Big Ten Union

The Big Ten Union is an international organization, headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania. Its members consist of nine independent states, based upon the pre-Collapse college athletic conference, the Big Ten Conference.

Members

 * Current Members
 * [Penn State] (March 2007)
 * [Hoosierland] (March 2007)
 * [Michigan State] (March 2007)
 * [Ann Arboria] (April 2007)
 * [Northwesternia] (April 2007)
 * [Imperial Iowa] (May 2007)
 * [United Ohio States] (June 2007)
 * [Notre Dame] (June 2007)
 * [Central Illinois] (July 2007)


 * Associate and Provisionary Members:
 * [The Principality of West Fayette]
 * [Wisconsica]


 * Former Members:
 * [New Ohio] (April-June 2007)

Formation
Following its formation as a political entity, the Republic of Penn State began to actively seek out any and all established states within the former United States. By mid-February 2007, it had formed ties with dozens of nations around the continent, including the Hoosierland Republic and the Republic of Michigan State. These three nations, having all been formed by or around major universities that had once been a part of the Big Ten Conference, immediately formed a close bond. On 13 March 2007 the three nations met in State College, Pennsylvania and signed an agreement establishing the Big Ten Union. At the same time they announced the new alliance would be open to all sufficiently built and stable countries formed around Big Ten Conference schools.

Early Expansion
The Union began an initiative to restore all former Big Ten schools by finding formed countries around those schools and helping nations controlling those schools lands to rebuild the univeristies. By early April contact had been established with the Kingdom of Ann Arboria, containing the University of Michigan, and New Ohio, containing the Unveristy of Ohio. Having already rebuilt the universities themselves, they were admitted into the Union on 7 April. Likewise, the Republic of Northwesternia, formed by Northwestern University itself was discovered and shortly thereafter admitted on 23 April. Meanwhile an agreement was reached with the Empire of Imperial Iowa, based in Des Moines, to help rebuild both Iowa City which had been mostly abandoned, and the Univeristy of Iowa campus. The University was rebuilt to operational status within two months and Imperial Iowa was admitted into the Union on 29 May.

The Ohio War
On 3 June, New Ohio was dropped from the Union as a coup took place in Columbus installing a dictatorship which quickly moved to capture other cities around Ohio. Armed forces from the Big Ten states joined with neighboring Ohioan forces to put down the rogue forces and to liberate Columbus. Allied forces recaptured the city on 21 June. The various Ohioan nations involved in the conflict rallied around the newly liberated city and formed the United Ohio States. This new nation was admitted into the Union on 25 June.

Recent Expansions
The Republic of Notre Dame was one of the first nations discovered by Penn State in its early explorations, and became close friends and allies. Having not been in the Big Ten Conference prior to the Great Collapse, Notre Dame was not involved in the formation of the Union, though did attend the meeting in an Observatory status. After several months of talks, and considering that not all former Big Ten schools would be able to be readmitted (the University of Minnesota was destroyed when the nuclear explosion destroyed Minneapolis-St. Paul), Notre Dame was finally admitted on 30 June.

In late April contact was established with the leadership of Urbana, Illinois. Very little rebuilding in the area had been done and the University of Illinois was in ruins. With heavy support and funding from the Big Ten Union, the area was built up and the university restored. Prompted by the Union, the local leaders of Urbana, Champaign, Springfield, and Decateur met and worked out a loose government, forming the Confederation of Central Illinois on 4 July to conincide with the former United States Independence Day. The new state was admitted into the Union several days later on 9 July.