Student Government

Trinity’s history of student government can get a little mind-boggling.

It begins in the roaring twenties, when the Student Association and the General Student Council were founded, thanks to constitutional changes, renewed interest, and the efforts of forward-thinking professor Edward P. Childs (1920-34). Although Trinity students had twice voted down opportunities for student government before World War I, the birth of these two organizations kicked off a long series of changes as Trinity approached the 21st century.

Originally, the Student Association, which handled student activities and the honor code, included representatives from the Mirage, the Trinitonian, and the Pep Squad. Even into the ’60s, there was a 'Cheerleader' officer who could face impeachment if school spirit fell too low. The General Student Council included representatives from the various halls, each of which had its own governing body. The women's Fellowship Council of Drane Hall, for example, met regularly to consider cases of breaking the dormitory rules. The most frequent offenses were smoking, dancing, riding in automobiles with men, and dating irregularities. One woman who did not return to Drane Hall from a car ride with a male until just before midnight was denied social privileges for a month. Two women observed dancing at a local establishment were "strictly ‘campused’ for three weeks," according to Drane Fellowship Hall meeting minutes. In those same minutes, some residents caught smoking in Drane Hall claimed that the cigarette "had been lit without touching their lips."

Those accused of honor code violations would appear before the Student Court for punishment. In 1923 the court suspended a student for procuring liquor with a medical prescription and bringing it into Beeson Hall. One first-year student received censure because he gave his football ticket to a non-Trinity student. Noting in the faculty meeting minutes that the individual was "probably not aware of the seriousness of the act," the Student Court warned, "if any such act shall be committed again, the council shall take action against the party involved." In 1930, the Student Council recommended to the faculty that 22 men be suspended for hazing, three for drinking, and mysteriously, one for "contempt of council and conduct unbecoming a gentleman."

Although the Student Association had officers, it functioned as a pure democracy in which every student was a voting member during the 1940s. Any student could bring grievances or suggestions to the floor during meetings. It wasn't until the 1950s that the Student Association put full executive power in a Student Council and a Student Senate, which was eventually dissolved. The Student Association also eventually passed the task of regulating ethical behavior to the student-run Honor Council, which today focuses on offenses like academic dishonesty rather than riding in automobiles with men past curfew.

The system of forming a student council with representatives from each hall remained through all three campuses. In the 1980s, the various hall governments merged into the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS). Though structured like the old General Student Council, the ARHS was less morally restrictive. The ARHS mainly took complaints to the Residential Life Office and planned social events. This new student governmental body worked alongside the old Student Association until the early 1990s, when it was decided that having two elected governments was a bit unusual.

In 1994, for the first time, Trinity had one unified student government: the ARHS merged with the Student Association to form the Association of Student Representatives (ASR). Like Trinity’s current student government, the ASR was composed of senators from each class. One student joked that they should either call themselves representatives or change the acronym to fit the title of ‘senator.’ In 2013, ASR did change its name to the Student Government Association (SGA), which has remained to this day. SGA now controls the student activity fund, providing money for campus events and improvement projects.