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Search SG Article Library ASGA Issue Brief - ALL ISSUES
Sent quarterly to all ASGA members, ASGA Issue Briefs are similar to "legal briefs," providing in-depth information and offering positions and opinions on current hot issues and trends facing Student Government leaders.
Establish Legal Limitations on Advisor’s Role System Wide Rachael Richards This resolution regarding the legal role of the "advisor" passed with an 80-to-5 vote in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges assembly meeting in November 2009.
Great SGs Oxendine, Jr., W.H. "Butch" This is an ongoing review of some of the Best Student Governments in America, based on Student Leader's review of their web sites and services.
My dissertation focused on experiences of students who served as presidents of a liberal arts college’s student government association and to examine the meanings these individuals construct out of their leadership experiences. I found through a review of the existing literature that the Student governance has been in existence as an integral part of higher education almost since the founding of the first college in colonial America. However, little is understood about the lived experience of students involved in student governance, and specifically those who participate in leadership positions within student government organizations such as the student government president. Several themes regarding the participants’ experiences as student government presidents emerged from the data, which include: positive and negative facets of their presidencies, stress as a substantial element during their time in office, dissimilar experiences of women and minority students, varied experiences regarding relationships and conflicts with members of the campus community, the multiple roles required of a student government president, and personal approaches to leadership that a student government president must possess and hone.
Student government development and use of comprehensive university planning documents By Joseph Jerome Bambenek, Scott Sifton This paper describes the process by which a student government at a public liberal arts and sciences university wrote two university planning documents over a four-year period. It discusses the cultural impacts that these efforts had on the university community and the improvements in the university that resulted from these documents. The paper further explores the educational benefits that accrued to the students who worked on the projects and the ongoing benefits that have resulted for the role of the student government within the university. The paper concludes by outlining principles by which other university student governments could engage in projects which produce similar outcomes.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 06 - Parking Problems ASGA Staff Student parking is a heated issue on most college campuses. Often, even students who own parking decals must arrive early to find an available space. When no empty spots are in sight, some students park in illegal spaces and risk being towed or getting a
Action Plan for When We Return To Campus Zompetti, Suzette This "action plan," developed by Suzette Zompetti, will help you determine a course of action to implement what you learned at ASGA's conference.
Election irregularities crop up within system Christopher S. Jachimowicz The recent East Carolina University election controversy illuminated an issue campuses face across the state: how to run a legitimate student government election.
Key Case: Buying the Election Campus Legal Monthly Can a public university impose a spending limit on how much a student candidate can invest in a campaign for a student leadership position?
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 02, No. 02 - Voting Systems By ASGA Staff Tried-and-true or fair and new? Online or paper ballots? A simple system or a more balanced one? Plagued with low voter turnout, Student Government election officials might do well to consider a different voting system. But with a wide range of election methods to choose from, it can be difficult to decide whether a new system should be implemented or if an old one should be kept in place.
Voter turnout at public commuter institutions This excel file gives information on Student Government voter turnout at public commuter institutions nationwide. This information is gathered from ASGA's SG Database.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 08 - Online Voting ASGA Staff When schools first implement electronic voting, they almost invariably experience an immediate and dramatic leap in overall turnout and participation. Students love being able to cast their ballots anywhere, anytime. But what are the potential pitfalls of
Participating But Not Leading: Women's Under-representation in Student Government Leadership Positions By Carol D. Miller and Mindy Kraus We explored whether women were equally represented in leadership roles in college student governance at 21 Midwestern comprehensive universities. We surveyed the college student governments and asked them to report how many women participated in governance, and how many had been president, vice president and more. Our analyses showed that, while women were elected as representatives to student government, they were under-represented in presidential or vice-presidential positions. Structural and/or institutional factors, such as having a female faculty advisor to student government, were correlated with a greater likelihood of having female student government leaders.
