Randy Phillips Elected President of the U.S. Student Association
Associated Students of Tacoma Community College (ASTCC) President Randy Phillips has been elected President of the United States Student Association (USSA) in a recent vote taken by the student associations of USSA member schools.
Phillips was involved in last year’s student-led effort to revive the dormant organization. He attended all the group’s meetings, including the in-person convention where they ratified the charter.
“We, as the students who are restarting this Association, have participated in workshops and trainings to understand what happened before. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, but it’s important to look at what happened and see what worked and what didn’t, and adjust accordingly,” Phillips said.
Phillips’ goals for the organization include elevating the student voice and creating a foundation that the organization can stand on and grow from, for years to come.
“In a time where higher education and education as a whole is being attacked on the national level, a unified voice is more imperative now than maybe ever before,” Phillips said. “There has not been a unified student voice at the national level in almost a decade. Student governments that join the USSA now, get an opportunity to shape the rebirth of the organization and make their voice heard.”
USSA’S History
Formed from the merging of older student advocacy groups in 1978, USSA represented student interests and helped win significant victories, including the establishment of Pell Grants, Title IX, and the Department of Education. But the organization struggled after some of the nation’s most active student associations came under attack in the 2000s. The organization went dormant in 2017.
The group was resurrected by the University of California Student Association in 2024. Student groups from many schools, including TCC, helped to work out the group’s strategy, and 150 students met for the organization’s 47th LegCon in Washington, D.C. in March of 2025.