The United States Student Association, formerly National Student Association and then United States National Student Association before merging with the National Student Lobby in 1978, is a confederation of locally elected student bodies. Each member school belongs to a region, which has its own administration. The campus coordinators act as liaisons between campuses, regions and the appropriate national staff, usually National Affairs Vice President or International Affairs Vice President. The national staff is composed of elected officers and appointed administrative personnel. They are elected for one-year terms at the annual fall conference. All policies and programs are established by the National Student Congress. The National Student Congress, usually held in August before the fall college term, marked the beginning of the administrative year. The growth of international contacts from the International Student Conference brought the United States National Student Association into contact with European, Asian, Latin American and African students. Programs were developed to support and assist students from these areas, including materials relief and scholarship programs. The organization is financed by membership dues, grants, gifts and sale of publications.
