Student governments in the United States

At institutions with large graduate, medical school, and individual "college" populations, there are often student governments that serve those specific constituencies.

[6] State law often provides student governments with substantial legal rights and a significant role within the institution.

A handful of small liberal arts colleges in the United States use a governance model in which key decisions are made democratically by the community as a whole, with students and faculty on equal footing.

[11] In addition, historically, many US schools followed a "student-faculty council" model, with governance shared between elected representatives of the student body and the faculty.

Most executive branch officers are elected institution-wide, while some community and technical colleges, because of poor turnout, have resorted to choosing leaders from campus clubs and organizations.

Similarly, multiple undergraduate student governments sometimes form to address specific facets of university decision-making.

[7]Most universities and colleges (both public and private) in the United States are governed by a Board of Trustees, Regents or Visitors.

Some states, such as California and Florida, specifically provide for "student body organizations" in their public institutions by statute.

Since ultimate responsibility over the direction of a university is usually vested in a Chancellor or President appointed by the Board, some conflicts may arise between Student Government and the institution's administration, especially in the area of fiscal matters.

The ASUC operates independently and autonomously from UC Berkeley and exists as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in the state of California, managing its own budget, legal defense, and expenditures without university influence or oversight.

Average voter turnout in all 4,700 student governments nationwide is in the range of 4 percent, according to the ASGA SG database.

Online voting is used by 72% of American student governments, according to ASGA's 2012 SG Elections nationwide research study.

[citation needed] Among 2017-18 student body presidents, according to ASGA's database which is updated annually, 48.62% are women and 51.38% are men.

Steve Wymer served two full years and part of a third as student body president at Washington State University.