Student governments in the United States

Main article: Students' union

Junior high school student government meeting, 1942

University of Montevallo student government booth at a fair, 2007

Student governments in the United States exist in both secondary and higher education. A student government may also be known as the student government association, student assembly, associated students, student senate, or less commonly students' union. There is one instance of a government of the student body, at Iowa State University. At Yale University, the undergraduate student government is known as the Yale College Council.

Student governments vary widely in their internal structure and degree of influence on institutional policy. At institutions with large graduate, medical school, and individual "college" populations, there are often student governments that serve those specific constituencies. Some student governments have very large budgets; the student government at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) had an annual budget of $39 million as of 2013.

Elsewhere in the world, student governments are often known as "student unions." However, in American English, the phrase "student union" often refers to a "student activity center" (also known as a "student center" or "student commons"): a building with dining halls, game rooms, lounges, student offices, and other spaces for student activities.

Not all American colleges and universities have a separate student government. A number of small liberal arts colleges in the United States use a governance model in which key decisions are made democratically by the community as a whole, with students and faculty on equal footing. Examples of such schools include Marlboro College, Shimer College, and College of the Atlantic. In addition, historically, many US schools followed a "student-faculty council" model, with governance shared between elected representatives of the student body and the faculty.

Elementary School Officers

• President
• Vice President (sometimes also serves as chair of the senate)
• Treasurer
• Secretary (sometimes combined with treasurer to form the position of Treasurer/Secretary)
• Speaker (and sometimes Deputy Speaker)
• Senator (sometimes called Representative)
• Parliamentarian
• Sergeant-at-Arms

High School Officers In US high schools, officers typically include:

• Class Advisor (a teacher from the school)
• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Historian
• Sergeant-at-Arms

Structures

Many student governments are structured similarly to the United States Government, consisting of distinct executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Alternatively, a parliamentary model is followed. These structures often include elements which are not found in the federal government (e.g. legislative veto, programming branches, initiative, recall, referendum). In some cases, student governments follow a corporate model where offices reflect business roles such as Vice President of Finance, Director, etc.

Also, many universities with significant graduate, law, and medical school programs have separate student governments for the graduate and undergraduate student bodies. Similarly, multiple undergraduate student governments sometimes form to address specific facets of university decision-making. At the University of Texas, for example, students are served by three equal and independent student governance organizations: the Student Government represents students generally, but focuses on undergraduate student life matters; the Senate of College Councils represents undergraduate and graduate students in academic affairs; and the Graduate Student Assembly represents graduate students in both academic and student affairs. While some student governments incorporate undergraduates and graduates together, at the University of Oklahoma, for example, the legislature is bicameral: The Graduate Student Senate and the Undergraduate Student Congress (house). The other branches represent Florida Atlantic University, with multiple campuses, elects a university-wide student government president, then elects campus "governors" and representatives serving each specific campus.

Responsibilities

Within their capacity as representatives of the student body, student governments may fulfill a range of responsibilities, such as:

• Representing the interests and concerns of the student body and serving on college-wide committees made up of students, faculty, administrators, and staff members
• Disbursing mandatory fees for student activities to clubs, organizations, and campus offices
• Sponsoring campus-wide programs (e.g. Homecoming, concerts, parades, speakers, entertainment, discount cards, food pantries, book swaps, etc.)
• Chartering and regulating student organizations

Relationship to the Institution

Most universities and colleges (both public and private) in the United States are governed by a Board of Trustees or Regents. Only about 20 percent of all Student Governments have a student serving as a voting member of the Board of Trustees/Regents/Governors, according to ASGA's Student Representatives on Board of Trustees Survey from November 2013. Nearly 64 percent of nearly 400 participating institutions of all types and size indicated that they have a student member of their institution's board of trustees/regents. Of those 64 percent that have a student member, 40.83% have a student who has an official vote.

Student governments tend to be chartered by the Board but, in the case of public universities operated by a State, may be recognized by the state legislature. Their structure, purpose and responsibilities are usually established in a constitution ratified by the student body. Some states, such as California and Florida, specifically provide for "student body organizations" in their public institutions by statute. (e.g. Cal Education Code § 76060 (Community Colleges); Cal Education Code § 89300 (Universities)).

Student governments have historically been considered auxiliaries of the university to which they belong. Since ultimate responsibility over the direction of a university is usually vested in a Chancellor or President appointed by the Board, some conflicts may arise between Student Government and the university administration, especially in the area of fiscal matters. In addition to a student government, many universities also establish governments for faculty (e.g. Faculty Senate) and staff (e.g. Staff Assembly). In such cases, there often exist links and dependencies between these bodies. Many colleges/universities also allow the student governments to manage and disburse the student activities (student life) funds generated by the fees students pay each quarter/semester/year. This usually establishes some authority for the student government because control over money is power and strong influence.

