Despite two members leaving this semester, there is more interest in student government than Undergraduate Student Government President Emily Ancinec has ever seen.

A drop off at the semester is normal for USG, and only two students leaving is outstanding, Ancinec said.

“We normally lose up to 10 members,” she said. “Last year we lost a lot.”

The senate is full when it has 56 members, and it has 50 members now, said Derek Sword, USG internal affairs chair.

Before the two members left at the beginning of the semester, there were four vacant senate seats.

To fill the senate, USG still needs two off-campus senators, two Greek council representatives, one diversity affairs senator and one senator from Kohl Hall, Sword said.

Students can apply to be a USG member in the USG office in the Union, but they must be able to represent the constituency that needs a senator, said Ben Goldsberry, USG Speaker.

Greek councils and residence halls are responsible for filling their seats, but to fill the remaining seats, USG tries a few techniques.

Current senators can help fill the vacant seats, Sword said.

Senators can also help by talking to the students they represent and asking them if they would like to join the organization, he said.

“We mostly look towards other senators [to fill vacant seats],” Goldsberry said. “They are able to find others with a stronger voice and help the organization go further.”

Several students show interest in USG at the beginning of the year and some are unable to get a spot if all the seats fill, Ancinec said. When a senate seat becomes vacant, USG usually tries to contact those initially interested to see if they would still like to join USG.

There are also senator recommendation forms, which current senators can fill out to recommend a student as a senator. These forms aren’t required, but it is often beneficial for applicants to have a senator back them, Goldsberry said.

Another way to fill the seats is to reach out to other organizations, often ones representing a different group of students.

USG hasn’t had to reach out to other organizations yet, as students have emailed the organization wanting to get involved, Ancinec said.

USG is focused on continuing to represent the student voice, do their job and get others involved, she said.

“I think the senate so far this year has done an amazing job,” Ancinec said.

The organization has been trying to create a sense of community to encourage current USG members to stay, Ancinec said

“We want them to know they’re a valued member of the organization and to get involved in it right away,” Ancinec said.