Voice Your Point 2012

                This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to a United Council conference. It took a lot of work to be able to attend this conference, and at the end I was not disappointed in all the steps I took to get there. I have never felt as empowered as a student in my life before. United council is a bipartisan nonprofit that I am fortunate enough to have an internship with this year. So far I have worked on a VOTE campaign to help students register and be informed on what their rights as students are when they vote on issues.

                This conference was really pushing their campaigns; I was VERY fortunate and got to actually present a workshop on how to have tough conversations with administration. Specifically bringing up the need for gender neutral facilities. I gave the group that came in for my two workshops specific steps to take when you are planning out a campaign and how to bring it to the administration's attention.

                Through my workshop, I talked about how important it is to keep a clear head in difficult situations where maybe administration is afraid of a certain aspect of your position. I came up with four general steps to take, and then went into detail on how to achieve effectively achieve those steps. While doing my workshop, I learned that there are a lot of struggles that campuses face in trying to make gender neutral spaces. Where in one case the money for a gender neutral bathroom can be hard to get with a two-year campus. At a four year campus, they are specifically looking at getting gender neutral housing spaces. I am excited for these things that are coming up in the future of our colleges in the University of Wisconsin system- even if I know that the time frame will be exceedingly large.

                Though the workshops presented at this conference, it gave the students a way to feel empowered about their positions in the UW-System. Not just that they are students, but that they have shared governance on the decisions that are being made. I feel very proud, that I am in the University of Wisconsin system. Especially after learning so much as this conference.