It’s Town Hall Season! Ask about the UW to Make a Difference

Do your legislators know how much you care about the UW? Legislators from across the state are getting on the phone or heading home in the next few weeks to hear directly from constituents about the issues they care about.

Are you a parent of a current Husky concerned about the high cost of college and lack of financial aid? Do you know a student who can’t get into a degree program, like computer science, because there isn’t enough space? Are you an alum living in a rural area who cares about access to health care, and the need for the Legislature to invest in Spokane’s UW Medicine program?

These are exactly the types of issues your lawmakers want to hear about when they host town halls, and your advocacy couldn’t come at a more important time. Lawmakers are getting ready to unveil the first drafts of their budgets. Your voice can help prioritize the UW and higher education as lawmakers weigh the many competing demands in the budget-making process.

We’ve rounded up a list of town hall meetings occurring within the next few weeks, many of which are being held in your neighborhoods this Saturday, March 11. Please check our map, click on your district from the list, and look for the date, address or call-in information. Note that some districts are hosting multiple meetings in one day or telephone town halls through mid-March.

Don’t know your legislative district? Click here to find it, then check the map linked above.

Can’t attend or is your legislator not hosting one? Click here to send a message to your lawmakers about the issue you care about most.

Planning to attend? Wear purple and remind your elected officials:

• A college education is still too expensive in Washington. By investing in our State Need Grant program, lawmakers can assist the 24,000 of Washington’s lowest-income students who qualify, but currently cannot receive, the State Need Grant due to budget shortfalls.

• Washington students want to get education and training in the fields our economy demands, like STEM, health care and teaching, but unless lawmakers invest in more classrooms, labs and buildings, our students won’t get the skills and training they need to compete in Washington’s workforce.

• Just 51% of Washingtonians currently possess a postsecondary credential. Invest in proven strategies like mentoring, advising and counseling that can help create pathways for historically undeserved student populations like transfer students, veterans and adult learners to earn a degree.

Thank you for standing up and speaking out on behalf of the University of Washington.