The National Student Council: Empowering Student Voices and Shaping School Communities

Student government offers students excellent ways to get involved in the inner workings of their schools, both in high school and in college. An effective student council should strive to care for their school and community through volunteerism. Student Council is the voice of the student body and it should serve as the link between the students and the school. Student Council should sponsor activities, projects, and events that include the entire student body.

What is a National Student Council?

The National Student Council (NSC) is a crucial platform for students to develop leadership skills, advocate for their peers, and shape the educational environment. It serves as a representative body through which students can voice their concerns and interests. They are students advocating for students.

The Purpose and Function of Student Government

Student government is a group of students that are charged with managing a wide range of events, activities, programs, policies and initiatives around school. Some members are elected by the student body, and others may be appointed by the elected officials to help with specific tasks or areas of interest. Student government represents the best interests of a school’s student body and helps shape the student experience on campus.

Student governments may take on a wide range of responsibilities, and a student government’s role can vary greatly depending on the school and its needs. For instance, high school student councils are generally responsible for organizing student activities like dances, spirit weeks, community service and fundraising movements and assemblies. College student governments, especially those of smaller schools, may take on similar responsibilities and manage clubs and student activities. Larger college student governments may have more responsibilities, like managing campus health and wellness, community outreach, sustainability, drafting and pushing initiatives and policy and budgeting for clubs. Schools may have more than one student government to manage different areas of campus interest. For example, UC Berkeley is comprised of multiple student governments that represent the university’s schools and colleges. The main student government, ASUC, is so large that it is run as an independent non-profit entirely separate from university governance. ASUC not only controls student club funding, provides student support and organizes programming and activities, it also represents and advocates for students at the university at the local, state and national level.

Structure and Roles within Student Government

High school and college student governments have established structures and roles to help ensure they function as effectively as possible.

How Student Governments are Structured

The structure of student government can vary depending on the school, and the size of the institution and its level of student participation can play heavily into which structure works best. These student governments are made up of three branches: Executive, legislative and judicial. These branches work together to ensure balance of power within the student government.

Executive Branch: The executive branch can take many shapes but at minimum consists of the President, Vice President and other directorial positions. It’s common for the executive branch to have a Treasurer, Secretary and Chief of Staff, who may act as head of the Presidential Cabinet, if one exists. The Cabinet can be composed of directors or vice presidents of different significant interest groups or factions of the student government, such as Legislative Affairs or Diversity and Inclusion.
Legislative Branch: A senate typically makes up the bulk of the legislative branch. School senators represent different colleges and schools or interest groups around campus and may cast votes on behalf of these groups. A speaker and parliamentarian preside over the senate and facilitate meetings. The legislative branch meets to address student needs, organize and carry out committee projects and initiatives, create legislation and work on ways to improve campus life.
Judicial Branch: The judicial branch is the big player in any legal matters associated with the student government and student interests. Comprised of a Chief Justice and Associate Justices, this branch works to ensure the executive and legislative branches, along with other student groups, uphold and adhere to legal standards. They may handle cases relating to student government bylaws and constitutions, contested elections and student government member conduct.

Schools may find that a bicameral system works better for them. Some schools may call this a “senate style” of student government. This model is similar to the federal model, but it usually forgoes the judicial branch. For instance, New York University is made up of a Student Senators Council and a President’s Council. These two groups work together to enhance student life and create policy that improves the overall student experience. The Student Senators Council brings student concerns to the University Senate, and the President’s Council works with the Student Senators Council to enact senatorial policy and increase student engagement.

High schools and some smaller colleges, like community colleges and technical schools, are likely to stick with a small student government, comprised mostly of the main roles of the executive branch: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. At the high school level, the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer may be supported by officers and representatives from each class.

At the college level, club presidents may act as part of the student government, representing student interests. In these types of student governments, administrators and other school staff may play a larger supportive role than in larger student governments.

Common Roles & What They Do

The roles a student may pursue in their student government can be numerous and varied, depending on where they go to school, so the best way to learn about specific roles and responsibilities within a particular school’s student government is to go to a few meetings on campus and research positions online or in person.

Read also: Eligibility for National Awards

However, students who want to get a general idea of the governmental roles they may come across at their schools can check out the following list to learn about common titles and what parts they play.

High School Roles

Student Body President: Runs student council meetings and facilitates discussion, acts as representative of the student body when meeting with school faculty, breaks ties in voting and participates heavily in student activities.
Student Body Vice President: Shares the president’s responsibilities and stands in for the president when needed. May be in charge of managing student clubs and other academic committees.
Student Body Secretary: Records the minutes and attendance of student council meetings, keeps records of discussions and decisions, and manages files and other important documents.
Student Body Treasurer: Manages the student council’s funds and expenses, keeps financial records and works with the president and vice president to create budgets and allot funds for clubs and events.
Class Officers: Each class level has its own president, vice president, secretary and/or treasurer. These are known as class officers, and they represent the particular interests of each class. They may have separate meetings from the student body council, and the president from each class may serve as the class’s representative voice during student body council meetings.
Class/Club Representatives: Some schools may have students with close ties to student associations, clubs or other groups participate in student government. They voice the concerns, needs and desires of their respective groups during meetings.
Additional roles, like Speaker and Activity Coordinator: Student councils may have special roles for duties that may not inherently fall under another council member’s. For example, a speaker serves as emcee at student activities or presents the student council’s ideas to faculty and the student body. An activity coordinator is responsible for putting together events and activities.

