APPLY: asuci.uci.edu/applications/?id=202

USSA’s 45th Annual Grassroots Legislative Conference

Each spring, the United States Student Association puts on the Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day (LegCon). This four-day event provides students at every level of organizing and leadership ability the opportunity to learn new skills in student advocacy, network, lobby federal elected representatives on student issues, march through historic downtown Washington, DC, rally on Capitol Hill, and of course build lifelong friendships.

The 45th Annual Grassroots Legislative Conference will be March 14th-17th, 2013. As the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act is approaching, this year the United States Student Association will prioritize fighting back Student Debt and funding for higher education. Join hundreds of student leaders from across the United States and make education a priority and a right!

The Executive Vice President’s Office is charged with representing undergraduate students to all off-campus entities that affect student life at UCI and engaging the student body on issues affecting the student body and higher education as a whole. The EVP office advocates for anteaters to the UC Regents, the UC Office of the President (UCOP), the California State Legislature, the California Governor, the U.S. Congress, and the City of Irvine.

The Executive Vice President’s Office coordinates its advocacy efforts primarily through two student government coalitions: the University of California Student Association and the United States Student Association. At a district level, the Statewide Legislative Branch has traditionally coordinated student advocacy efforts to elected officials in and around the Orange County area.

United States Student Association

The United States Student Association, the country’s oldest and largest student-led organization, represents over 4 million students at over 400 campuses across the nation. We work to develop current and future leaders and amplify the student voice at the local, state, and national levels by mobilizing grassroots power to win concrete victories on student issues.

USSA believes that education is a right and should be accessible for any student regardless of their socio-economic background and identity. We believe people who are affected directly by issues of access to higher education should be the ones identifying the solutions that make education accessible to them. Therefore, USSA is dedicated to training, organizing, and developing a base of student leaders who are utilizing those skills to engage in expanding access to higher education and advancing the broader movement for social justice.

What To Expect:

To be present every day, invested, and engaged as a representative of the anteater community.

*Issue-Based Workshops to learn about current issues affecting students.
*Strategy Sessions to collectively discuss, develop, and prioritize issues.
*Skill-Building Training’s on advocacy, direct-action organizing, electoral organizing, and leadership skills.

We will have delegation meetings prior to attending the conference to work on preparation and strategies for effective lobbying. Present what you learned to a campus organization and incorporate the skills you gained at the conference and applied them to your every day organizing and pass down those skills to the UC Irvine community.

We will be traveling to Washington, D.C., on Thursday night March 13th and coming back to Irvine on the evening of Monday, March 17th.

THIS IS THE WEEKEND BEFORE FINALS WEEK, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION.

APPLICATION IS DUE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 2013 BY 11:59PM.
ASUCI Executive Vice President’s Office

Regards,

Kristine Jermakian, National Affairs Liaison
Melissa Gamble, ASUCI Executive Vice President

If you have any questions please feel free to send us at e-mail to executivevp@asuci.uci.edu