Long time no see, Bearcats! I hope you have all been having an amazing first full week of classes and a great start to the spring semester.

Baruch College is hosting a number of events in honor of Black History Month in partnerships with the Office of Student Life and the Black and Latino Studies department.

The Baruch community is encouraged to attend these events to celebrate and learn about the Black community.

The BLS department will also be hosting an open house to promote their new major and minor. OSL will be promoting Black, African and Caribbean clubs on campus, as well as spearheading diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Make sure to check out the OSL’s Instagram (@baruchstudentlife) or stop by their office in room 2-210 of the Newman Vertical Campus for more information this month.

On Feb. 7, Baruch hosted a grand opening for a new food pantry made possible by the leadership of Assistant Director of Community Standards Brandy Peer and donations from the Petrie foundation.

The food pantry can be found in the Baruch One Stop Shop in room  1-116 of the NVC and will be using an appointment system that can be found on the Baruch website.

The pantry provides every kind of food essential to a nutritious diet, including pasta, meat, vegetables and more.

On another note, the Undergraduate Student Government has been working hard on our Winter Carnival events. Vice President of Campus Affairs Karen Guanga demonstrated great leadership abilities in spearheading two of these events.

USG hosted “Totes N’ Treats” in the Bearcat Den during club hours on Feb. 7.

Students were able to sit down and customize a tote bag to take home. A variety of cream puffs and bubble tea, catered by Bibble and Sip and Yaya Tea, respectively, were handed out to participants.

USG also hosted a “Winter Wonderland Dance” on Feb. 9 in the NVC’s multipurpose room. The theme was white and blue; there was also a best dressed contest in which first prize was an Apple Watch.

Chair of Philanthropy Joseph Hernandez will take on his new position as second USS delegate for Baruch. He will be working alongside first delegate Avrohom Malachowski in championing Baruch causes to the USS senate on a CUNY level.

Lasty, Vice President of Academic Affairs Jason Galak is preparing for the annual Students vs. Faculty Basketball game.

There is currently an incentive for each professor a student signs up for the game, which entails free merchandise. Make sure to follow the USG page for more information.

The Students vs. Faculty also has their own Instagram page. Make sure to follow @baruchsvfbball to keep up with this event.