OUR HISTORY
The Students’ General Association was founded in 1960 and has grown from an association with less than 300 members to one representing over 5000 full time and part-time students. The services, programs, facilities and structure of the SGA/AGÉ have also changed to meet the new realities of our membership, Laurentian University and our community.
The original Executive positions of the SGA/AGE consisted of a President, English and French Vice President, a Treasurer and Secretary. The Board of Directors was once called the Council and had representatives from each faculty. Currently the SGA/AGE structure consists of a President, Vice President Education, Vice President Finance and Vice President Student Life.
In its youth, the SGA/AGE’s work was primarily social events and building autonomy from the University. Today the association advocates for students at a process level and runs several businesses and services on campus.
The SGA/AGÉ began to run a number of publications for their membership, including the bilingual Lambda which was operated exclusively by the SGA/AGÉ until gaining its autonomy in 1985. Laurentianna was Laurentian University’s yearbook funded by the SGA/AGÉ from 1970 until staffing and fundraising problems ended its existence.
Throughout the 1970s, the SGA/AGÉ restricted their Board and Executive to include representatives from academic associations rather than just the colleges. The Executive also changed the organizational structure to make the President a full-time position. Each year the organization structure is reviewed by the Board and Executive Team for any revisions or adjustments that are required to make the organization run more efficiently.
In 1972 the SGA/AGÉ became a founding member of the Ontario Federation of Students (later the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario). A year later the SGA/AGÉ joined the National Union of Students (later the Canadian Federation of Students). In 2016, the SGA/AGÉ became a member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA).The SGA/AGÉ began an effort to expand its services in the early 1970s through a number of business endeavours, the most enduring being the campus bar, known as the Pub Downunder. The Pub has undergone several renovations since opening.
From 1979 – 1992 the SGA/AGÉ owned and operated the Games Room on Student Street. Until campus modernization took effect in Spring 2016 the SGA/AGÉ shared ownership of the Student Centre Games Room with the Association Étudiant(e)s Francophones (AEF) and Laurentian University Administration. With the opening of the Student Centre in 1992, the SGA/AGÉ completed its fourth move in its thirty-two years of existence. Having moved from its original suite in the Demarco building downtown Sudbury, to the second floor of the R.D Parker Building in 1965, to G11 on Student Street, to SCE 212 in the Student Centre. In the spring of 2016, the office was relocated to SSR G24 due to Campus Modernization of the Student Centre.