Baruch College’s Undergraduate Student Government held a town hall to address student questions on Dec. 3 during club hours.

It was moderated by The Ticker’s Editor-in-Chief, Noah Fleischman.

The first question asked about USG’s steps toward adapting clubs and organizations to a virtual setting.

Chair of Clubs and Organizations Ally Lee discussed how social media, such as Instagram and Facebook class pages, have been used to promote events.

Clubs also can submit event information to an events list, allowing students to find the times and links to online meetings.

There will be another club fair next semester. It will be in a different, improved format from this semester’s club fair, Lee explained.

She also said that USG wants to hold larger events and mixers in the future.

Vice President of Student Affairs Yam-Yu Li added that USG has been establishing connections with Baruch offices, resulting in collaborations and increased awareness.

The next question was regarding the USG experience and how students can get involved.

Vice President of Campus Affairs Steven Le and Executive Secretary Genesis Calle spoke about how USG is welcome to and inclusive of everyone.

Students can choose from a myriad of committees and be involved in USG however they want to. There are no requirements or membership process for being a committee member.

At the moment, there are no open positions on the Senate table.

USG President Tony Chen discussed that the USG experience can be different according to one’s role, such as political initiative or club life experience.

Chair of Graphics Cindy Chen said that being a part of USG means being a part of a diverse group of people with different perspectives that work to make student life better.

Executive Vice President Briana Staten spoke about plans for the upcoming USG elections. Information will be released at the beginning of spring 2021.

Those who are interested in running should look through the available positions and read USG’s constitution.

Calle added that students don’t need to be a part of a team to run and may run as individuals with their own campaigns. Prior experience in USG is common but not required.

Fleischman next asked a question about club budgets.

The president said they will be released at the end of spring 2021. There is no penalization if a club is unable to fully spend its budget due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The next topic of discussion was the possibility of a Credit/No Credit policy.

USG has been asking the administration to implement this policy since August, the president said.

Vice President of Legislative Affairs Richard Reyes led an initiative to pass a resolution about it with student testimonies. There had been no response until the email blast by Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs James McCarthy on Dec. 1.

Reyes said that USG will continue to advocate for students to have this policy implemented.

Another question was in regard to completed and future construction projects at campus. Le talked about future goals to improve Baruch’s technology and internet, as it is a 12-year-old system in need of an update.

The president also discussed the new student center, which is ready for use once students return to campus.

Le also outlined the chartering process for new clubs.

Clubs must reach out to the Office of Student Life to do so. The club must meet certain criteria, such as having a mission statement, constitution and three planned events. USG will then vote on whether to charter the club after a presentation.

The “Town Hall” ended with USG members offering advice to students during the pandemic, such as reaching out to friends, doing hobbies and taking care of mental health.