Residential senate seat reassigned to Keshav Tyagi

Keshav Tyagi, a sophomore majoring in biology and health promotion and disease prevention studies, will replace Susan Deng as an Undergraduate Student Government residential senator because Deng is studying abroad for the spring semester.

Tyagi must take an exam to show he has been sufficiently briefed on USG procedures before assuming office, but will likely be sworn in next week if he passes the exam.

As a residential senator candidate last semester, he received the highest number of votes without getting a position. Tyagi was asked to fill the position during the first week of November.

“I felt taken aback,” Tyagi said. “I was shocked and also very excited.”

According to USG Vice President Logan Lachman, senators are rarely inducted at semester breaks. Senators are usually sworn in at the end of the academic year after they are elected.

USG President Monish Tyagi, who is not related to Keshav Tyagi, said changes in officials more often occur in the cabinet, whose members are appointed by the president, but replacing the higher position of senator is not unheard of.

“People who run for Senate know it’s for the full year, but students’ circumstances change,” Monish Tyagi said.

As a residential senator, the sophomore will act as a spokesperson for students who are not affiliated with a Greek organization and who live in the immediate area of USC. According to Lachman, who runs Senate meetings as vice president, Senators must attend meetings of different clubs and organizations registered with USG, attend Senate meetings, write resolutions, work on legislation and advocate for their constituency.

“It’s one of the more strenuous jobs,” Lachman said. “There are a lot of extra hours.”

To prepare for this new position, Keshav Tyagi said he shadowed Deng for about a week.

The incoming senator said he would like to advocate for transgender students by making bathrooms for transgender students more easily accessible and making services for transgender students more available and accessible.

“I would like to focus on transgender awareness and transgender acceptance on campus,” Keshav Tyagi said. “I want the university to integrate transgender friendly policies and to increase awareness because that’s still an area that really needs to be improved.”

Tyagi is also involved in the Queer and Ally Student Assembly, the InterVarsity Trojan Christian Fellowship, serves as a peer health educator and works as a multimedia assistant in the music school. He said he looks forward to bringing a new outlook to USG because of these experiences.

“I’m hoping that I can bring a different voice to the Senate. I feel like I’m lucky to not have had to do it first semester because I was able to get more immersed in USC and gain a new perspective,” Keshav Tyagi said.