Augustana College Student Government Association (S.G.A.) records, 1892-2000 | Augustana College

Student government began at Augustana College in 1892 with the group calling itself the “Student Union.” Upholding the honor system, assigning committee members, and overseeing committees were among some of the first responsibilities of the Student Union.

In the 1960-1961 school year, the group changed its name to “Representative Assembly,” abbreviated RA. During this time, the RA became responsible for many more committees in order to satisfy a larger and more diverse community at Augustana. These new committees addressed topics such as residential life, hazing, gender equality and awareness, faculty-student relations, and budgeting for student groups on campus.

During the 1986-1987 school year, the group changed its name for the final time to the “Student Government Association,” abbreviated SGA. SGA continued the policies and practices of the RA, but they also became more of a medium between the student body and the administration. For example, SGA members attended Augustana College Board of Trustees meetings and corresponded with the faculty and administration regularly about campus security and professor evaluations. In addition, the SGA began to promote more campus events for students, such as AIDs Awareness Week, and manage contingency requests from student groups on campus.