The United States Student Association (USSA), founded in 1947, bills itself as the oldest and largest student association in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It has a historical and current commitment to diversity and breaking the barriers to educational access imposed by inequality and discrimination. It strives to build a movement that is representative of the diversity lacking in political institutions, and organize to alter the relations of power.

USSA was formed by a merger of the National Student Association

National Student Association

The United States National Student Association, a confederation of American college and university student governments, was founded in 1947 at a conference at the University of Wisconsin. It established its first headquarters in Madison, not far from the U. of Wisconsin campus...

 (NSA) and the National Student Lobby

National Student Lobby

The National Student Lobby was a national legislative advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1971, and merged with the National Student Association to form the United States Student Association in 1978....

 (NSL); and it later absorbed the National Student Educational Fund

National Student Educational Fund

The National Student Educational Fund was founded in the 1970s in Washington, D.C. as a non-profit research group. Founder Layton Olson created the group using staff from the National Student Lobby and the National Student Association . NSEF issued several reports and books on issues related to...

 (NSEF).

Its political activism was cited in a 1995 lawsuit concerning the University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

's mandatory student fee. In University of Wisconsin v. Southworth 529 U.S. 217 (1999), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the university's right to subsidize political speech with student fees.

Vision

The student members of the United States Student Association work together with a vision for a just society in which generations of representative leaders understand their power and engage and empower diverse communities to create social change.

Mission

The United States Student Association, the country's oldest and largest national student-led organization, develops current and future leaders and amplifies the student voice at the local, state, and national levels by mobilizing grassroots power to win concrete victories on student issues.

The United States Student Association Foundation ensures the pipeline of effective student leadership by facilitating education, training and other development opportunities at national, state, and local levels in advocating for issues that affect students.

Core beliefs

USSA believes that education is a right and should be accessible for any student regardless of their socio-economic background and identity. They believe people who are affected directly by issues of access to higher education should be the ones identifying the solutions that make education accessible to them. Therefore, USSA is dedicated to training, organizing, and developing a base of student leaders who are utilizing those skills to engage in expanding access to higher education and advancing the broader movement for social justice.

Criticism

Several student governments and universities have dissolved their membership with USSA due to racial, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination within the organization's self-governing body. USSA currently holds a quota on their Board of Directors that mandates that "30 percent of the Board identify as openly queer." USSA also requires that "50%" of their Board of Directors be "people of color" and that "50%" of their Board of Directors be women. Many universities, such as the University of Oregon, have taken great offense to these racial, gender, and sexual orientation quotas and have garnered negative publicity for their affiliation with the organization.

Regions, affiliations, and caucuses

Regions:

• Golden Pacific
• Pacific Northwest
• Rocky Mountains
• Great Lakes
• Great Plains
• Southeast
• Atlantic
• New England

Affiliations and coalitions:

• National People of Color Student Coalition
• National Women's Student Coalition
• National Queer Student Coalition
• State and System Student Association Coalition

Staff

USSA hires four full-time Association staff members and seven full-time Foundation staff members:

• President (elected by general membership) - Victor Sanchez (2011-2012)
• Vice-President (elected by general membership)- Tiffany Loftin (2011-2012)
• Legislative Director
• National Field Director
• National Field Associates
• Trainings Director
• Electoral Project Director
• Communications & Technology Coordinator
• Alumni & Development Director
• Student Labor Action Project Coordinator

See also

• Oregon Student Association
  Oregon student association
  The Oregon Student Association , a non-profit organization, was established in 1975 to represent, serve and protect the collective interests of students in post-secondary education in the U.S. state of Oregon....
  
  
• University of California Students Association
  University of California Students Association
  The University of California Students Association is a higher education student advocacy group organized to voice the interests of students attending the University of California system. It has been noted for its opposition to education funding cuts and increases in student fees and for its...
  
  
• Jobs with Justice
  Jobs with Justice
  Jobs with Justice is a national campaign for workers' rights in the United States. It was founded in 1987, and includes both individual members and affiliated organizations....
  
  
• Student/Farmworker Alliance
  Student/Farmworker Alliance
  Student/Farmworker Alliance is a national network of students and youth formally organized in 2000. SFA organizes in direct partnership and solidarity with farmworkers, working to eliminate sweatshop conditions and modern-day slavery in the agricultural fields of the United States...