SUNY Buffalo State’s United Students Government had their second meeting of the semester last week.

The meeting was called to order at 8:50 p.m. After roll call, approval of the minutes, and approval of the agenda, USG President Derek Jorden began with his report.

Jorden said that USG is looking to do a rebranding of the organization by Oct. 6, just in time for the organization representation (ORGREP) meeting. The rebranding will include new colors, logos, and mission statement.

“When we say rebranding, we’re trying to work on our image,” USG Vice President Emily Leminger said. “You know, a lot of people see government as this big, scary thing and that’s not what we’re about.

We’re students. A lot of us are taking six classes or more, and this is just something else that we do.”

Leminger said the rebranding is to welcome back the new school year with a different face for USG.

“USG has been kind of the same thing for the past forty years, so it’s the 21^st century, let’s update it. Let’s do something different,” Jorden said.

Jorden said USG is staying with Buffalo State’s black and orange colors, but will use more of the secondary colors, such as purple and grey. Along with using more colors, the mission statement will be shortened and updated for a more concise, simplified message.

Also mentioned during Jorden’s report was the President’s Lunch, which will take place in the Social Hall on Friday, Sept. 25 from 2-5 p.m., and the Humanities Festival, taking place the following day.

Rules and Regulations Chair, Iddris Abass, mentioned the use of cell phones during meetings, stating that all members of USG should have them put away during meetings.

USG appointed and reappointed five senators during the meeting. Marcel Baker, Lara MacDonald, Molly Alessi, Malika Cuffie, and Kathryn Jean-Baptiste were all sworn in by Speaker Tempore Tahnee Marcus-White.

MacDonald, an education major and commuter, was reappointed with 26 votes for, zero against, and one abstention. Baker, a sophomore health and wellness major with a minor in speech, who is also an RA at Neumann Hall, was unanimously voted in with 32 for and zero against.

Alessi, a freshman communication major with a minor in pre-law was appointed with 30 votes for, one against and one abstention.

“It’s really exciting,” Alessi said about getting appointed to USG Senate for the first time. “I’m really excited to be a part of USG because it seems like it’s a huge responsibility and it’s a lot of what I like to do.”

Alessi is now a member of the Rules and Regulations Board, where she plans to help enforce USG rules, including not using electronics during meetings. She would also like to help enforce rules for students around campus.

Cuffie, a senior fashion major, was reappointed as senator with 31 votes for, zero against, and one abstention. Jean-Baptiste, a sophomore childhood education major with a concentration in American studies, was appointed with 31 votes for and zero against.

A representative from NYPIRG spoke from the gallery toward the end of the meeting, saying that NYPIRG will be pushing to increase the number of voters on campus, as well as raising awareness about health and environmental concerns.

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