When the polls closed Thursday night, 1,282 “yes” votes and 486 “no” votes were counted in regard to the question about UW-Eau Claire maintaining its United Council membership.

UC is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established to provide advice and assistance to students and student governments on programming and institutional governance issues.

“United Council works to keep tuition lower and the quality of education high for UW students,” said Matthew McFeeley, organizing and communications director for UC.

UC currently consists of 24 of the 26 UW System campuses, representing about 140,000 students statewide. UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater are the two campuses not in the organization.

As a condition of UC membership, students attending UC member schools are required to pay a mandatory refundable fee of $1.35.

The fee collected helps pay for services UC provides to students, such as lobbying for student related issues at the state capital.

McFeeley said some of the projects UC currently is working on include restoring funds to the System through UC’s Funding Wisconsin’s Future campaign and attempting to develop an accepted definition of differential tuition and how it should be used.

While students may not directly see what UC does, it still plays a vital role in their lives, McFeeley said.

Sarah Schuh, UC’s vice president of four-year campuses, agreed. She said if Eau Claire was not a voting member of UC there would be a breakdown in communication between student government and state legislators, as well as a loss of valuable information on important topics such as multicultural and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

By remaining in UC, Eau Claire retains its eight votes in the UC’s General Assembly.

Schuh said these eight votes are often student senators and other members of different campus organizations, but any student could participate in UC events free of charge.

“If (students) want to attend general assemblies, they can,” she said. “They pay the $1.35 (mandatory refundable fee).”

The general assemblies that students are welcome to attend include a unity building conference held each fall and a women’s leadership conference held each spring.

Schuh said there are currently plans to send about 30 students to the women’s leadership conference being held March 28-30 at UW-Platteville.

Attending UC assemblies is a good experience for students involved in student organizations, Schuh said.

“It’s super energizing to see about 130 people who are all interested in the same types of things you are,” she said.

McFeeley said he is encouraged by the amount of student support shown for UC at the polls last week.

“Seventy-three percent is a strong showing that people want (Eau Claire) to continue being a member (of United Council).”