Have I Excluded Anyone Today? Karen Myers and Tom Hanley This article offers a very personal and practical approach to communicating with SGA leaders about accessibility and inclusion issues regarding students with disabilities.
Most Student Governments aren't content operating out of a cubicle on an obscure corner of campus, and rightly so. But when administrators have to choose between constructing vital new classroom facilities, collecting rent from campus vendors, or ex
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 05 - Campus Drinking By Michael Haines There is a common misperception that the majority of students on college campuses are "binge drinking." Campus health officers, administrators and even parents are implementing scare tactics, tight restrictions on social functions, and stiff penalties.
A member asked ASGA to research which institutions have campus pubs or bars on campus and close to 80 institutions replied on ASGA's Facebook group and our two list-serves for members and advisors.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 01 - Food Service ASGA Staff On many college campuses, food service is a big issue and one that students need to take the initiative about improving. Find out everything you'll need to know to make a difference on your campus.
Open Meetings Rule in South Dakota This article discusses the role and relationship the student government has to the college administration at public institutions in South Dakota. This relationship also is relevant to the state's open meetings laws.
This article highlights student organization letter writing and offers steadfast guidelines for developing a strong communication instrument. Indeed, aside from face-to-face meetings, well thought-out, personalized letters can and will represent you long after they have been read. In fact, every letter you prepare—from an external announcement to an internal email—carries the weight of your student organization's mission, vision, and values. For this reason, it is important to take the time to organize your thoughts before you write.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 09 - SG Salaries ASGA Staff To be paid or not to be paid, that is the question. After a salary survey ran in the Fall 1997 issue of StudentLeader magazine, a compelling debate erupted across the country as to whether or not Student Government officers, senators, and l
Open letter from EIC about stipends This article by the editor of Clock discusses stipends paid to campus leaders at Plymouth State University.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 02, No. 01 - The Mission of Student Government ASGA Staff Student Governments play many important roles on campus, from planning student activities to championing lower tuition rates. Yet unlike other government entities, SGs usually have no law-making authority. In fact, they often have a lot less power than they think they do, which can put them at odds with administrators and other campus officials. What real powers do SGs have? What should SG members concentrate on during their limited terms? What should an SG's overall mission be?
Changes in Student Government over the past 25 years Oxendine, Jr., W.H. "Butch" This opinion article by ASGA executive director Butch Oxendine briefly outlines some of the changes in Student Governments that have occurred in the past 25 years.
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 03 - Child Care Programs ASGA Staff Many co-ed moms and dads could use some help when juggling parenthood, schoolwork, and extracurricular commitments. A campus childcare center can alleviate stress for students with young children. Find out who has created programs and the obstacles to ove
ASGA Issue Brief - Vol. 01, No. 04 - Yearbook ASGA Staff Yearbook sales at your school have been slipping for years, the red ink is mounting, and few students, campus leaders, or even administrators seem to care. But it doesn't have to be this way.
SG web sites often have very little information - about anything. Some SG sites say "info coming soon" and at the bottom of the page, you can see it was last updated in ’05. It's difficult for their constituents to contact them if they cant even find a list of their officers.
The ASGA staff-- Amy Rankin, Nakia McDonald, Jason Shepherd, and Shauna Cardenas-- spends every day full-time looking at SG web sites. They know a good site from a bad one! And most, unfortunately, are horrifically bad and out-of-date.
Good SG Web Sites: Web Design & Hosting Resources ASGA Staff ASGA has researched some of the companies, web sites, and resources that will help you create a strong and useful web site for your Student Government.
ASGA's MISSION STATEMENT:
The American Student Government Association will provide all Student Government leaders and advisors nationwide with networking, research, and information resources and will teach them how to become more effective, ethical, and influential leaders on their campuses. ASGA also will promote the advancement of SGs, conduct research as the nation’s only “SG Think Tank,” and advocate the importance of having a vibrant, autonomous Student Government organization at every institution in America.
