Current Campaigns
United Council takes part in statewide campaigns, chosen in the General Assemblies, to work on in order to protect and increase higher education access, as well as the rights of students throughout Wisconsin.
Current United Council campaigns include: Student Art Campaign (student representation on the Wisconsin Arts Board); Chapter 17 - Non-Academic Misconduct; and Students Rights and Segregated Fee Autonomy.
The Student Art Campaign, formally known as the "% for Art Campaign," is working to add student input into art purchasing decisions on campuses. Named for the Wisconsin state law that mandates every state construction project use a certain percentage of its budget on art, the campaign will result in student input being required in that process when it occurs within the UW System. Right now, there is no formal process for including student voices on any art purchase or placement decision-making statewide. Decisions on what art is chosen for student unions, educational facilities, and almost all university land does not require student input, even though they are often the ones paying for the projects out of their taxes and segregated fees.
The Chapter 17 campaign involves the policies that govern student non-academic misconduct that are currently being rewritten. As a result of ongoing issues on the UW-Milwaukee campus, UW administrators decided it was an appropriate time to reexamine those policies. United Council is preparing for an expected first draft of the new policy, which is due sometime in early 2008. Our goal is to ensure that any changes do not result in students facing double punishment for any actions they take away from school, and to ensure that the policy is respectful towards students and their rights.
The statewide budget campaign represents the work of students statewide to influence the state budget, including appropriations for UW system, to increase access and affordability in the future. The campaign began with the passage of ten budget priorities, including freezing tuition systemwide, increasing grant money available to students, and improving faculty and staff retention, amongst many others.