Student government budgets range from as high as $90 million (UCLA) to less than a few thousand dollars. Large public residential universities tend to enjoy the largest operational budgets, while commuter-based public colleges and private colleges tend to have the smallest budgets. The vast majority of student governments receive their funding from a portion of the student activity fees. More than 71 percent of American "SG" officers are compensated through salaries, stipends, scholarships, and tuition waivers, according to the SG Salary Survey. The American Student Government Association, the professional association for collegiate student governments, maintains an annually updated database of student government information including budgets, number of members, salaries, corporate structure and number of recognized clubs.

Most American student governments are "official, on-campus organizations" recognized by their institutions. But particularly in California, Minnesota, and Oregon, the "Associated Students, Inc." are non-profit corporations that operate independently of the institution. They derive some of their funding through the sale of services such as "discount cards" that students can use at local establishments.

Average voter turnout in all 4,700 student governments nationwide is in the range of 4 percent, according to the ASGA SG database. This number is negatively skewed by poor participation overall in SG at the more than 2,000 American community colleges which have larger commuter and non-traditional populations and therefore have less emphasis on traditional student services and programs like student government. State universities and colleges tend to have a 10-15 percent voter turnout, while private colleges tend to be 15-20 percent, but can have much higher totals, sometimes into 40 percent or higher, according to ASGA. Online voting is used by 72% of American student governments, according to ASGA's 2012 SG Elections nationwide research study.

Most student government leaders serve one-year terms, but there are isolated examples of multi-year officers. This cyclical nature of student government officers often prevents them from attaining real influence on college campuses.

Examples

University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma’s student government is called the University of Oklahoma Student Association (UOSA), first established in 1969. The student activity fee accumulated is divided into various amounts to be disbursed by a committee made up of the student president, the chair of the undergraduate student congress, the chair of the graduate student senate, and the vice president of student affairs. The student government is currently given just over $600,000 from this committee to allocate to student organizations, pay staff assistants, bills on student government property, and other debts.

Structure

The UOSA is divided into four equal governing branches: the executive, legislative, judicial, and programming.

The Executive Branch is composed of the president and vice president along with their cabinet of various departments filled with directors, coordinators, and officers. The president and vice president are elected together on a ticket during the spring general elections. President nominates his or her cabinet and other executive officials to the legislature to be confirmed through the process of advise and consent. The members of the Executive Branch act as the advocates for students by meeting with administration, promoting resolutions passed by the legislature, and ensuring that all laws of the UOSA are faithfully executed.

The Legislative Branch is composed of two houses: the Undergraduate Student Congress and the Graduate Student Senate. The Representatives of the Undergraduate Student Congress and Senators of the Graduate Student Senate are elected according to their academic district and college. Both houses elect internally their own leadership with a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, which make the executive decisions for their respective houses like appointing committee membership or committee leadership. The legislative branch also considers legislation on a wide variety of topics concerning students at OU. In addition, the legislature considers resolutions concerning issues as diverse as gender-neutral housing, smoking bans, safety concerns, sidewalks, parking, and recreational facilities. This branch considers these issues through the use of various committees. One of the most important legislative committees is the UOSA Budget Committee, which is a joint committee between the Graduate Senate and Undergraduate Congress. Together this committee allocates the student activity fee in the form of an appropriations bill.

The Judicial Branch is composed of one high court and lower courts. The high court is the UOSA Student Superior Court. The court operates as a Court of Appeal that basically acts as our Supreme Court. This Court hears cases that affect the UOSA constitution, UOSA Statutes, Student Organization constitutions, UOSA General Counsel Opinions, election fraud, or any other appeal from a lower court. The UOSA currently has one lower the UOSA Student Parking Appeals Court. This court reviews appeals made over various parking citations.

The Programming Branch is vested in the UOSA Campus Activities Council (CAC). The Campus Activities Council is led by a Chair, who is elected in a campus wide election. As the Programming Branch, it puts on many events on campus for the entire student body like Howdy Week, Big Red Rally, Homecoming, University Sing, Dad’s Day and Family Weekend, Winter Welcome Week, Dance Marathon, College Bowl, Mom’s Day and Parent’s Weekend, and Sooner Scandals. The Campus Activities Council also has a Concert Series, Film Series, and a Speaker’s Bureau that brings many enlightening speakers, films, and bands for the student body to enjoy. Originally, CAC was the programming arm of the UOSA under the Executive Branch. In 2002, the student body voted and passed a constitutional amendment to make the Campus Activities Council its own branch.

