Student Association (SA)

The Student Association (SA) at the University at Buffalo is the official undergraduate student government, representing over 19,000 undergraduate students. The SA is an incorporated, student-run nonprofit organization led by elected student officers. It funds and oversees over 150 student clubs, organizes campus events, and serves as a liaison between students and the university administration.

Structure and Governance

The undergraduate Student Association is structured with an elected Executive Board at the top, historically including a President, Vice President, and Treasurer, who are undergraduate students elected in an annual election. However, the Vice President (VP) position has been split into three Vice President positions - Vice President for Advocacy, Vice President for Clubs, and Vice President for Events. The SA also has a legislative body - often referred to as the SA Senate - composed of student representatives who make votes for various decisions and policies. An independent Student-Wide Judiciary (SWJ) functions as a judicial branch for student government, handling club conduct issues and election complaints.

All seven of UB's divisional student governments (including undergraduate SA, Graduate SA, and the professional school governments) are part of the university's governance landscape. They coordinate through forums like the Council of Advocacy and Leadership (COAL), where the SA President meets with other student government presidents and university officials to discuss campus-wide issues (such as student fees, policies, and safety).

SA runs in 350 Student Union and employs a small amount of professional staff to assist with accounting and event planning, but ultimate decision-making lies within the students. The SA is independent of the university administration in its decision-making, such that elected student leaders develop and set SA polices and budgets, and holds control over the use of its funding.

Funding and Services

The Student Association's activities are funded by the mandatory undergraduate Student Activity Fee. Each UB undergraduate pays a student activity fee every semester, which is pooled to fund student governments. The SA's portion of the fee yields a multi-million dollar annual budget that is used for student purposes, and taxpayer money is not a part of this funding.

With this budget, UB's SA provides a wide array of services and programming to the student body. One of SA's primary roles is to oversee and fund undergraduate clubs and organizations. There are over 150 SA-recognized clubs covering academic interests, cultural groups, sports and hobbies, and more. These clubs receive allocations of funding from SA based on SA's determination of their activity and are permitted to use classrooms and other on-campus locations for meetings and events. The Student Association also offers services like free legal advice for students, CPR/AED training and certification for undergraduate students for no additional charge, and discount ticket sales for movie theaters or local attractions - all funded by the student activity fee.

A signature aspect of UB's Student Association is the concerts and large-scale events it hosts. SA traditionally organized concerts every semester known as Fall Fest and Spring Fest, which have historically featured artists and bands including Cypress Hill, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Finger 11, and other notable figures. However, Fall Fest and Spring Fest have now been turned into a single annual event called Fest, rather than having a fest each semester.

Elections and Leadership

SA officer elections are held each spring. Undergraduate students vote to choose the next academic year's SA President, Vice President for Advocacy, Vice President for Clubs, Vice President for Events, and Treasurer (who usually run together in a party). These elections have a history of varying turnout, but SA continues efforts to engage more student voters. Candidates often campaign on improving student life, increasing club funding, or advocating on specific issues. The elected officers serve one-year terms, managing the organization.

Controversies

Splitting from Sub-Board I (SBI)

For decades, SA was a part of Sub-Board I, Inc., the university-wide student services corporation that handled finances for all student governments. In 2019, UB decided to kill off Sub-Board I to remove control from the students and transfer student government finances to the Faculty-Student Association (FSA), a university-affiliated entity. SA and other student governments protested the change, due to loss of autonomy and cuts of student services. The transition resulted in losses of student services, such as student legal counsel and the student-run WRUB Radio Station. Despite strong opposition (including rallies where students chanted "Save SBI"), the change went through on July 1st, 2019. While SA still continues to operate as an entity independent from the University at Buffalo, its fiscal oversight is now managed through FSA.

Club Recognition Policy and Free Speech Lawsuit

In Spring 2023, the SA Senate approved a new club policy barring any SA club from being a chapter of an external organization. The rule (with some exceptions for academic and competitive teams) meant that clubs affiliated with national or international groups - such as Chapters of Amnesty International, UNICF, or Young Americans for Freedom - could not be recognized by SA. SA leaders stated the intent was to ensure clubs are student-run and avoid outside influence, but the timing raised concerns. The policy came shortly after a speaker (Michael Knowles) was hosted on campus by the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter - who was controversial to the UB community - prompting protests. Some alleged the new rule targeted the conservative YAF club for bringing the speaker, especially because Becky Paul-Odionhin - the SA President at the time - said "We all know why we're doing this" to the Senators as the policy was being proposed, right after the conservative speaker came to campus. In June 2023, members of UB's YAF chapter filed a federal lawsuit against UB's SA and administrators, claiming the policy violated their First Amendment rights to free speech and free association. This lawsuit was later dropped by the judge, however.

Financial Mismanagement Scandals

In 2012, a scandal dubbed "There's No App For That" came to light when it was discovered that the SA Vice President (Meghan McMonagle) and SA Treasurer (Sikander Khan) had signed a $300,000 contract for a mobile app development without approval from the SA Senate or President. The SA President (JoAnna Datz) intervened and canceled the contract before student funds were spent.