Welcome back Bearcats. The Undergraduate Student Government wishes all students luck for navigating midterm season.  

In the past week, USG hosted a round of mental health events, hosted by Rep. Sen. Dani Kitaygorodskiy and Rep. Sen. Karina Ordonez, in partnership with the counseling center. 

Kitaygorodskiy and Ordonez are the counseling center liaisons for USG. Their responsibilities entail helping to coordinate events and bringing awareness to mental health resources available on campus. 

The “Let’s Talk About It” series featured two events which were held on March 9 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and March 10 at the same time. 

The first event was a counseling center-led informational seminar covering intergenerational trauma and methods of healing from it. 

The second event was an interactive workshop with the Office of Student Life, which involved deeper conversations and group activities. 

USG also held a Turkey/Syria fundraiser alongside the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, WBMB Baruch College Radio, and 50Five Capital, Baruch’s student-run hedge fund. 

Chair of Philanthropy Joseph Hernandez organized the fundraiser, which featured the sale of sweets, such as Turkish delights.  

The initiative raised over $1000, to be donated to Turkey and Syria’s relief efforts for those affected by the catastrophic earthquakes. 

Additionally, Hernandez attended a conference in Albany to continue advocating for a New Deal for CUNY. 

The New Deal for CUNY is a bill that would provide more funding to CUNY and tuition freezes for students. 

USG has also continued speaking with state senators and assembly members in Zoom meetings to advocate for more resources for Baruch. Some issues that were brought up were a lack of mental health resources, on-campus space for students to study and for clubs and organizations to host events, resources for the new pantry and more. 

Lastly, USG hosted an LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Panel on March 21 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in room 2-125 of the William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus.  

Panelists will discuss health issues affecting the LGTBQ+ community in honor of LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week. Students can attend virtually or in person; refreshments will be provided.