The Undergraduate Student Government introduced new Rep. Sen. Matthew Sanchez on Oct. 28, after the removal of one of the former representative senators on Oct. 6.

The new representative was determined by Briana Staten, USG’s executive vice president, after candidates submitted election videos to fill the vacancy.

Staten based the decision on the candidates’ three-minute explanation of who they are, what their leadership experience entails, something that USG has done that the candidates appreciate and what the candidate would like to accomplish if they were to be elected.

Other requirements included not being enrolled in classes after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays as it would conflict with the Senate meetings, being currently enrolled in at least six credits, not being a member on another organization’s executive board or being willing to step down upon being elected, meeting at least a 2.5 GPA and not being a first-semester student.

“A representative senator is in charge of [taking] part in an initiative and actively finding ways to represent the student body on a common basis,” USG President Tony Chen said. “The removal was based on the attendance policy stated in the USG constitution,” Chen said. The exact policy he is referring to is stated in Article IX and says, “Any four (4) absences per semester from meetings in which an official USG member is eligible to cast a vote,” amended as of 2018. After the former representative senator failed to show up for four senate meetings, the motion to remove was passed 12-0. “When there is a vacancy on the table during the middle of a semester, an in-house election is held. When a candidate fulfilled all the requirements, an election is conducted by the current table to vote for the candidate they want to vote for,” Chen explained.

Staten added that there must be one representative senator for every 1,000 undergraduate students, as per the USG Constitution.

Representative senators are also required to perform outreach responsibilities for the Baruch community, start initiatives or ad-hoc committees relevant to student concerns, host and assist USG events, be an active member on two USG committees and voice the needs and opinions of the undergraduate student body, according to Staten.

Sanchez met the requirements and won the in-house election with a majority vote.

“The current senators reviewed every candidate’s video, and Matthew Sanchez was voted to the position after receiving the most votes,” Chen said.