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With coronavirus cases surging nationally and many states pausing in their plans to 鈥渞eopen for business,鈥� Congress could unveil its next economic stimulus package by the end of July.

At 抖阴app, the Advocacy Academy especially wants to make sure that the end result helps graduate schools and their students 鈥� particularly international students, who face some daunting challenges to continuing their education.

鈥淢any graduate school students, and especially preservice teachers, are going into public service and need a lot of support,鈥� says Advocacy Academy leader Matthew J. Camp, TC鈥檚 Director of Government Relations, who is also a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis and an adjunct professor of advocacy at NYU. 鈥淥ften the focus is only on undergraduate institutions and students, which is necessary鈥攂ut rarely is there specific language in legislation that singles out grad schools as a target for aid. Recently, Congress has even talked about taxing graduate student stipends,鈥�

Now, Camp adds, the Trump administration is issuing rules that will deny visas to international students if the U.S. institutions they are attending are providing instruction entirely online. Such a ruling would force many international students to leave the country and severely affect revenues for the universities where they are enrolled.

Camp emphasizes that 鈥渢here is a small window open to act now, before the regulations are fully approved.鈥�

Rarely is there specific language in legislation that singles out grad schools as a target for aid.  Often the focus is only on undergraduate institutions and students 鈥� and more recently, Congress has even talked about taxing graduate student stipends.鈥�

鈥擬atthew Camp

This coming Wednesday, from 3pm to 4:30pm the Advocacy Academy will hold on online 鈥渓etter-writing party鈥� for TC students, faculty, staff and alumni. The group will provide a core letter, drafted by the Commission on Independent Colleges and University (CICU), that summarizes the ways that graduate institutions contribute to the public good.

[Click here to register for the event.] 

Participants will be asked to add a brief personal statement 鈥� for example, TC students might outline their career plans and describe their financial need. Members of the Advocacy Academy will be available to provide online tips for drafting these statements. When participants add their addresses to the completed letters, their elected representatives鈥� names and contact information will pop up onscreen. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e not yet at the point of calling for specific legislation or a specific dollar amount,鈥� Camp says. 鈥淭he ask is really to support graduate students who are going into public facing sectors and fields. We鈥檙e saying, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e here, in your district, making a difference, and we need you to help us.鈥� And the fact is that politicians who care about these issues want to get these kinds of letters. A legislator like Jerry Nadler or Adriano Espaillat might share our stories with their colleagues in Congress.鈥�

The Advocacy Academy has been a TC campus presence for the past three years. Previously, it has held workshops for TC community members on how to run for office, how to write an op-ed, and how to build a movement a particular issue or set of issues.

鈥淧art of our goal has been to build habits of civic engagement,鈥� Camp says.

鈥淎s the distinguished TC alumna, Shirley Chisholm said, 鈥榊ou don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining 鈥� you make progress by implementing ideas,鈥欌�� says Honey Walrond, an M.Ed student in International & Comparative Education who serves as  on the TC Student Senate E-Board as Communications Office and also is a research assistant at the College鈥檚 .  鈥淎nd I think this is what the Advocacy Letter Writing event is all about 鈥� coming together to make progress and change when it comes to graduate student funding. Many students, including myself, who may not have a full scholarship, continue to find ways to fund our education. For a lot of students, COVID-19 took many funding opportunities away, such as work-study, research grants, etc. The Write-In to Congress is a way for the TC community to come together in making sure student voices are heard and to raise awareness on advocating for graduate student funding in the next stimulus legislation.鈥�

The group has worked with TC鈥檚 Student Senate and Office of Alumni Relations to get the word out about this Wednesday鈥檚 event.

Many students, including myself, who may not have a full scholarship, continue to find ways to fund our education. For a lot of students, COVID-19 took many funding opportunities away, such as work-study, research grants, etc. The Write-In to Congress is a way for the TC community to come together in making sure student voices are heard and to raise awareness on advocating for graduate student funding in the next stimulus legislation.

鈥擧oney Walrond

鈥淥ne of TC鈥檚 mantras since the COVID crisis began has been 鈥榗ome together,鈥� and this is a wonderful instance of students, faculty, staff and alumni doing just that,鈥� Camp says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 actually easier for us to do it online, because we鈥檙e better able to enlist participation from people all around the country.鈥�

Camp calls Wednesday鈥檚 event 鈥渏ust the beginning鈥� and says he expects the Advocacy Academy to continue partnering with TC鈥檚 Student Senate and alumni on financial aid and other issues during the late summer and fall.

鈥淭he big one will be getting people to register to vote,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s an institution of higher education, we鈥檙e actually responsible for doing that.

鈥淭hey say that ninety percent of life is showing up. And on all these different issues, we鈥檙e really trying to provide spaces for people to realize their own political power.鈥