College Roles

President: Elected by the student body and represents the student body as a whole. They choose a cabinet and designate roles to help ensure the school is run in a way that best serves the student body.
Vice President: Varies, but generally to assist the president in managing executive branch members and activities. May stand in for the president if the president is absent.
Chief of Staff: Overseeing cabinet members and many of the logistics of running the executive branch. Chief advisor to the president and vice president and make sure that agendas are addressed and deadlines met. May meet individually with cabinet members to discuss needs and relay them to the president and vice president.
Cabinet Members and/or Additional Leadership Roles: The variety and type of committees, boards and groups colleges may have can be vast, and the president of a school’s student government is often responsible for creating roles to represent and meet the needs of these groups and interests. For example, a president’s cabinet could consist of a Director of Campus Life, Director of Equity and Outreach, Director or Sustainability, Director of Public Relations and a Director of Academic Affairs. There may also be smaller roles within these breakout groups that exist as part of the executive branch.
Senator: College legislatures are composed of senators that represent schools, clubs or other committees within the college. Senators voice the concerns and interests of their respective student groups and work with one another to enact legislature that will improve students’ overall college experience. They may also vote in favor of or against the President’s cabinet appointees.
Senate Speaker: Presides over and facilitates senate meetings. Serves as the representative voice of the senate in meetings with other student government branches, university staff and faculty, the student body and the general public.
Speaker Pro Tempore: Operates the internal affairs of the senate. May manage the signing on and resignation of senators, the senate’s finances and relay necessary information to senate members.
Parliamentarian: Facilitates senatorial elections, writing and disseminating bylaws and enforcing procedure during meetings.
Chief Justice: Presides over and serves as spokesperson for the judicial branch. Writes the official orders and decisions made by the judicial branch and relays this information to other student government branches and the university.
Associate Justice: Must attend all meetings and cast votes in hearings brought to the student government’s judicial branch. Must ask questions in hearings and ensure they hear all sides of an issue before casting a vote.
Attorney General: Acts as a liaison between grieving parties, accused parties, justices and other student government branches as part of the judicial branch. They may receive complaints against student government members and conduct investigations.
Committee Member or Other Representative: College student governments can have a lot of breakout groups and members within those groups, so students may be able to find student government roles specific to their interests. Responsibilities will vary based on the group and role.

Benefits of Participating in Student Government

Students who participate in their student governments are privy to a range of personal and professional benefits, and they can be exposed to a variety of opportunities in school and beyond. Participating in student council or student government can be an enriching experience with lasting positive impacts.

Leadership Development: Student government provides a platform for students to hone their leadership skills, learn to work collaboratively, and develop problem-solving abilities.
Advocacy and Representation: It empowers students to voice their concerns, advocate for their needs, and represent the interests of their peers.
Community Building: Student government fosters a sense of community by organizing events, promoting school spirit, and encouraging student involvement.
Policy Influence: It allows students to participate in shaping school policies and initiatives, ensuring that student perspectives are considered.
Personal Growth: Student government can help students develop confidence, communication skills, and a sense of responsibility.

Challenges of Participating in Student Government

As with any commitment, students should be sure to consider all aspects of joining student government before going all-in.

Time Commitment: Student government requires a significant time commitment, which can be challenging for students with busy schedules.
Conflict Resolution: Disagreements and conflicts can arise within student government, requiring members to develop conflict resolution skills.
Balancing Responsibilities: Students must balance their student government responsibilities with their academic work and other commitments.
Dealing with Criticism: Student government members may face criticism from their peers or school administration, requiring them to develop resilience and handle feedback constructively.
Maintaining Accountability: Student government members must hold themselves and their peers accountable for their actions and decisions.

Is Student Government Right for You?

There isn’t a set of personality traits that students are required to have to join student government. Especially as they get into college, students will find that there are many different roles and responsibilities that benefit from unique perspectives, experiences and interests. However, having certain skills, wants and attributes can help students be successful in their leadership roles and enjoy the experience.

Doing a self-evaluation is helpful in figuring out if student government is a good fit.

Students who feel they are lacking in some of these qualities shouldn’t be discouraged; they may find that student government is an excellent way to develop and hone leadership skills and traits.

Examples of National Student Councils and Initiatives

National Association of Student Councils (NASC): Since 1931, NASC has been a trailblazer in student leadership and empowerment. NASC programs have impacted millions of students and tens of thousands of advisers. NASC provides resources, training, and networking opportunities for student councils across the United States.
GLSEN National Student Council (NSC): The NSC is a platform for LGBTQ+ youth to cultivate their leadership potential, amplify their voices, and actively contribute to creating more inclusive and equitable environments for all students. The NSC plays a pivotal role in providing feedback on GLSEN's processes, programs, resources, and overall strategy.
GLSEN Initiatives: GLSEN’s Student Action Guide is a resource created by members of the 2022-2023 National Student Council. Rainbow Writes is a competition initiated by the 2022-2023 National Student Council cohort in direct response to widespread book bans throughout the nation.

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