When Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett proposed cutting the Commonwealth’s investment in Temple by more than 50 percent for the next year, the Temple Advocates Legislative Outreach Network (TALON) quickly mobilized to communicate the importance of higher education to Pennsylvania’s elected officials.

In less than one week, more than 7,000 Temple students, parents, employees and alumni signed TALON’s Stand with Temple petition. The petition will be delivered to members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the coming months as they craft Pennsylvania’s budget for the next fiscal year.

Additionally, TALON has launched another letter writing campaign. Members of the Temple community can use TALON’s online tools, including sample letters, to quickly send letters to their state representative and state senator, urging them to oppose the governor’s proposal. University leaders encourage advocates to personalize their correspondence by sharing their Temple experiences with their legislators.

In just two days, nearly 2,500 letters were sent by TALON members. Senator Robert Mensch mentioned the amount of correspondence he received from Temple during Wednesday’s Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on state-related universities.

“We need to ensure that leaders across Pennsylvania know that their constituents are connected to Temple, and will be deeply affected by a substantial cut in the Commonwealth’s support,” said Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., senior vice president for government, community and public affairs. “Students, alumni, faculty, staff and Temple parents provide a important perspective on the effect of cuts in Temple’s funding.”

Lawrence encouraged students to ask their parents and other family members to also utilize TALON to contact their legislators.

As budget deliberations continue, TALON intends to continue to advocate for Temple’s Commonwealth appropriation, working with university officials, student leaders and Temple’s alumni community.

Both TALON’s petition and letter writing tools can be found on the Office of Government Relations’s website.