Every year around March and April, elections for Baruch College’s Undergraduate Student Government begin. As someone who has been a part of USG for three years now, here are some things students who want to run must do to prepare for this year’s virtual election.

First, it is best to read the USG constitution, as well as check out the election site from the year before to see who is currently in your position of interest.

There are 56 positions within USG, which range from executive board, table members and board positions. The e-board consists of the president, executive vice president, executive secretary and treasurer. Table members include vice presidents, chairs and rep. sens.

With that in mind students can begin thinking about why they want to run for USG, what is it that they are interested in accomplishing or what they want to change about Baruch.

It is very important to stay up to date with the student life website for elections, to see all updates and view the rules for running. In addition, it is important to make sure you fill out your declaration to run for USG.

Although the election period typically begins at end of March or April, people begin thinking about running at the end of the fall semester. For me, I knew I wanted to run for an e-board position by the end of November 2019.

Students have the option to run with a party or by themselves. Both times I ran, I did it with a party. We wanted to have a range of different people from many diverse backgrounds and interests.

Although it’s not required, being on a team my first year of running and creating a team my second year of running was such a fun experience as it gives you a chance to meet a lot of different students with a common interest of wanting to better Baruch.

After the registration process, there is a two-week window for campaigning where one gets to market themselves, or their party members if they are a part of a team, on why they are running and how they aspire to impact the Baruch community.

Running for USG is a good way to give back to the Baruch community, but voting is equally as important, as well.

Voting is your right as a student, and it allows you to have your voice heard for what you would like to see from your student representatives. It gives you a chance to see what students stand for and if you agree you can choose to vote for them.

Getting involved in USG elections is like preparation for real elections. Being active within a college setting allows students to also remember how important it is to have their voice heard in a larger setting.

Although I will not be running in this year’s election, I wish the best of luck to anyone who is!