Registration now open for OMLD 2023!
Howdy! Orange and Maroon Legislative Day is back in person for 2023, and registration is now open!
Mark your calendar to join us in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 15, for this important day.
Since 2003, alumni and students from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin have united at the Texas Capitol to advocate for the shared legislative priorities of the two universities.
We cannot make this day a success without you! Space is limited, so read on for more details on this year's event and then register at:
Prior to OMLD, registered volunteers will be asked to complete a short online training course. This training will provide helpful tips on legislative advocacy and our priorities for the day.
Read on for more information on this year's event. We hope to see you in Austin on Feb. 15!
Tentative Volunteer Schedule for OMLD
9 a.m. — Check-in for volunteer briefing opens
800 Congress (800 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701)
9:30-11 a.m. — Volunteer briefing
(Required to take part in office visits)
Volunteers will hear from the university presidents, alumni association board chairs and university government relations teams
11 a.m.-noon — Lunch served
Group assignments will be finalized
12:15-12:30 p.m. — Groups depart for Capitol
Approximately 0.3 miles / 7 minute walk
1 pm — Office visits begin
Last offices scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m.
5 p.m. — Group photo at Capitol
5:30-7:30 p.m. — Reception at 800 Congress
NEW for 2023:
A Better Volunteer Experience
In preparing for OMLD, The Association of Former Students and Texas Exes took extensive consideration of feedback from volunteers from the previous in-person events.
From these notes, there were two frequent comments from the volunteers:
1. Many of the office visits felt rushed and lacked the time to have meaningful engagements with the legislators/staff.
2. Last-minute scheduling changes from the legislative offices were not able to be communicated to the volunteers in a timely manner.
We are constantly seeking ways to improve this event, and so for 2023, we are excited to implement some changes that we feel will make this day a better experience for our volunteers!
First — we are leaving more time for office visits in the afternoon.
In the most recent in-person events, office visits started at approximately 2:30 p.m. For 2023, we aim to begin these office visits at approximately 1 p.m. We hope this will allow for longer visits, when the legislator/staff is able, and less of a rush to move between offices.
Second — we are very excited to utilize a new, web-based event manager for our volunteers on OMLD! This software was developed by a company that specializes in legislative advocacy solutions and is geared specifically for legislative action days at the state or federal level.
This tool will provide you with helpful information for your office visits, maps and real-time updates. Your customized schedule will be front-and-center, and you will receive alerts if there are any day-of changes.
What you need to know about these changes:
- In past events, volunteers had the option to attend the ceremonial resolution readings in the House and Senate prior to the start of the volunteer briefing. These take place as the House and Senate first gavel in at the beginning of the day.
- With the earlier start time to the volunteer briefing in 2023, it will not be possible for volunteers to attend the resolution readings AND take part in the office visits. For those who wish to only attend those readings, sign-ups for that opportunity will be made available close to OMLD.
- To access the online event manager on OMLD, you will simply need to go to the provided web address and input the email address you provided in your volunteer registration. You will not need to download any software or applications to your personal device. (Please ensure, however, that the email address you provide in your registration is one you can access from your mobile device at OMLD.)
- If you will not have a smartphone or other device at OMLD capable of accessing the internet, you will have the opportunity to report this in your online training course. We will ensure you are placed in a group with others who can access the event manager to let you know of changes.
Thank you again for your willingness to advocate for Texas A&M and higher education!
We can't wait to see you in Austin on Feb. 15!
