OUR HISTORY
The Students’ General Association was founded in 1960 and has grown from a small group of fewer than 300 members to an organization representing over 3,800 full-time and part-time students.
Over the years, our services, programs, and structure have evolved to reflect the changing needs of our members, Laurentian University, and the wider community.
The first office space of the SGA was on the third floor of the Demarco building located in Downtown Sudbury. There were originally five Executive positions; President, Vice President English, Vice President French, Treasurer, and Secretary. In our early days, the Board of Directors was called the Council and had representatives from each college. The Executives plus representatives from each college made up the Council.
Currently the SGA/AGÉ Executive structure consists of a President and Vice President. The Council is now called the Board of Directors and consists of the President, Ranking Vice President, and 12 Directors who are voted in during the October General Meeting.
In its youth, the SGA was primarily focused on social and cultural events and building autonomy from the University. Today, while the association is still focused on campus culture and student life we also advocate for students at a process level and run several services on campus.
The SGA began funding Laurentian University’s yearbook, Laurentianna, with its first edition published in 1963. By the end of 1964, growing enrolment increased membership and resources, prompting the SGA to expand its focus beyond social and cultural activities to include political and advocacy work. In March 1965, the SGA joined the Canadian Union of Students to strengthen its political involvement.
The 1966–1967 Council played a key role in guiding this shift toward more political objectives. Alongside these developments, the SGA managed several publications for its members, including the bilingual Lambda, which it ran exclusively until the publication gained autonomy in 1985. Over time, staffing and fundraising challenges led to the eventual end of the Laurentianna yearbook. These changes highlight how the SGA evolved in response to the growing and changing needs of its student body.
Current
Executives
President – Sherifa Alaoui
Vice President StudentLife – Shaharia Jalal Mim
Vice president Advocacy- Staysha Kasunich
2025/2026
