Student Committees, Connection and Community: Introducing the 2026-27 WUD Vice President of External Relations
At nearly any point during the academic year, the Wisconsin Union hosts a variety of events, many of which are programmed by the fully student-led Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) made up of 12 committees, including Art, Cuisine and Music, Hoofers outdoor clubs, and a board of student officers that oversee it all. Together, these students plan more than 1,000 events each year, bringing the programming we know and love to life and help guide the Union’s operations.
One of the students involved in making this happen is Ruby Royston, a junior studying education policy and political science. Her time with the Wisconsin Union started as a freshman, working as a barista at Peet’s Coffee. She became aware of the many opportunities available to her within the Union, including those through WUD.
The following year, she applied to be an associate director within the Society and Politics Committee, a non-partisan student-led group that aims to engage students in discussion about current events and societal issues. For Ruby, a desire to build her skills as a student leader and help others access similar opportunities was at the center of her involvement.
“Having a leadership role right away was definitely something I valued about WUD,” Ruby said. “I was instantly drawn to the mission of accessible programming, especially within the realm of politics, which is a hard one to break into.”
Next academic year, Ruby will transition from her committee role to a student officer position, serving as the 2026-2027 Vice President of External Relations. In addition to working alongside the three other student officers, the position oversees WUD’s marketing and outreach efforts and supports the directorate’s associate directors of marketing.
In her new role, Ruby will also work with committee directors and committee members. Although Ruby’s role in WUD is changing, the reasons that drew her to WUD, including her desire to connect others, remain the same.
“It’s about connecting with the greater student body,” Ruby said. “I want to reach as many people as possible to provide them with a safe space in the Wisconsin Union, where they can find programming, where they can grow as students and as people.”
To Ruby, connecting with more students starts with successful marketing efforts. In her new role, she wants to execute a successful marketing campaign to grow student-led programming and provide support for the Directorate’s smaller committees. Ruby understands that this position comes with more responsibility, but she believes that WUD is a great place to achieve these efforts because of the support she’s been provided.
“We are allowed to think, create and challenge the boundaries of what has been done in the past within WUD, all while having advisors and a budget that allows for support,” Ruby said.
Ruby encourages anyone interested in getting involved with WUD to start by reaching out either to a Committee student director or a WUD officer, to start to build connection and community within the Directorate.
“I believe that to make this big school feel small, you need to try to find community,” Ruby said. “What WUD does is integrate values of community across unique and diverse committees and clubs to provide an opportunity for all students here to make this big school feel small.”
For more information about WUD, visit union.wisc.edu/get-involved, and to check out the full list of WUD programming, check out the Wisconsin Union events calendar.
