E-Advocacy campaign for Higher Education

Dear RIT Community:

As the federal government is considering the next COVID-19 relief bill, it is critically important that members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate hear from their constituents about the need to provide additional support for higher education in this legislation. RIT is working with its state and national association partners, along with colleges and universities across the country, to advocate for critical emergency assistance funding to institutions of higher education as well as students who have been impacted financially by the COVID pandemic.  

You can send a message directly to your Congressional representative and U.S. Senators through the e-Advocacy campaign website. There is a section where you can include your own personal message. We have provided a sample draft below for your consideration or you can adapt as you choose with your own thoughts.

Thank you in advance for your support of this important effort.

Sincerely,
Deborah Stendardi
Vice President, Government and Community Relations
RIT

Sample Message

I am a member of the (faculty/staff) at Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT is a very important employer and economic driver for the greater Rochester region, and it is critical that the university receives additional emergency funding that will enable us to support the financial needs of our incoming and returning students, recover unanticipated costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and make the necessary physical changes in campus facilities so that the campus can safely open this fall for all members of the community. I am proud of the actions that the university has taken in response to the challenges we are facing, and more mindful than ever of the innovation and creativity that are hallmarks of RIT and that played a key role in enabling us to ensure the continuity of our academic programs through the spring semester. It is imperative that we are able to continue to provide our talented students with the education that will serve our nation’s needs in the future, and I respectfully ask that you provide additional funding for higher education in the next COVID-19 relief bill. I also ask that the funding provide sufficient flexibility to colleges and universities in order to enable the institutions to direct the funding to where it is most urgently needed for each institution and its students.