The college experience is more than just the socializing events we host on campus or meetings with administrators. The Undergraduate Student Government also recognizes the importance of students being civically engaged.
A big part of creating a better campus at Baruch College is to motivate students to participate in the affairs of New York City’s local and national governments. Many of the changes we want to see at the micro level in the CUNY system can initially be enacted at the federal and state levels.
When kickstarting our operations for the year, I noted NYC General Election Day on Nov. 7 as an opportunity to connect Baruch students. Khai Nisa, the USG Vice President of Legislative Affairs, met with staff members of the Office of Student Life to devise our strategy to help Baruch students recognize the importance of voting.
Our strategy began with a social media campaign. The Instagram post highlighted members of the USG Legislative Affairs committee who shared why voting is important to them.
USG then spearheaded two Voter Registration Drive events on Sept. 19 and 21. In the first drive, we collaborated with NYC Votes and set up a table in the second-floor lobby to register students to vote. As a way to incentivize students to stop by the table, we gave out tacos.
For our second drive we also set up a table to continue registering students to vote.
I had so much fun meeting many different students and sharing why it’s so important to vote. USG successfully registered more than 70 students to vote. Other students who stopped by the table had already registered to vote, which is a success in my book.
The deadline to register to vote for the general election is Oct. 28. The offices on the general election ballot are the city council, civil courts and district attorney.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, please do so. It’s a simple process that can make a real impact. You can register in person at a board of elections office or by mail. Additionally, you can register online through online voter register application or the New York DMV online service.
Once you register, I urge you to go out to vote on Nov. 7 or mail in your absentee ballot.
I know we all are busy with work, classes, family and just life, but taking a few minutes out of your day to voice your opinion through your vote can make a world of difference. We owe it to ourselves and our communities to make use of our voting power and create change within our governments.
