for Spring 2014 Advocacy Summit & Legislative Action Days[/headline]

Graduate and professional education has never been more important for our nation and yet it faces so many challenges. Last year, sequestration cuts resulted in tangible impacts across the nation—hundreds fewer grants were given out at the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. We will also be affected by recent legislation on student loans. Last summer, a student loan deal has set graduate students up for hardship in the long term.  Graduate students, for the first time, pay higher interest rates than undersgraduate students.  It also increased the cap for student loans from 6.8% interest rate to 9.5%.

The time to tell our story is now. Congress will not act on these issues until we make our voices heard in Washington. Your story is powerful and collectively we can have an impact.  Join us for our Spring 2014 Advocacy Summit and Legislative Action Days March 1-4, 2014.

 

[headline]Spring 2014 Legislative Priorities[/headline]

At LAD this Spring, we will focus on four main  issues:

[toggle title=”Graduate Student Loans/Debt”]

We urge our members of Congress to support legislation that would:

  1. Reunify the undergraduate and graduate rates to reverse the current inequalities
  2. Reinstate graduate-professional students’ eligibility for subsidized loans

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[toggle title=”Higher Education Funding”]

We urge our members of Congress to support legislation that:

 

  1. Increases and sustains research funding to the NSF, NIH, national labs, and other federal research agencies to account for budget caps and sequestration cuts
  2. Reinstates and ensures future NSF funding for all types of political science research
  3. Restores funding for the Javits and GAANN fellowship programs to $39 million

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[toggle title=”Open Access”]

We urge our members of Congress to support legislation that ensures public access to research that has been funded through taxpayer dollars. Specifically, we ask that they support and co-sponsor:

 

H.R. 708 – Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR) [bipartisan] S. 350 – Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR) [bipartisan]

 

We also urge them to support legislation that makes textbooks more affordable for students. Specifically, we ask that they support and co-sponsor:

H.R. 3538 – Affordable College Textbook Act

[/toggle] [toggle title=”Comprehensive Immigration Reform “]

We urge our members of Congress to support a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. Specifically, we ask that they support legislation that:

 

  1. increases the number of visas and green cards available to non-US born graduate and professional students
  2. allow for domestic revalidation of F-type student visas

 

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[tabgroup][tab title=Register Now ] The Spring 2014 Advocacy Summit & Legislative Action Days is free for NAGPS members

Non- member registration: $50.00

Register Now

[/tab]  [tab title=Accommodation ] [headline]LAD Accommodations[/headline]

We have secured a room block for LAD at the Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol

 1325 2nd Street NE

Washington, DC, 20002

Tel:  (202) 898-4000

This hotel is very close to Capitol Hill and is on the Metro’s Red Line, just one stop from Union Station. Guests will have access to complimentary wired and wireless internet connection in their rooms and free WIFI in the hotel lobby.

[headline]Booking Information[/headline]

The NAGPS  rate is $154 per night night (double occupancy).

Reservations may be made by calling the reservations department at (888) 236-2427  and mentioning the NAGPS Advocacy Summit/LAD at the Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol or online here.

 [box type=warning] ROOM BLOCK EXPIRED.  [/box][/tab] [/tab]  [tab title=Schedule ] [headline]2014 NAGPS Student Advocacy Summit and Legislative Action Days Preliminary Agenda [/headline]

[headline]Saturday, March 1[/headline]

5:00 PM-Introduction and NAGPS Legislative Priorities
5:30 PM-Open Access to Federally Funded Research
6:30 PM-Adjourn
7:00 PM- Welcome Reception and Dinner (Bullfeathers: 410 1st St. SE, Washington, DC, (202) 484-0228)

[headline]Sunday, March 2[/headline]

8:30 AM- Graduate Student Funding Dilemmas
9:00 AM- Setting the Stage: Where Higher Education  is Today
9:30 AM- Financial Issues in Higher Education
11:00 AM- Break
11:15 AM- Graduate Education and Immigration Reform
12 NOON- Lunch (on your own)
1:00 PM- Maximizing Your Institutional Voice: Working with Your Federal Relations Staff
1:30 PM- A Staffer’s Perspective: How to Advocate Effectively in a Congressional Office
2:00 PM- Break
2:15 PM- Special Interest Groups Advocating for Graduate and Professional Student Needs
–Employment, International Students, Legal Concerns, and Social Justice
4:15 PM- Break
4:30 PM- Role Play/ Mock Interviews/ Small In-depth Topic Briefs (Concurrent: Student decides which to attend)
5:30 PM- Following Up: Making the Most of Your Congressional Visit
6:00 PM- Adjourn
7:00 PM- Dinner and Evening in DC (no planned activity/ dinner on your own)

 

[headline]Monday, March 3[/headline]

Self-organized Congressional Visits on Capitol Hill
4:00 PM- Group Debriefing
6:00 PM- Celebrate American Graduate-Professional Education Networking Event and Closing Reception

[headline]Tuesday, March 4[/headline]

Self-organized Congressional Visits on Capitol Hill

[box type=notice] ***Please note that the agenda provided is preliminary; items are subject to change***[/box]

 [/tab] [/tab]  [tab title=Resources ] [headline]Downloads[/headline]

NAGPS LAD Overview 2014

LAD Funding Request Template Spring 2014

Meeting Request Template Letter Spring 2014

[headline]Driving Directions[/headline]

[toggle title=”Driving from DCA”]

RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT – DCA

Distance from DCA: 6.6 mile(s) SW

Driving directions:

From Reagan National Airport, take US-1 ramp right (north) toward I-395 N/Washington/I-66 West.

Turn right onto US-1 North.

Merge onto I-395 N toward Washington. Turn right onto New York Ave NW/US-50.

Turn right onto Florida Ave NE.

Turn right on 2nd Street NE.

This hotel does not provide shuttle service.

Subway service, fee: 3 USD (one way)

Estimated taxi fare: 15 USD (one way)

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[toggle title=”Driving from IAD”]

WASHINGTON DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – IAD

Distance from IAD: 29 mile(s) W

Driving Directions:

From Washington Dulles International Airport, take Dulles Airport access road East toward Washington .

Take exit VA 267 East.

Exit onto I-495 toward Baltimore/Bethesda MD.

Take exit #43 onto George Washington Memorial Parkway /Washington.

Take ramp onto I-395 N toward Washington.

Turn right on New York Ave NW.

Turn right on Florida Ave.

Turn right on 2nd street NE.

[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Driving from BWI”]

BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL THURGOOD MARSHALL AIRPORT – BWI

Distance to hotel: 30 mile(s) N

Driving directions:

From Baltimore/Washington International Airport,

Exit I-195 West.

Exit #2B onto MD-295 South.

Exit US – 50 West.

Take a left on 1st Street NE.

Take a left on N street NE. Drive around the bend.

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