the president of the student body

[Silverobama]

1) When I received the admission notice from the university, he was the president of the student body.

a) Is the red "the" optional?
b) Do I need to say "student's body"?

 

[5jj]

Have you forgotten the rule about one question per thread, Silver?

1) When I received the admission notice from the university, he was the president of the student body.

a) Is the red "the" optional?
b) Do I need to say "student's body"?

a. Yes.
b. No.

 

[Silverobama]

Have you forgotten the rule about one question per thread, Silver?

a. Yes.
b. No.

No, not really. I did report this problem soon after I had posted the questions. I'm sorry. I thought I could ask more than one question in one thread in the Editing Forum.

Thanks a lot for reminding me this.

 

[teechar]

b) Do I need to say "student's body"?

That would be wrong. Note that "the student body" means the association/organization representing students at some academic institution, whereas "the student's body" refers to the physical body of one student!

 

[SoothingDave]

There doesn't have to be a formal organization. The "student body" just refers to all of the students of a school.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't think a student body can have a president. To me, that just means the total whole of students at a particular institution, not an organisation. Maybe you mean what we call in the UK a 'students' union'? (I don't know what this is called in other countries.)

 

[teechar]

There doesn't have to be a formal organization.

True, but it can refer to that. See below.

I don't think a student body can have a president.

It can. See below.

I refer to entry #5 in the following link.

body noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of body noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

 

[SoothingDave]

We'd call it something like the student government here. An official body with representatives voted on by the students.

In American football, another term for a sweep play is a "student body right (left)"

Presumably because just about everyone on the team heads around the right (left) end.

 

[jutfrank]

It can. See below.

I refer to entry #5 in the following link.

body noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of body noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

We're talking about the meaning/use of 'student body', not 'body'.

Here's just one dictionary entry among several out there:

student body

1. all the students in a particular school, college, or university, considered…

dictionary.cambridge.org

 

[teechar]

Take a look:
[BrE]

Michael Sandel: 'The populist backlash has been a revolt against the tyranny of merit'

The philosopher believes the liberal left’s pursuit of meritocracy has betrayed the working classes. His new book argues for a politics centred on dignity

www.theguardian.com

Interview: Nick McDonell

He wrote a satirical novel that's now the toast of Manhattan, got into Harvard - and had a ball at the high school prom. Is 18-year-old New Yorker Nick McDonell the most exciting new writer since Bret Easton Ellis?

www.theguardian.com

A class act

The latest in a glut of high-school hits stars Reese Witherspoon as an overachieving go-getter now ready for her greatest glory - the school presidency. Election gets Joe Queenan's vote

www.theguardian.com

[AmE]

A Blow to the Head Makes an Instant Hero in India (Published 2020)

Aishe Ghosh, a young woman who was set upon at a campus demonstration, has become an icon in India’s growing protest movement.

www.nytimes.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/02/politics/joe-biden-vp-remark/index.html

Despite a life of hardship, he's headed for West Point

Despite a life of hardship, he's headed for West Point

www.latimes.com

[Australian English]

From the Marists to the Marxists and in between

John Redrup, 1920-2006

www.smh.com.au

St Mary's College - Student Accommodation at Melbourne University

St Mary’s is a residential college at Melbourne Uni. Top student accommodation, meals, academic support, inclusive community & vibrant college life.

www.stmarys.unimelb.edu.au

ALEXENE FAROL FOLLMUTH : TWELFTH KNIGHT

Falling into the category of Young Adult Literature, this latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy, TWELFTH KNIGHT appeals to its target audience in a way that is reminiscent of films like ‘Ten Th…

sydneyartsguide.com.au

Oh, and you'll find plenty of similar results for "student body president".

 

[jutfrank]

Take a look:

I think you may have misunderstood what I meant before. I'm saying that in my opinion it doesn't make sense—or rather, it doesn't make good sense—to say that a student body can have a president, since only an organisation can have a president, strictly speaking. It's simliar to saying something like 'president of the English people'. If you think I'm being pedantic about this, I won't disagree. It's just a minor point.

The phrase 'student body' is normally used to refer to the collective totality of students at a given institution, often with respect to commenting on the composition of that whole. Look at the examples from Merriam-Webster (of which for some reason there are no less than 30!):

• The whole student body are thus to be punished for the actions of just a few.
  — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 22 Sep. 2024
  
• The student body is now more than half Latino and about 30% Black.
  — Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2023
  
• The student body is small, so adults in the building know every child’s name.
  — Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024
  
• In the next swipe, Bieber appeared in the Burn Book — a diary used to trash talk members of the student body.
  — Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
  
• Wasatch has a team drawn from the rest of its student body that competes against Utah high schools.
  — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
  
• The Greenport drill was not imposed on the school’s staff or student body.
  — New York Times, 28 June 2022
  
• The name was selected by the student body from a list of choices.
  — Fox News, 20 Aug. 2022
  
• Every Friday the school met at the chapel, and somebody from the student body had to share something.
  — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Feb. 2024
  
• But once again, a growing order and student body had the sisters in search of a new home.
  — René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Jan. 2022
  
• The makeup of the student body depends on the state of current affairs when the students apply.
  — Stefania D'ignoti, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Nov. 2023
  
• But one of the friends took a screen shot of the photo and started circulating it among the student body.
  — Lee O. Sanderlin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2022
  
• Here’s a look at the current demographics of the student bodies of the Ivy League schools.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 30 June 2023
  
• The yell leaders, elected by the Aggies’ student body, lead the band and fans in what amounts to a late-night pep rally at Kyle Field.
  — Erick Smith, USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023
  
• Still, families see the makeup of the student body as an asset.
  — Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2023
  
• The candidates had to deliver speeches in front of the student body.
  — Robert Samuels, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2023
  
• The student body is one of the most diverse of any college in the area, and unique as well for being largely working class.
  — Adrian Walker, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2022
  
• The fighting in the community appears to be trickling down to the student body as well.
  — Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2022
  
• In the second episode of Wednesday, Nevermore's student body takes part in the Poe Cup, a.k.a a boat race where there aren't any rules.
  — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 2 Dec. 2022
  
• A third of the student body at Mosaic Prep live in shelters, and 95% are low-income.
  — Meg Oliver, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2021
  
• At the time, the school was worried that vehicular traffic was a threat to its student body.
  — Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023
  
• In the fall of 2021, UCLA championed the demographics of its new student body.
  — Janell Ross, Time, 1 July 2023
  
• But what’s striking about the student body of Yu Ming is how many students aren’t Chinese.
  — Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2022
  
• The student body was so large that the graduation ceremonies were held at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
  — Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Nov. 2021
  
• When Collin committed to the small college in February 2022, word of the new classmate spread across the student body.
  — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2023
  
• This year, he was elected the class student body president.
  — Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 31 Mar. 2023
  
• There's a lot of potential in the idea of Wednesday Addams forced to try and fit into a student body of snooty rich kids.
  — A.a. Dowd, Chron, 21 Nov. 2022
  
• The college said students of color make up 43 percent of its student body.
  — John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023
  
• As part of the Guardian statement, the student body says that multiple news outlets refused to print it.
  — Matthew Salesses, TIME, 7 May 2024
  
• Our student body is so excited that 10 of them run on the field to congratulate us.
  — Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
  
• Logan always has the student body's best interest at the forefront of his thinking and strives to make creative decisions that are best for all students.
  — Rebecca Loroff, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024