The student government also has an independent student legal office called the UOSA General Counsel. The UOSA General Counsel, the chief legal officer for UOSA, and their associates acts as attorney general for the student government as well as public defender. Students must at minimum be second year law students to qualify to be the general counsel or one its associates. The UOSA General provides legal advice, defends students regarding academic misconduct or grade appeals, approves new student organization, and represents the UOSA on legal matters.

University of Florida

The University of Florida Student Government is the governing body for the students who attend the university, representing the UF's 50,000+ undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. It is one of the largest Student Governments within the United States. The student government currently operates on a yearly $20.7 million budget. The motto is "Building the Pride in Every Gator."

It was officially established in 1909 and consists of an executive, judicial, and unicameral legislative branch. The executive branch consists of a Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Treasurer, 4 executive directorships, 8 agencies, 12 executive secretaries, and 19 programming cabinets under 3 cabinet chairs. The Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, and Student Body Treasurer are elected in annual elections held in the spring.

The legislative branch is composed of 100 senators, who serve one-year terms. 50 senate seats are elected each spring semester and the remaining 50 are elected each fall semester. The senators elect a Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore twice a year—once in the fall, and once in the spring—to lead the Student Senate.

Michigan State University

Main article: ASMSU

The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU] is MSU's all-university undergraduate student government. Graduate and graduate-professional students are represented in a separate student governing system, the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The General Assembly of ASMSU represents students within the academic governance system in its Student Caucus, on campus, in the city of East Lansing, in the State of Michigan and nationally.

The General Assembly is the main decision making body of ASMSU. The General Assembly consists of representatives elected from each undergraduate college, as well as representatives from various other Major Governing Groups (Residence Halls Association, Inter fraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council, and National Panhellenic Council), the Council of Progressive Students groups, and the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students groups. The number of representatives per college varies on the population of the college, like the United States House of Representatives.

ASMSU provides services to members of the association, such as free legal services, funding for student programs and events, a free Safe Ride Program, the Red Cedar Log Yearbook, copy and printing services, post-undergraduate test prep, iClicker and graphing calculator rentals, and free bluebooks. All activities and programs are funded through a refundable $20 student tax collected each semester. The student tax levied gives the General Assembly control of 96.5% of the nearly $1.6 million ASMSU budget. The remaining portion of the budget is restricted to a readership fund, providing all tax-paying undergraduate students free newspapers across campus, with subscriptions including (but not limited to) the USA Today, New York Times, and Financial Times.

The ASMSU General Assembly has six officers and forty-five staff members. The Office of the President of the General Assembly consists of: the president and chair of the assembly, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of Finance and Operations, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Governmental Affairs, and Vice President of Student Allocations. The office of the president is elected each April by the newly elected representatives. The assembly usually - but not always - votes its own members (or previous executive staff members) to hold leadership positions. The staff members are hired by a Human Resources hiring committee. The committee consists of the Chief of Staff, a member of the office of the president, the Director for Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, the supervisor to the position and the director of human resources (nonvoting).

Structure

Below is the basic structure for the ASMSU General Assembly.

General Assembly 47 elected seats 18 appointed seats
President
Vice President for Internal Affairs		Vice President for Governmental Affairs		Vice President for Student Allocations		Vice President for Finance and Operations		Vice President for Academic Affairs		Chief of Staff
Freshman Class Council Sophomore Class CouncilJunior Class Council Senior Class Council		State Liaison Community Liaison		Student Allocations Board		Business Office Red Cedar Log Yearbook Legal Services		Student Caucus		Staff

Stetson University

Student governance has existed since 1908 at Stetson University in many forms. In 1973, the student body abolished the representative model and instituted a Student Union Board. This featured a president and his appointed board who represented the Body. In 1981, the SGA was reinstated and has followed a Constitution that has been since in continual existence (though heavily changed).

Currently, the Stetson University Student Government Association (SGA) is the representative body for all undergraduate students enrolled at Stetson University. The SGA does not have the force of law, as the institution is private. The association is divided into two branches: Legislative and Executive. The association has direct control over $100,000 in student fee monies, which go to 100+ student organizations and has oversight of $500,000 in student fee monies, which go to other university programming. Further, the SGA has controlling interest in the allocation of the $1,000,000 general student fee allocation committee.

