1. What is United Council?
2. How is United Council funded?
3. How does United Council affect my campus?
4. What does the full-time staff do? 
5. What are some victories United Council has won from its statewide campaigns?

What is United Council?
United Council is Wisconsin’s statewide student association, with over 150,000 members from 21 campuses from the University of Wisconsin System. We build coalitions with campuses across the state to win concrete victories in students’ lives. United Council’s mission is to represent all students of the University of Wisconsin System and advocate for them on issues of higher education pertaining to value, quality and the student experience. Founded in 1960, United Council is the oldest and one of the largest state student associations in the country.

How is United Council funded?
United council is funded by a Mandatory Refundable Fee (MRF). This fee is recognized by the UW Board of Regents (Policy 30-4) and requires a prospective member campus to vote on United Council membership by a studentwide referendum vote. Once members of United Council, each student pays $3.00 a semester to fund the organization’s operating budget. As its name suggests, this fee is refundable for students who do not wish to pay. All that is needed is a record of enrollment and tuition paid in full for the current semester. All MRF requests must be submitted to the United Council office within the first 45 days of each semester.

How does United Council affect my campus?

• United Council affects your campus in very real ways. We advocate for lower tuition, increased financial aid and more access to college for Wisconsin residents. The United Council staff also acts as a resource for the committed students who work tirelessly on campaigns developed around issues of higher education. Further, we provide a forum to develop a unified student voice designed to impact key decision-makers like the Board of Regents, State Legislature and the Governor.
• In addition, United Council also provides a number of direct services to our member campuses. United Council staff makes campus visits every semester in order to inform and equip students with the skills they need to run effective campaigns. We also provide engaging trainings on a variety of topics including: shared governance, campus climate issues, and media tactics.
• Finally, United Council holds Conventions across the state several times a year. This provides the much needed face time for students from different campuses to work together on a common goal.

Why is it important to be a member of United Council?
Membership is important because decision-makers recognize the power of our member students. This power is in the student vote and their presence during the decision making process. United Council acts as an avenue for the student voice to be unified. Simply put, the more members United Council has, the more representative the student voice becomes. The organization also provides many resources, such as trainings and issue research, for FREE to member campuses.

What does the full-time staff do?
United Council staff members work on the campaigns and initiatives chosen by the student membership. Common duties of staff include:

• Campaign Research
• Lobbying efforts to key decision-makers
• Informing students about current affairs in higher education, both within the state and across the country
• Training students, faculty and staff on individual campuses
• Working on campaign tactics alongside students
• Publicizing student victories and achievements

United Council staff does NOT dictate the campaigns the organization works on. We are a student run, student directed organization.

What are some victories United Council has won from its statewide campaigns?

• Victories from our biennial budget campaigns include: tuition freezes, modest tuition increases in comparison to similar state systems, and increased financial aid for students;
• Victories from our Vote Campaigns include: electing pro-student and pro-education legislators, increasing student voter registration numbers, and increasing student voter turnout around Wisconsin;
• Victories around access to education include: securing millions of dollars in increases for the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant, Wisconsin’s largest need-based grant, through lobbying, negotiation, petitioning, and rallying; securing funding for UW System initiatives such as Plan 2008 and Inclusive Excellence to make sure that campuses are welcoming and inclusive of all students;
• Legislative victories include: the ratification of Wisconsin Act 36 in 2007, which modifies state statute to ensure that students enrolled full-time in higher education who are terminally ill will not lose their health insurance if they cease enrollment during their illness; Adding two student on the UW System Board of Regents; Strengthening Wisconsin’s sexual assault statutes; Ensuring shared governance rights for UW Students through the passage of State Statute 36.09(5)
• Our victories go beyond just one year or two. They are changes to our state law and budget that make concrete differences in the lives of students today, and for years to come.