Baruch College’s Undergraduate Student Government met for its ninth senate meeting of the spring 2023 semester on April 4.

The meeting began with the Executive Vice President Osvaldo Garcia thanking members for participating in SEEK visitations. He shared details from conversations with Provost Linda Essig.

The LGBTQ+ resource center is in the process of opening. There will possibly be a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the future.

In terms of tuition hikes, Garcia shared that they are a long way from increasing tuition as many senators and the assembly are largely against it now.

The Bearcat Bookstore is open now and there is extra space for students to sit. There is still work being done for the Baruch One Stop Shop and welcome center.

As for the multifaith center, Garcia shared that the lack of space is still an issue, but it is actively being discussed. USG is currently working on proposals to address the concern.

He also provided updates on the STEM code change being worked on currently to meet student demand.

The Office of Administration and Finance is currently recruiting a new Vice President who will be focusing on making Baruch more sustainable.

Lastly, in addition to launching a new online Masters of Business Administration program, Baruch will be launching an online undergraduate psychology program for Weissman School of Arts and Sciences students, along with an online Marxe School of Public and International Affairs program, to launch in Fall of 2024 or 2025.

Next, Vice President of Academic Affairs Jason Galak shared statistics from the faculty senate and general faculty senate meeting. There are 67 new faculty members who are in the process of being hired, while two are on a freeze due to budget cuts.

Chair of Arts Andrea Zhao mentioned an art scavenger hunt that took place in collaboration with the Mishkin Gallery on April 17. There was also an art tour on April 20 that showed students various artwork around campus.

Representative Senator Spirit Smith-Matos shared that her American Sign Language course initiative was approved. As of now, it isn’t confirmed when the course will be available.

Vice President of Student Affairs Tumaray Akikatkyzy shared plans for events on May 9, 10 and 16, during finals week. On May 9, there will be a merch giveaway, including blankets and eye masks, along with other freebies for students.

On May 10, there will be an event with therapy dogs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. with an RSVP form. On May 16, there will be a Breakfast with Bernie event during club hours alongside a possible giveaway.