Member Newsletter 2/18/05

Students for Social Security,

To broaden our base of membership and increase awareness of our organization, we have identified 3 things our members can do to help with outreach. Given all of our busy schedules, we hope that we can all commit to these requests (all materials are attached):

1. Get at least 25 signatures and emails on either the Students for Social Security Pledge, or the more general pledge, depending on your networking abilities.

2. Contact our alma mater(s) and get commitments from student organizations, fraternities, sororities, professors, students, departments, school news papers, etc. to use our materials and help organize for Students for Social Security. Please let me know what universities you will be in contact with so I can post our progress on the web.

3. Post our Get Organized Flier in your work place, local coffee shop, department, etc. Or print up SSS business card to distribute.

In addition, several events are coming up in the next week, at which we hope to have as many Students for Social Security attend. You can help us ensure our presence at these events by posting these fliers (attached):

1. Post 3-5 fliers for Congress Woman Nancy Pelosi’s town hall meeting on Wed. Feb. 23rd at 10:00 am at the Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St.

2. Post 3-5 fliers for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare's Advocacy Forum on Thursday the 24th from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, at the institute on Aging, 2700 Geary Blvd.

*** All materials are also available on the website for download.

Recapping our week, we had an organizing meeting for nurses at UCSF and will be putting together resources for nurses to contact the American Nurses Association and urge them to take a stance opposing the privatization of Social Security. Several connections have been made this week, and we can now boast that our organizing efforts span UCSF, San Francisco State University, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and Sonoma State University. In addition to Students for Social Security's mention in the SF Chronicle, we were included in UCSF Daily, and were interviewed by POOR Magazine and KPFA of Pacifica.

Furthermore, Students for Social Security have been invited to several upcoming events:

- 2/23/05 Nancy Pelosi's Town Hall Meeting (see above)

- 2/24/05 NCPSSM meeting (see above)

- 2/24/05 Senator Boxer's Press Conference in Sacramento (Connections in Sacramento anyone? Willing to travel? Let me know!)

- 3/1/05 Gray Panther's Protest against Social Security Privatization, to be held in front of Senator Feinstein's office, 1 post street at 11:30 am.

We hope that representatives from all the universities in the area will be able to attend these events.

Several materials still need to be generated, and while several individuals have offered to help with some of these, we are requesting assistance with others:

- Email to notify other campuses, departments, etc of SSS and how they can help with the organizing effort (Milena)

- Article in UCSF's campus newspaper, Synapse (Brooke)

- 5 talking points on how privatization affects students, to be made into a post card (Marilyn and Brian)

- Find website providing accurate news on Social Security privatization, to be linked to the “In the News” page on the site, which has been horribly neglected. (Marilyn)

- Letters to Congress persons telling about SSS, our stance, and our membership (_____________) Anyone interested?

If you have any suggestions for materials which should be developed to aid our organizing efforts please contact me, brooke@studentsforsocialsecurity.org

Thank you all for your contributions to the group, I have never been in contact with so many caring individuals who are willing to commit their free time and energy to a single cause! If we can judge by the responses to our efforts, and our expanding membership base, we have come a long way already and will be carrying our message much further than any of us would have hoped!

Thanks again,

Brooke Hollister

As always, please forward to friends, families, colleagues, etc. Cc brooke@studentsforsocialsecurity.org to have addresses added to the list serve

To be removed from our email list, email brooke@studentsforsocialsecurity.org with "remove" in the subject line.