saveutasp.org - The Campaign to Save UT Audiology and Speech Pathology

Update, Sept. 26- read this first:

At this point, we are waiting for further details to be announced by UT about the transition to the UT-Memphis Allied Health Sciences program. We are also waiting for the October 23/24 Trustees meeting. We may have to resume active advocacy efforts IF there is a unexpected development that substantially harms the future of the Dept. of Audiology and Speech Pathology.

At this time, we are cautiously advising the community to hold off on further advocacy efforts. However, you may want to contact the key offiicials using the email links below to ask them to share more information with the public, as precious little is available. You would also want to encourage them to secure the permanent funding for the programs and for a new facility to house the ASP academic and clinical programs.

Thank you for all the amazing emails, phone calls, and personal visits you made on behalf of UT ASP! Your voices were heard, and YOU made the difference in saving the programs!

Remember the most important thing you can do is to make your voice heard by those who have the power and authority to save the program. These people include the Governor, state legislators, the UT Board of Trustees, and UT President John Petersen, UTK Interim Chancellor Jan Simek, and UTK Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Bruce Bursten.

What's the fastest way to get your message to the key decision makers? Just click the following email link to send email to all Trustees, PLUS automatically CC your message to key UT officials and the Governor:

* * Write a letter to the editor of the Knoxville News-Sentinel

The letter should be sent only to the News Sentinel. It should be signed and include a street address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be considered.
Letters should be 200 or fewer words. We do not accept poetry. We urge our regular letter writers to limit their submissions to one per month.
The letters we publish should be original and reflect the views of the writers.
All letters are subject to editing and condensing.
Email your letter to letters@knews.com. Or click here to use the KNS online form to send your letter.

* * Contact Key Decision Makers

* * Contact Tennessee State Legislators

Email or call your Tennessee state representatives and senators to express your support of the ASP program, and to ask if additional state funding can be provided to UT to continue to fund the ASP program.

* * Sign the Save Site Open Letter Guestbook

On June 20, a half page ad was run in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Here is a PDF copy of the ad. This is an open letter to President Petersen and the Board of Trustees. We have added a guestbook to allow persons who wish to add their name to the open letter to do so. Sign the Open Letter Guestbook We ask that you give your full name and address, and indicate your connection to the ASP program, whether as faculty, staff, student, parent of a client, client, alumnus, or otherwise. We also ask that you keep any statements brief, as this is primarily a way to sign onto the Open Letter, and is not intended for a public forum.

* * Sign the Reinhart Petition

Brittany Reinhart, a UT audiology major, has begun a petition drive. She has already collected thousands of signatures from people across the community. If you're interested in signing her petition, you can email her at brinehar@utk.edu

* * Use Media Blogs

The Knoxville News-Sentinel, WBIR-TV, WATE-TV, Knoxviews, and other local media websites have established weblogs ("Blogs") to allow the public to communicate their opinions and facts to other readers. Most of these only require a valid email address to register a username for posting. We encourage supporters of UT ASP to use the blogs to raise awareness of the campaign to save UT ASP. Although these sites do not require that you post under your real name, it would be best if you did so to enhance the credibility of your posts.Note that the media blogs are usually maintained as an attachment to a news article. As a result, you frequently can't visit the website and find the blogs, as they 'roll off' the news pages fairly quickly as the articles age. However, you can find ongoing links to the articles here on saveutasp.org.

* * Join TAASLP

If you are an audiologist or speech-language pathologist in the state of Tennessee, become a member of the state professional organization, TAASLP (The Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists). TAASLP has joined the fight to save the UT ASP program. This professional organization is an active advocate of fair and equitable legislation and regulation of audiology and speech pathology on the local, state, and national levels. Joining TAASLP keeps you informed about changes in the professional environment that can affect your practice, and allows you to work together with your peers statewide to actively advocate for the professions.

How YOU Can Help