Matt,

Certainly, any private citizen has the right to be involved in political activities of their choice, regardless of where their paycheck comes from*.   If this person is paid from a federal grant, they should be careful to distinguish between their personal and professional activities.  For example, if they wanted to write or call their Senator about some issue they felt strongly about, they should do so from their home, not their office, and use their personal email, not their work email.  Contact with the Senator should be framed as "I am one of your constituents and I feel strongly about this issue" rather than "I work at University X in your district."  If they want to attend a political rally or volunteer for a campaign, leave the university-insignia clothing at home.  Basically, they need to make it very clear that they are acting as a private individual, not as a representative of the institution.

Paul
*not quite regardless; there are cases that are restricted, but those are irrelevant to us

-----Original Message-----

Date:    Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:12:21 +0000
From:    Matthew Katz <xxxxxx@WESTERNU.EDU>
Subject: private political activities

Hi all,
If someone paid off a federal award, can they, independent of the institution and award, as a private citizen, be actively involved in political activities and contribute to political campaigns?
Thanks
Matt

Matthew D. Katz, MHA
Assistant Vice President,
Sponsored Research and Contracts Management
Western University of Health Sciences
309 E. 2nd Street
Pomona, CA  91766-1854
(909) 469-5567
(909) 469-5569 FAX

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