UH Student Government Association Records

Collection

Identifier: 2024-015

Staff Only

These materials document the activities of the University of Houston Student Government Association (formerly the Student Association) beginning in the 1950s through the 2010s. Materials include Senate Journals, election journals, budgets, expenses, meeting minutes and agendas, the SGA constitution and by-laws, policies, legislation, bills, proposals, activity logs, reports, correspondence, clippings, publications, and ephemera.

Dates

1950-2013
undated

Creator

UH Student Government Association (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is not yet processed. Contact the curator to request access.

Conditions Governing Access

For questions about materials in this collection or to request access, contact curator Mary Manning at mmmanning@uh.edu

Extent

6 linear feet

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

The Student Government Association was founded as the Student Association in 1934, the same year the Houston Junior College became the University of Houston. At its inception, the Student Association included only the Student Council, which was made up of the Presidents of each class and the Presidents of campus organizations. The organization has grown and been restructured several times since its inception. It expanded in 1940 to include the newly-established Student Assembly, which was organized to represent all campus clubs and organizations in the governing process. In 1955, the Student Council and the Student Assembly became the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively. The Senate included an elected senator from each college and class, and the House of Representatives included representatives from each club and organization.

The University of Houston became a public institution in 1963, which ushered in more changes for student governance. The Students’ Association re-established the Senate as a single legislative body, and the number of Senators elected from each college was determined by the college’s percentage of the entire student population. The Students’ Association was renamed to the Student Government Association in 2000.

The present-day structure includes Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. The Executive branch includes the Student Body President and Vice President, a Chief of Staff, and a board of Directors, and is responsible for supervising SGA operations, enforcing laws and resolutions, and appointing student representatives to shared governance committees. The Legislative branch includes at-large senators elected by the student body as well as elected senators from each college based on student population percentage. Senate-elected officials include the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker Pro-Tempore. The Judiciary includes the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals and 8 Associate Justices who are appointed by the President, and hears SGA matters like branch disputes, the constitutionality of legislation, and election issues.

Sources: Our History, https://uh.edu/sga/about/history/. Mission & Structure, https://uh.edu/sga/about/mission/index.

Processing Information

The Student Government Association Records were originally filed as part of the Student Organization Records and Center for Student Involvement materials until a reprocessing project in 2024 when a separate collection was created within University Archives.