UTA Retirees Club
Meeting Minutes
September 8, 2015
Next meeting:
1.
October 13, 2015, 10am-noon, Room 102B; MAC
Announcements
President, Rita Thompson displayed the parking form that retirees need to fill out to register their car;
forms will be sent out in an e-mail message to include new parking regulations; she announced that the
University will no longer sponsor luncheons in October & February due to budget cuts but we will me et
those months; and she announced our purchase of a $500 scholarship brick placed at College Park.
2.
Program
Harley Courtney introduced Robert Miles. Mr. Miles has been a resident of Arlington since 1948 and a
1959 graduate of Arlington State College (now UTA). He has been a drug and alcohol counselor for 28
years. He spoke on “Legislative Advocacy Texas Style: 2012 Pushing Forward”. He outlined how to get
your legislative representative to endorse a bill to advance a worthy cause. One person’s involvement
can make a big impact. One phone call is equal to 50 votes; one e-mail is equal to 100 votes and one
personal visit is equal to 500 votes. One vote has historically made a difference in legislation being
passed. Mr. Miles has been to Washington D.C. 18 times as an advocate. Some of his suggestions for
being an advocate include make contact 6 weeks in advance; be prepared with a short agend a; meet with
legislative aides who will present your requests to the senator or representative. It helps to be familiar
with the background of the legislative aide so you can find some common ground and the aid will
remember you and your cause from a personal connection. Do not give up because it could take as many
as three sessions to get a bill passed. He discussed the problems of knowing where to go at the capitol
and some statistics (Texas is #49 in funding for drug, alcohol, and mental health). Mr. Miles introduced a
veteran who is interested in getting reforms to help veterans who ha ve drug issues, PTSD and other
problems readjusting to non-military life. Mr. Miles also provided Harley Courtney with a disk copy of his
presentation for anyone wanting a copy and he answered questions.
The meeting was adjourned followed by a short meeting of the Executive committee. The schedule of
programs was discussed and the program committee will push forward on securing the programs for
each meeting.
Submitted by Rosanne Minyard, secretary