Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Comparing Notes



What have you, dear readers, been doing to help the cause?

I don't mean to sound like a task master, and I know that you are not my pupils. But let me share my activities with you. I hope we can compare notes.

For the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement I have done the following:

1) Talked to Jim Sano - he helped to pass the resolution in Albany to ask Washington to forgive student loan debt. (Guess what! I beat the NYT in reporting this article. I may be small, but I am the little train that can and will!).
2) I've written to other politicians (I will be posting a letter shortly which I wrote to Sen. Dick Durbin).
3) I've contacted reporters and asked them why they're failing to reveal important information about "organizations" like the College Board (who settled a while back for kickbacks they were given to directors of financial aid). 
4) I've set up an interview with Mark Kantrowitz .

5) I've written several pitches to Kojo NnamdiIra Glass , Kai Ryssdal promoting Applebaum's movement. (Goooo Rob!).
6) I'm going to canvas for Delegate David Poisson (32nd district, Loudon County, VA) - he is very sympathetic to this movement. He holds a J.D. and a Ph.D. (and several master's, I believe. One thing is certain, he's ahead of me when it comes to collecting advanced degrees, and I'm a pro.).
7) I'm speaking to a reporter for the local NPR station in D.C. this coming Friday (WAMU) - for locals in D.C., we know that as good ol' 88.5 (stay tuned!).
8) I'm crafting arguments against articles on their comment sections and in my blog that claimed - based upon that dastardly survey that Sallie Mae manufactured and then spread to major news sources - students and their families are "borrowing less." (Tim Ranzetta has a GREAT counter response to that here). SHAME ON YOU MAINSTREAM PRESS!

I hope this list may give you an idea of how to think of strategic ways in getting this movement into public discourse. Thanks again for all of your support!

No comments: