The Undergraduate Student Government held its first launch event Tuesday to relay goals for the semester and encourage student involvement in USG initiatives.
USG President Andrew Pierce II said at the event USG will be renewing their goals to prioritize student matters — which will include increasing funds to student organizations, increasing student wages and increasing student involvement in the Black Caucus committee. By laying out the goals, students can hold USG responsible for how initiatives are met and strengthen the organization’s relationship with the student body.
“I understand that the student body may not have the most trust in USG right now,” Pierce, a fourth-year in public policy, said. “That is something we are willing and committed to rebuilding.”
Executive board members of USG each presented the specific improvements they were committed to surrounding engagement, equity, affordability and safety. This “policy with E.A.S.E” was what the administration’s campaign ran on in the spring.
“[There is a] wide breadth with the executive agenda to ensure that every single part of this campus is at least touched by some area of USG advocacy,” Pierce said.
Part of USG’s advocacy promised 25 percent of its budget to student organizations to fund programs and enhance student engagement, Pierce said. USG wants to ensure financial barriers are not in the way of student success, he said.
“Historically, USG has never given more than 20 percent of our annual budget to student organizations,” Pierce said. “Coming out of COVID, we see a lot of student organizations reactivating; USG is stepping up with this commitment to say that we will be that external partner for all student organizations on campus.”
In addition to enhancing student engagement, USG executive board members listed several other measures — including building an LGBTQ+ center, increasing health literacy and student wages as well as establishing the Black Caucus committee as a resource for Black students on campus.
Kyla Hurns, the Black Caucus chair, said the committee plans to collaborate and build relationships with student organizations that have long been committed to uplifting student voices.
“USG’s goal is not to be the voice for students but to make student voices louder,” Hurns, a third-year in public policy, leadership and management, said.
USG also plans to ask students what they think the biggest issues are on campus through Buckeye Polls, Selena Chen, USG’s senior director of marketing and communications and second-year in marketing, said. The goal is to assess the “general climate on campus,” and to get ideas with students, she said. Information gathered by the polls can be shared with faculty and staff.
Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers commended the USG’s executive board for their transparency and promise of improving the student experience.
Shivers said she was impressed by how well USG’s goals aligned with University President Kristina M. Johnson’s vision for Ohio State’s future and is looking forward to seeing these plans in action.
“There is something to be said about the passion and commitment that these leaders are bringing to this institution,” Shivers said. “I honestly could not be prouder.”
