Carolina Day at the Statehouse: Faculty, staff, students, and alumni to show support for University March 26

The fifth-annual Carolina Day at the Statehouse will be March 26, and this year, the event will return to the Capital City Club for check-in and the closing luncheon.

Carolina Day gives University faculty, staff, and supporters from around the state opportunities to meet with their legislators and discuss the importance of public support for public higher education in South Carolina. The event is an outreach effort of the Carolina Action Network (CAN), an advocacy group consisting of alumni and friends of the University who want to ensure that the University continues to receive the funding necessary to provide a quality education for its students.

"Each year, Carolina Day at the Statehouse attracts about 300 supporters of the University," said Lynn Bradley, assistant executive director of the Carolina Alumni Association, which sponsors the event. "Again this year, we'd like to have as much representation from around the state as possible so that someone is talking to a legislator from each district."

Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. at the Capital City Club on the 25th floor of the SouthTrust building at the northwest corner of Main and Gervais streets. A briefing to explain what advocates can expect when they get to the Statehouse and how to call their legislators out of session to talk to them will begin at 9:30 a.m.

At 10 a.m., advocates will walk across Gervais Street to the Statehouse to meet with legislators from their districts. President Sorensen will speak at noon at a luncheon at the Capital City Club to end the day's events.

Advocates should register by March 14. To register online, go to the Carolina Alumni Associations Web site at www.carolinaalumni.org. To register by phone, call the alumni association at 7-4111.

Advocates are invited to wear garnet and black to show their Carolina spirit and will receive a button that reads "Today, I represent USC" to wear.

Carolina Day at the Statehouse is the largest event sponsored by CAN. CAN advocates contact their legislators by phone, letters, e-mail, or personal visits throughout the year. Advocates also receive alerts about important legislative issues.

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