As the 2020 election year comes to an end, I wanted to share how our Undergraduate Student Government operates in a similar manner to the U.S. government.

Being a part of USG myself, I can honestly say that USG elections are spontaneous, fun and exhilarating.

Each year we host a school-wide election to vote in members for the next USG, such as our president, executive vice president, treasurer, executive secretary, representative senators and the vice presidents and chairs of each USG committee.

There are typically two parties that students create and some independents who also run. The two parties usually have to attend a debate in which The Ticker serves as the host and moderator.

USG is composed of several parts. We have the executive board, which consists of the president, executive vice president, secretary of state and treasurer.

Our executive board, similarly to the U.S. government, can’t necessarily vote on bills being passed. The executive vice president, however, can vote in certain situations in case of a tie.

Next up is our Senate, which is similar to the U.S. Senate. In the United States, every state gets two senators. At Baruch, we have one senator to represent every 1,000 students .

The Senate must attend weekly meetings, which The Ticker covers in its weekly Senate meeting column, and create resolutions to pass, similar to bills that are passed in government.

In addition, we also have board member positions. These positions mirror the U.S. House of Representatives, since there are several different members who sit on boards with a specific interest.

Although students may not realize, USG’s governing body doesn’t differ that much from the U.S. government’s.