Title IX

What to say to your Congressman and what to do... Here's a basic and general approach to contacting your Congressmen

1. Get your Congressman's phone number from this site and call him/her.

2. Say, "I am a constituent. I am calling to find out Congressman ____'s position on Title IX. May I speak with the staff person who handles Title IX issues?"

3. When you talk to the Title IX staffer, ask the staffer for the Congressman's position on one or both of these issues. Proportionality - for or against? (You may want to state your position first.)
Amicus (friend of the court ) brief going to the Supreme Court - for or against - (this is a bipartisan brief that simply asks the Supreme Court to decide whether proportionality is constitutional - no one should oppose this).

4. When you find out the Congressman's position(s), let me know. I need to know within about a week.

Now let me give you some editorial commentary and suggestions:

1. Usually the staffer will have to get back to you.

2. Be sure that the staffer understands that you want a yes or no - no bs. Get educated. Read the proportionality information posted at this site. Be polite; getting rude doesn't help it hurts.

3. Find out when you can expect to hear back (a couple of days).

4. 99% of the female staffers are in favor of proportionality (I've never met one who wasn't) In such circumstances, don't apologize for your position. Congressmen work for you and you have a right to be heard, and to know his/her exact position, etc. without a lot of equivocation..

5. Try to get the Congressman's response documented if at all possible. If the staffer says that the Congressman's position is that he opposes proportionality, ask if he/she would send a follow-up letter expaining the Congressman's position. (If they won't, don't make a big deal out of it.) Please let me know right away what the staffer says though.

6. If the Congressman is liberal (and loves proportionality) or you're not satisfied, please ask to visit with the Congressman personally. Congressmen often have town meetings at a site near to yours. Go to one of those meetings. Try to get others to go with you. You'll like it.

7. Also, even the most liberal Congressman ought to want to join in a brief to get a final determination from the Supreme Court as to whether the proportionality rule is constitutional. Push that position.

8. Try to spread the word. We're hoping that every Congressman will hear from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 100 constitutents!

9. If you haven't done this before, you will find that this is a great experience - particularly if you attend a town meeting. I think you'll find that this is what democracy is all about.

10. The best way to do all this is a personal meeting with the Congressman. The worst way is probably e-mail. Given our time constraints, most of us are stuck with phone communication. Contact me by e-mail once you find out anything or if you have any questions.

Thanks for your help.

Dale Anderson

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