Baruch College’s Undergraduate Student Government held its eighth Senate meeting of the spring 2021 semester on April 6.

Chair of Graphics Cindy Chen discussed the infographic she is working on about the COVID-19 vaccine. It covers topics such as what it is, how it works, the three types, eligibility and appointment sites.

Vice President of Legislative Affairs Richard Reyes spoke about an event that will be held on May 13. It will feature alumni from a variety of industries. USG will moderate the panel.

He also discussed an event on May 11 during club hours about New York City politics. There will be a state assembly member, a city council member and a Baruch political science professor.

The event will cover why local elections are important, the new rank-choice voting system and the upcoming mayoral election.

Rep. Sen. Mayer Estinville talked about a future event with companies that invest in things that will benefit the Earth. Students would be able to ask questions and participate in activities. There is a plan to partner with the STARR Career Development Center and other clubs for this event.

Vice President of Student Affairs Yam-Yu Li reported on The Baruch Healthy Minds survey, which will assess student mental health. It opens on April 8 and will close on May 5. Each student will receive their own personal link, making it anonymous and confidential.

The survey will help the Counseling Center know what services to provide the students.

There will be a third “Let’s Talk About It: Managing Stress and Anxiety During the Pandemic” event on April 8. Li spoke to the sessions’ conversational and engaging tone.

Another upcoming mental health event is “From Impossible to i’mPossible: Suicide Prevention CPR” on April 15. It will be hosted by Joshua Rivedal, author and founder of the i’mPossible Project.

Vice President for Administration and Finance Katharine Cobb joined the meeting to present Baruch’s financial plan. It shows how the budget will be allocated and will be submitted to CUNY.

The fall and spring average estimated enrollment increased from 14,679 in the 2020 fiscal year to 15,817 in the 2021 fiscal year. This number includes part-time students. As a result of the enrollment increase, there has been an increase in tuition revenue.

Cobb discussed how CUNY creates a revenue target and then fronts the funds it thinks Baruch will be able to collect.

She next covered expenditures. In the past year, there has been a hiring freeze and a lot of positions, such as custodians, have remained unfilled due to a lack of need. With Baruch’s reopening planned for fall 2021, the positions now need to be filled.

Cobb next reviewed the financial plan for resources. These include programs such as the Black Male Initiative, the CUNY Tutor Corps, Health and Wellness, Services for the Disabled and the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge program, or SEEK.

Baruch currently has a sum of money from the CARES Act. It is currently working on how to allocate the funds while maintaining the requirements.

There was another act passed in December 2020, but the funds have not been received yet. Half of this money will go toward emergency grants to students.