USG Senator sworn in amid new role assumptions


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TheMacbook Air screen depicts the first Undergraduate Student Government Senate meeting of the academic year that was held over Zoom. The screen depicts a grid view of attendees with some videos turned off.
The first virtual Senate meeting of the 2020-21 academic year was led by Speaker of the Senate Gabe Savage, who filled in the role of President following the resignation of former Undergraduate Student Government President Truman Fritz. Savage assumes the position despite a recommendation from USG’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for cabinet members to step down from their positions. (Vincent Leo | Daily Trojan)

Sophomore Shreya Chanda was sworn in as an Undergraduate Student Government senator during the first Senate meeting of the 2020-21 academic year Tuesday. Chanda fills the vacancy left after the resignation of senator-elect Isabel Washington following surfaced accounts of racist and classist remarks on social media this summer. 

Following anonymous submissions to @black_at_usc — an Instagram account created to provide a space for Black Trojans to share their experiences of racism and microaggressions on campus — that allege discriminatory behavior by Washington, text screenshots between Washington and former assistant director Nathaniel Manor also emerged displaying crude and bigoted language. Washington resigned amid the scandal, leaving a position that would have been open to Manor since he ranked 13th in the USG 2020-21 Senator elections, garnering 976 votes. 

In a communitywide letter, USG stated that Manor would not be considered for the role. However, in an interview with the Daily Trojan Speaker of the Senate Gabe Savage said Manor declined the position when offered to him. Chanda was next in line to be offered the position and garnered 937 votes in the Senate election.    

Chanda, who is majoring in global health, said that although this semester is being conducted in an unprecedented manner following many changes within USG, she is excited and committed to serve the undergraduate student body. 

“I’m really ready to get some good work done,” Chanda said during the induction, “and I really hope that despite all the challenges we face, not only with the student government but with USC and just life, in general, we can all move forward in a safe, healthy and progressive manner.

Later in the meeting, Asian Pacific American Student Assembly co-executive director Jessica Kim, a junior majoring in environmental engineering, raised the issue of protocol for filling the open positions of president and vice president. Former executives Truman Fritz and Rose Ritch resigned from their respective positions this summer after calls for their impeachment amassed following allegations that Fritz made anti-Black remarks on multiple occasions and Ritch had remained complicit. 

In a public statement obtained by the Daily Trojan that was sent to USG July 6, the USG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council recommended that the USG Executive Cabinet step down along with Fritz and Ritch due to their  “lack of transparency and failure to show accountability” towards addressing the discriminatory actions committed by their members. The executive cabinet includes in addition to the president and vice president, the chief of staff, the speaker of the senate, the chief financial officer, the chief programming officer, the chief communications officer and the chief diversity officer. Although released as a public statement, the letter was not released to the student body by USG. 

“USG has historically lacked representation and inclusion of [Black, Indigenous and people of color] communities, and the organization as a whole must have leaders with varying experiences to create an inclusive campus,” the statement read. “As the Cabinet collectively lacks this understanding, we ask for their voluntary resignations to demonstrate their commitment to and acknowledgment of the lack of BIPOC representation within USG as a whole.”

The Council also made recommendations to USG that include the implementation of mandatory bystander intervention and bias training by incoming USG leadership, for the new president and vice president to provide rationale to Cabinet position appointments to the student body and to release public information of Black and Indigenous people and people of color representation in the organization. 

Savage did not respond in time for publication about the DEI statement.

As Speaker of the Senate, and by virtue of USG bylaws, Savage will be filling the role of USG president for the remainder of the term. With Chanda’s inauguration, the Senate is currently at full capacity of 12 members, allowing them to move forward in voting for the new speaker of the senate and vice president, both of which will be filled by current senators. Savage and the appointed vice president will then be sworn in, leaving two new vacancies in the Senate.

USG’s bylaws state these positions will be offered to those who ran but did not win Senate seats in the general election. The roles will be offered to the candidates with the highest number of votes that currently do not hold office. According to Savage, one of the two Senate seats is accounted for and the second is awaiting confirmation, after which they will be sworn in during the following Senate meeting. 

Shaylee Navarro contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Shreya Chanda’s name. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.