The Upcoming Undergraduate Student Government
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS MEANT TO BE PUBLISHED IN SPRING 2021. HOWEVER, THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY AS I (KAZI MAISHA) WAS NOT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THEN. AGAIN, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS ARTICLE IS MEANT FOR LAST SPRING WHEN YOU READ IT.
Words by Fabliha Hussain
Edited by Kazi Maisha
Graphics Chosen by Kazi Maisha
The Undergraduate Student Government, or USG, is composed of the Student Senate, the Executive Cabinet, and the Judicial Council and acts as a liaison between the administration and the students. City College has the oldest USG in CUNY since 1867. Leaders such as Colin Powel and Ed Koch sat in USG seats. When running for a position, students in the USG are allowed to either run independently or as a slate. What this means is that students can work together and run as a group. Andrew Salmieri, future president of the USG, did that just.
He came up with an idea that he dubbed the City Alliance. Given that student elections were coming up and slates were allowed, Salmieri thought, “Instead of running independently, let’s form a slate with people with the same vision and qualities and experiences to create a unified front.” City Alliance was composed of senators and cabinet members from previous years of the USG. Aneesah Saeed, future executive vice president of the USG, along with senators, Kazi Tejwar and Abdullah Mohiuddin, ran together under the City Alliance slate.
In contrast to in-person elections, virtual elections have had low turnout. Not as many people vote as they would have in person because the event isn’t as lively anymore, lacking traction. Going virtual, however, does not stop these USG members from bringing change to the City College Community. In fact, the USG has succeeded in implementing a new committee that will roll out next semester- the Mental Health committee. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USG saw an urgent need to prioritize students' mental health and support them in their time of need.
Although each committee has their respective vice president overseeing it, the job of the president, soon to be Salmieri, is to overlook the committees in the USG and make sure everything is running smoothly and staying on track. There are five committees, excluding the new Mental Health committee, which are Student Affairs, Campus Affairs, Finance, Public Affairs, and Academic Affairs.
Tejwar, who works under Campus & Student Affairs, has recently succeeded in passing resolutions that support early voting and work to stop violence against women in relation to the work Campus Affairs is doing. Tejwar advocates for students when they are in need and runs a campaign rooted in empathy, compassion, and hope. Recently, it was brought to his attention that when a student requested a day off for Eid (coming up around May 12), the professor indicated that the student should take their laptop to the mosque instead. Tejwar was astounded by the insensitivity and Islamaphobic remarks and is now working with the student to bring the administration's attention to these issues. Tejwar is also working on opening the door to the trans community on campus. He is using his connections with the faculty for the betterment of the students by putting the students first.
Since campus is opening up 40% in Fall 2021, those on Campus Affairs like Tejwar and Mohiuddin are working with the Fall 2021 task force to plan out the transition back so that they can create a welcoming environment and bring the college experience to freshmen like themselves. Campus Affairs would often host events such as iftars during Ramadan or the Dynasty Gala which celebrated the cultures and ethnicities of various peoples on the African continent. Saeed said, “When returning to campus, we want to have more educational, informative, and fun events for all.”
Salmieri states how it’s been difficult to have a lot of student engagement because City College is a commuter school. However, the reopening of campus allows for a fresh start for more student engagement. He says, “The majority of our students are from working class backgrounds and have unique issues that other college students from NYU or Columbia wouldn’t have. City College students weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The USG has the vision and attitude to work for our working-class students, and because of that, we need strong leaders in USG because it can be difficult to make change.” The USG itself is quite diverse with students from the different schools and students of different ethnicities showing full representation. Since each school such as the Grove School of Engineering and the Colin Powell School have specific problems, having representation from these schools brings attention to problems that the team works to resolve.
With that, the current USG has a lot of graduates, indicating an overhaul of team members with many vacant spots for the next term. City Alliance, composed of past and present USG members, work to nurture newcomers and teach them how to be a part of the USG so that they can continue the legacy. There are eight vacant seats open for senators presently, having a need for five from liberal arts, one from engineering, and two from biomedical education.
To get involved with the USG, students can sit in on full body meetings in which the committees talk about current events, amendments, and pass resolutions. In fact, these full body meetings are open to the public so any City College student can come and see what’s going on. They can also bring up issues and talk to the USG. These meetings are normally on Thursdays during club hours, but students can look at the USG Instagram page for more information.
With these plans, it looks like the USG will be in good hands under the City Alliance slate and Salmieri leadership.
*If you’re interested in any available positions, email Salmieri or Saeed at
