HISTORY

(Adapted from the University of Connecticut Undergraduate Student Government Records Special Collection at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center)

An undergraduate student government has existed at the University of Connecticut in Storrs in various forms and under different names since 1894. Originally, it was composed of nine elected students who worked with the faculty "upon matters of government of the college." By 1913, the organization was called the Student Organization, and its members were the two hundred thirty-nine students enrolled at Connecticut Agricultural College. In 1921, the government was reorganized and a standing committee called the Student Senate was formed as the executive branch. The Senate adopted a constitution and became known as the Associated Student Government (ASG). The constitution outlined the duties of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the ASG, which was modeled after the federal government. The Student Senate continued as the core of student political power until 1973 when the ASG dissolved. In the following academic year, the ASG was replaced by the Federation of Students and Service Organizations (FSSO). The Senate was replaced by a Central Committee. Then in 1980, the FSSO was replaced by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), and the Student Assembly became the representative student body. The Undergraduate Student Government bodies have piloted (and funded) the launch of every other major student organization on campus including: The Daily Campus, WHUS, SUBOG, IFC, and RHA.

Many of the changes in the structure and activities of ASG, FSSO, and USG are described in student handbooks. For example, according to the 1960-1961 handbook, the purpose of the Associated Student Government was to coordinate and integrate all sections of the member student organizations in the best interests of the student body, to act as a liaison between students' interests, education, and general welfare.

The ASG executive branch was composed of a president and vice-president who were advised by a president's council. The vice-president's main duty was to serve as chairman of the Student Senate, which had become the legislative branch by 1933. By the 1960s, the executive branch consisted of senators elected at large, class officers, the ASG president, and ex-officio senators, including presidents of IFC, WHUS, the photo pool, and editors of the Connecticut Daily Campus and the Nutmeg. Freshman, sophomores, and juniors were elected to the Senate each spring for a one-year term. Student Senate meetings were open to all students and students were invited to work with any Senate committee. The Student Senate established scholarships, surveyed student problems, and brought off-campus speakers and controversies to the attention of the campus. Activities and investigations into particular matters were handled by different Senate committees.

The Finance Committee made recommendations concerning the expenditure of student activity fee income. The central treasurer, a student employee, supervised the accountability of all activity fees allocated to and distributed by the Student Senate. The ASG controlled funds for the publication of the Connecticut Daily Campus and the Nutmeg, for running WHUS, and for underwriting charges for concerts, pep rallies, and dances.

The judicial branch of the Associated Student Government was composed of justices selected by the President of ASG and approved by the Senate. It was their duty to settle all interorganizational conflicts, to interpret the constitution, and to adjudicate cases arising from legislation passed by the Student Senate. The shift from the Associated Student Government to the Federation of Students and Service Organizations is documented in the student handbooks for fall 1972 and 1973. By the fall of 1973, FSSO, the new undergraduate student government, consisted of a Student Activities Union, which was directed by a Board of Governors (BOG - now SUBOG), a Commuters' Union, and a Resident Students' Union (IARC).

The chairman of the FSSO was also the chairman of the Central Committee, which was charged with the general supervisory responsibility for the management and operation of the affairs of the Federation.

By the fall of 1981, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) had completely replaced the FSSO. Like the FSSO, the USG had three components, the Activities Union (BOG - now SUBOG), Resident Student Assembly, and Commuters' Union.

USG has launched many of the groups it oversaw to become independent and autonomous recognized groups. In 2001, USG underwent a constitutional redraft that focused on the three branch model. While changes have been made, it still uses the same structure of governance developed today.