Send A Letter!

Personal contact with your state representative or senator can reinforce the message that we need to support “Schools First, Not Prisons.”

To Find Your Representative or Senator:
1) Go to the Michigan Legislature Website.
2) At the bottom of the home page, click “Contact Your Representative/Senator”;
3) Enter your zip code and county;
4) If more than one name comes up, click on each name to get their personal page;
5) Click “Link to District Map” to determine which district you live in;
6) The personal page for each representative or senator has mail and email addresses.

Download this letter in .doc format.

Dear Representative/Senator:

As a constituent and as an employee of Wayne State University, I am writing you because of my concern about the misguided priorities in state budgeting that have diverted resources to our bloated prison system while cutting spending on higher education. Wayne State University, in particular, has been harmed by this misappropriation of resources.

Unlike many states that have increased their funding for higher education, allocations to Michigan universities have fallen sharply in recent years. To compensate, state universities have been forced to raise tuition. Wayne State University has struggled to keep these tuition hikes to a minimum, including last year when the increase was held to 3.4 percent, the lowest among the 15 state universities. Even so, for many working families higher education is becoming a luxury they cannot afford. 

Wayne State University trains the doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers and other professionals whose skills can drive economic development and improve the quality of life in Michigan. But we cannot do this effectively without state support.

We need to enact legislation that will reform our sentencing and parole policies so that we no longer spend more than any other mid-western state on prisons. Under Michigan’s current policies, spending on the state corrections system rose $261million between 2001 and 2007 while funding for higher education fell $183 million.

Michigan was once a leader in providing affordable and quality education to its citizens, and we can return to that position if we redefine our priorities to favor schools first, not prisons.

I look forward to your taking action on these issues.

Sincerely,

[your name, title, and address]

Also, remember that you can write to legislators who live outside your district. In this case, you would want to do two things:

(1) get permission for a student you know to write her/his legislator and get the student's home zip code

(2) Include this text at the end of paragraph 2, “Among the 30,000 plus students enrolled at Wayne State are people from every district in the state. This semester, for example, I have students from your district. When students complete their education at Wayne they live and work in all parts of the state, also.”

Note: Please cc a copy of your letter to us so we can monitor our progress: aaupaft@wayne.edu

Download:
PDF of the Schools First Petition
PDF of Donation Form

KeyMichigan Reps
Mike Bishop, Senat Majority Leader
Republican from Rochester
517-373-2417
senmbishop@senate.michigan.gov

Mark Schauer, Senate Minority Leader
Democrat from Battle Creek
517-373-2426
senmschauer@senate.michigan.gov

Andy Dillon, House Speaker
Democrat from Redford Township
517-373-0857
andydillon@house.mi.gov

Craig DeRoche, House Minority Leader
Republican from Novi
517-373-0827
craigderoche@house.mi.gov

Paul Condino, House sponsor of key legislation on prison reform
Democrat from Southfield
517-373-5880
paulcondino@ house.mi.gov

Andy Meisner, House sponsor of legislation to permit stem cell research
Democrat from Ferndale
517-373-5884
andymeisner@house.mi.gov

AAUP-AFT, Local 6075 - 5057 Woodward Avenue - Suite 3301 - Detroit, Michigan 48202-4050 - Phone: (313) 577-1750 / Fax: (313) 577-8159