Call to action!

I apologize for the late notice because this particular piece of action needs to be taken before noon today.

From Monday's American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers' (AACRAO) online publication, Transcript:

This Wednesday, the House Education Committee will bring the bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (H.R. 609) to the full House of Representatives for final passage. The bill federalizes transfer of credit, imposes price controls and excessive cost reporting, eliminates important consumer protection and anti-fraud measures, and threatens the independence of private and religious institutions by allowing states to become accreditors. This legislation represents a giant step backward for the nation's students and for American higher education.

AACRAO has sought to work with Congress to improve this legislation, and some improvements have indeed been made. Regrettably, however, the negatives of the legislation far outweigh any positives, and we believe the bill, if enacted, will undermine American higher education.

Call your Representative's office in the House by noon on Wednesday and ask them to vote "NO" on H.R. 609.

To find your Representative, go to http://capwiz.com/aacrao/home/ and enter your zip code under "Elected Officials." Click on "info" under your House Representative (on the right) for the direct number, or call the House switchboard number (202-225-3121) and ask to be connected to your member’s office.

Talking Points:
Introduce yourself, and state the reason for your call: I call to oppose H.R. 609, the bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. I object to provisions of the bill that:

Federalize transfer of credit

Impose government cost controls on colleges and universities

Require unfunded, expensive and burdensome new reporting by colleges

Remove anti-fraud safeguards that protect students and taxpayers

Allow states to exert control over private and religiously-affiliated institutions by becoming accreditors

Please note that the person with whom you will speak will not be an expert in higher education policy. The purpose of the call is to record your opposition, not to debate with the receptionist.

For those in North Carolina's 13th District, my phone call to Representative Miller took about two minutes. I urge everyone within the sound my voice or view of this blog to pick up the phone and make a quick phone call to stop this harmful legislation.