This week, Student Government is turning 100.
In celebration of its birthday, SG will be on Turlington Plaza and the Plaza of the Americas Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where representatives will be sponsoring a trivia game and giving out more than 300 prizes, said Jessica Clements, chief of staff for Student Body President Jordan Johnson.
The very beginnings of what is now SG originated in the Student Honor Court in 1909.
However, SG did not receive funding until 1919. That's when the first student body officers were elected.
Prior to 1919, the university had class officers, and in 1925 SG became the entity the university recognizes today and drafted its first constitution.
SG’s history is embellished with names of leaders who became prominent on campus and in the state of Florida.
Among the many distinguished Student Body presidents are M.L Yeats, who wrote the Alma Mater, George Smathers, Stephen O’Connell and John McCarty.
Many others went on to serve terms in Congress or as judges in Florida.
SG has embraced 100 years of involvement as a road to change, pressing for reform on the national, state and local level.
It has brought up a student accident and health plan, petitioned to the government to lower the voting age to 18, protested the Vietnam War and lobbied for the right to continue to manage the SG budget.
There have been many issues throughout its 100 years, but some recurring problems remain on the agenda.
“It’s interesting, really,” said Brian Burgoon, who served as Student Body president from 1996 to 1997. “I’ll pick up an Alligator today, and it’s very likely that I’ll read about some of the same issues we dealt with when I served.”
SG has combated issues ranging from expanding the Reitz Union to allocating more on-campus parking.
“It was really important to us to preserve student authority for future students to come so that they could have the same experiences,” Burgoon said.
Johnson said he’s excited to be a part of SG’s 100th birthday.
“It is a time for us to reflect on all the things Student Government has done and the role it has played in the history of our university,” he said. "It’s special and we understand that we’re tasked with contributing to that legacy.”
