According to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, “[Dartmouth’s] Undergraduate Council was organized in 1947 by the President and veterans [of WW2], who requested some form of representative student government.”

Student Government has gone through many iterations at Dartmouth, from Paleopititus, to the Green Key Society, to the Undergraduate Council, to Student Assembly, and now, Dartmouth Student Government (DSG).

Historically, the elected President and Vice President have chosen the personnel, size, and goals of the entirety of Student Government. This structure resulted in an exclusive, unaccountable and at times irresponsible student government.

In the Fall of 2016, Student Government (then called Student Assembly) restructured in conjunction with the newly formed housing communities, and so Dartmouth students now elect Student Government representatives through their housing system. In the Spring, each house elects three representatives - one per class year. For the following fall, each house will elect one first-year representative per house. In total, there will be twenty-four elected Student Government senators who constitute the majority of Student Government alongside executives and representatives.

Besides the Student Body President and Vice President, Student Government's executive positions usually include a Chief of Staff and Treasurer. However, each administration has the ability to appoint executive positions as they see fit.

Members of the student body at large may attend and participate in meetings of the DSG. To continuously work on behalf of DSG, such students must be recognized as representatives. Representatives are non-voting members of the DSG and shall be held to standards of attendance, conduct, and participation.

In the summer of 2022, former President David Millman ‘23, former Vice President Jessica Chiriboga ‘24, and a quorum of Student Government senators voted to change our name from Student Assembly (SA) to Dartmouth Student Government (DSG), and restructure the organization and framework to better function as a whole.

Dartmouth Student Government's current structure and representative body ensures that we live and fulfill our mantra of Vox Discipuli-the voice of the students.