The Legislative Branch is a unicameral branch composed of a Student Senate. The Senate challenges, creates, and clarifies policies affecting Stetson Students. The Senate is further responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of the Executive, approving his/her appointments to Cabinet positions, and approving the Sec. Finance's budget. The Senate is chaired by the SGA Vice-President, who acts as the Senate President. Senators are elected from Residence Halls and from the commuter population. Also, each campus organization may appoint a Senator. This results in an average Senate of 100 members each year. The Senate has six committees which consider legislation brought before the Senate: Academic Affairs, Budget and Finance, Campus Life, Policy Reform, Residential Living, and Values and Ethics. The Chairmen of the committees and the Senate parliamentarian are appointed by the Senate President. The President Pro Temp is elected by the Senate.

The Executive Branch is headed by the SGA President who, jointly with the vice president, is elected in an annual, campus-wide election. The president is responsible for the general operations of the association. He/She serves as the Student Body President, and is the official spokesperson for the association and the Student Body. The president serves/ or selects the members of several university boards. These include: The Activity Allocation Committee, Trustee Campus Life Committee, Campus Life Committee, Traffic Appeals Board, Honor Counsel Selection Committee. He/She is responsible for implementing the resolutions passed by the Senate. The president does so by meeting and negotiating polices with various university administrators.
The president's Cabinet consists of:
Vice President: Assists the president in implementing legislation, is the official representative in lieu of the president, heads the Senate & meeting of committee chairs. Also assists the president with the fall election of senators.
Secretaries:
Communications: Responsible for all advertising, publications, branding, historic record keeping.
Finance: Custodian of all SGA Property, has the sole authority to distribute SGA & SAFAC funds (as directed by the Senate), Chairs the SAFAC and AFAC committees.
Student Involvement: Responsible for outreach and involvement to the Student Body at large. Plans SGA events and is responsible for spending the majority of the SGA budget.
Other: The president or Senate may create subordinate or equivalent secretaries to those listed.

The president may veto legislation from the Senate; however, a veto may be overturned via a 2/3 vote of the Senate.

The elections for president and VP are governed by a special committee which consists of senators. A majority of votes cast is required to win the election.

AFICU

Stetson's SGA is a founding member of the Academy of Florida Independent Colleges and Universities. The Academy seeks to better higher education student governance in the state of Florida.

Student Senate for California Community Colleges

Main article: Student Senate for California Community Colleges

Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) is a public-benefit nonprofit corporation. The corporation's board of directors holds its meetings in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. SSCCC is funded, in part, by moneys collected pursuant to a law that permits the establishment of a "student representation fee". The "Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges" has recognized SSCCC as "the representative of community college-associated student organizations before the Board of Governors and the Chancellor's Office".

The students of a college in the California Community Colleges System may select one SSCCC "delegate" in accordance with rules that they have adopted. Meetings of the delegates are held twice during each academic year; once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester. A meeting of the delegates is known as a "General Assembly". During a General Assembly, each delegate may cast one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the delegates.

The delegates are grouped into 10 geographic regions. The delegates in each of the 10 regions may annually elect three "directors". A meeting of the directors may elect a president and up to 6 vice presidents. The directors and the president and the vice presidents are voting members of SSCCC's board of directors.

SSCCC may nominate students for appointment to seats on the board of governors of the California Community Colleges. SSCCC may also appoint two representatives to the "Consultation Council" established by the Board of Governors.

Philadelphia Big 5

Philadelphia Big 5 student governments meet at La Salle University, 2016

The Philadelphia Big 5, popularly known as an association of Philadelphia sports teams, also coordinates frequent student government meetings. The governments consist of La Salle University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Saint Joseph's University, and Drexel University instead of Villanova. The Philadelphia Big 5 usually includes Villanova, but Drexel replaced them since the meetings generally consist of Philadelphia-area issues and Villanova is the only Big 5 college not located in the city. The schools convene to discuss and plan for school-centered programs including diversity, community affairs, and best practices.

The group convened in November 2016 to discuss protests against Donald Trump and similar violence on college campuses, especially on UPenn's campus, the alma mater of President Trump. On November 11th, African American students at the University of Pennsylvania were targeted by being unwillingly added to GroupMe chats named after racial epithets such as "Trump lovers", "Mud Men", and "'expletive' Lynching".

Philadelphia university student governments are notable for promoting somewhat political and controversial referendums at their schools. The University of Pennsylvania's student government drew large student turnout when they held a vote for the school to divest from fossil fuels. La Salle University garnered media attention when students voted to have gender-neutral housing, which would make La Salle the first Catholic university in the country to do so.

See also

• Conference on Student Government Associations
• American Student Government Association

External links

• Student Government Resource Center