The Student Government Association at the University of Southern Indiana (and formerly Indiana State University-Evansville) has had a long and rich history.
1960s: Founding
The first student association was the Student Interim Government Affairs Committee. They proposed a referendum to approve the first SGA constitution on May 17, 1968 but the vote failed, 22-28. The next referendum was on November 12, 1969 and was approved, forming the Student Government Association; the SGA senate had been meeting since September 23, 1969.
1970s-1990s
The purpose of SGA was to foster student involvement on campus. Student organizations received funding from the SGA senate and new organizations were required to have their bylaws approved by the senate. SGA was in charge of all organizations, including the Union Board (now the Activities Programming Board) and The Shield. The senate passed many resolutions in support of issues like campus housing, advisors for student organizations, fall break and independence from Indiana State University. Senators of SGA were elected by class and served as the class officers; along with a President, Vice President, and court.
1990s-Present
In the early 1990s, a new constitution was approved that radically changed the structure of SGA. It included a House of Organizations that had representatives from all the student clubs, as well as the Senate which was elected by the student body. Our current Constitution was approved on January 30, 1997, which combined the House of Organizations and Senate to form one General Assembly.