CAA News Today

Background – In October 2003 the House passed by unanimous voice vote HR 3077 to reauthorize Title VI — the section of the Higher Education Act (HEA) dealing with foreign language and international studies. It was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee which is likely take it up during 2004. The House bill contains several improvements over present legislation, but it also includes an advisory board for Title VI projects. The HR 3077 advisory board would have extraordinary powers to investigate individual faculty members and specific classes on campus that are of concern to many because of its significant potential for politicization.

The Senate HELP Committee staff is currently hoping to write and complete its own bill sometime early in the year. [Note that the Higher Education Act is scheduled to be reauthorized by the end of September 2004.] The Senate HELP Committee may or may not choose to incorporate the House amendments to Title VI in their own bill. However, since HR 3077 passed the House without significant dissent, several majority members are said to be giving the House amendments very serious consideration.

Appropriate actions to take now – Congress will reconvene in mid to late January. We understand that many in our community wish to express their views about the HR 3077 advisory board and other provisions in the House bill. The following are some suggested ways of acting on this:

1. Make calls to Senate HELP Committee staff briefly expressing your concerns to frame the debate. Below is a list of talking points for a conversation. [A contact list for Members and key staff follows.] If you have a Member on the committee, then call that office. If not, then call the committee offices of Senators Gregg and Kennedy, the chair and ranking minority members respectively. You might also contact your own Senators about this issue.

Points for a conversation:

a.) The House passed International Education bill (HR 3077), which is part of the Higher Education Act and would reauthorize Title VI. The Senate has not yet really started to deal with this issue but it is important that you know of concerns about the House bill.

b.) In general, there are many aspects of the bill that are quite good and merit support, not the least of which is that all Title VI programs are extended in tact.

c.) The House bill also creates what it calls an “advisory board” that, in fact, is much more. This board has the power to “investigate” individual faculty members and specific classes on campus and it can issue reports. An advisory board ought to be truly advisory. It shouldn’t have broad, nearly unlimited powers and it should not be free of reasonable supervision by the Department of Education. What’s more, the composition of the board is too narrow to reflect the broad range of needs in international education.

d.) The Senate may choose other, alternative mechanisms to strengthen how Title VI meets its mission. If the Senate chooses the advisory body approach, I urge a properly constructed advisory board: that its powers are well defined and simply advisory; and that it falls under the supervisory authority of the Secretary of Education, as do other advisory boards for comparable programs such as the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

e.) Please urge the Senator to make sure that any Senate bill addresses these concerns.

2. Write/fax letters to your Member on the Senate HELP Committee, or if your state is not represented on the committee, write to Senators Gregg and Kennedy with a copy to your two Senators. [Note: Because of security procedures, letters take unpredictable amounts of time to reach members of Congress. Therefore faxing letters before or instead of mailing is preferred.]

Points to make:

a.) As the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee prepares to act on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, I write to share information about Title VI programs at [University of ____, or other institution] as well as some observations on the House passed bill, HR 3077, the International Studies in Higher Education Act.

b) Provide evidence of outstanding Title VI activities that contradict recent charges against Title VI, such as:

* alumni who have gone on to serve in high level government or business positions, including the Department of Defense and other
security agencies (identify where and who if appropriate, and/or numbers of students who went on to work for the federal government in the last few years);
* faculty consultancies or other service with government agencies (give a few examples listing agencies and world areas);
* strategic languages taught mainly or only in Title VI institutions;
* exemplary outreach and/or websites for K-12, government, media and business that present a multiplicity of viewpoints;
* other activities that address recent national strategic needs, etc.

c) Assert that Title VI programs do not promote any one intellectual paradigm, ideology, or political agenda, and if appropriate and
possible, indicate examples of intellectual balance.

d.) Make the point that there is much that is good in HR 3077, not the least of which is an extension of all programs in tact.

e.) Express your concerns about the HR 3077 advisory board (points noted above). Indicate that Title VI had an advisory board once before and that a new, properly constructed Title VI advisory board is not objectionable.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Republican Members

Judd Gregg, NH
Chairman
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
393 Senate Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510-2904
TEL 202-224-3324
FAX 202-224-4952
gregg.semate.gov/body/e-mail.htm
Committee Majority Staff: Tracy Locklin 202-224-6770

Bill Frist, TN [Senate Majority Leader and members of the HELP committee]
461 Senate Dirksen Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4205
TEL 202-224-3344
FAX 202-228-1264
Staff: Andrea Becker

Michael B. Enzi, WY
379A Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-5004
TEL 202-224-3424
FAX 202-228-0359
senator@enzi.senate.gov
Staff: Scott Fleming

Lamar Alexander, TN
302 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4206
TEL 202-224-4944
FAX 202-228-3398
Staff: Kristin Bannerman

Christopher S. Bond, MO
274 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-2503
TEL 202-224-5721
FAX 202-224-8149
kit_bond@bond.senate.gov
Staff: Julia Jolly

Mike DeWine, OH
140 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3503
TEL 202-224-2315
FAX 202-224-6519
senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov
Staff: Lindsay Morris

Pat Roberts, KS
109 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-1605
TEL 202-224-4774
FAX 202-224-3514
Staff: Jennifer Swenson

Jeff Sessions, AL
335 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-0104
TEL 202-224-4124
FAX 202-224-3149
senator@sessions.senate.gov
Staff: John Little

John Ensign, NV
364 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-2805
TEL 202-224-6244
FAX 202-228-2193
Staff: Lindsay Lovlien

Lindsey O. Graham, SC
290 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4003
TEL 202-224-5972
FAX 202-224-1189
Staff: Jessica Efird

John W. Warner, VA
225 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4601
TEL 202-224-2023
FAX 202-224-6295
senator@warner.senate.gov
Staff: J.K. Robinson

Democrat Members

Edward M. Kennedy, MA
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
317 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-2101
TEL 202-224-4543
FAX 202-224-2417
senator@kennedy.senate.gov
Committee Minority Staff: Jane Oates 202-224-0767
Alt: Kathy Kruse 202-224-4543

Christopher J. Dodd, CT
448 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-0702
TEL 202-224-2823
FAX 202-224-1083
Staff: Mary Ellen McGuire

Tom Harkin, IA
731 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-1502
TEL 202-224-3254
FAX 202-224-9369
tom_harkin@harkin.senate.gov
Staff: Ellen Murray

Barbara A.Mikulski, MD
709 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-2003
TEL 202-224-4654
FAX 202-224-8858
Staff: Rebecca Litt

Jeff Bingaman, NM
703 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3102
TEL 202-224-5521
FAX 202-224-2852
senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
Staff: Carmel Martin

Patty Murray, WA
173 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4704
TEL 202-224-2621
FAX 202-224-0238
senator_murray@murray.senate.gov
Staff: Jamie Fosteau

John F. Reed, RI.
728 Senate Hart Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3903
TEL 202-224-4642
FAX 202-224-4680
jack@reed.senate.gov
Staff: Elyse Wasch

John R. Edwards, NC
225 Senate Dirksen Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3306
TEL 202-224-3154
FAX 202-228-1374
Staff: James Kvaal

Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY
476 Senate Russell Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3204
TEL 202-224-4451
FAX 202-228-0282
clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html
Staff: Susie Saveeda

Independent Member

James M. Jeffords, VT
413 Senate Dirksen Building
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4503
TEL 202-224-5141
FAX 202-228-0776
vermont@jeffords.senate.gov
Staff: Sherry Kaiman