Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Bryan Fernandez announced his resignation today in a press release posted to the USG website. Vice President Brianna Sanchez is set to be inaugurated as president at the next senate meeting, scheduled to take place December 3, Sanchez told Annenberg Media.
Fernandez wrote that his resignation came at a time when he needed to “turn [his] focus toward personal matters.”
He also said his decision was not due to “any dissatisfaction or negative feelings” toward USG.
Fernandez’s resignation came one day after Diana Carpio announced her resignation from the senate following an anonymous Tuesday senate vote to remove her as speaker.
Had Carpio not been ousted as speaker she would have become the next vice president following Sanchez’s inauguration. Instead, Sanchez said she will meet with the senators so they can select which would become the next vice president and speaker of the senate by the upcoming senate meeting — restoring a full USG cabinet.
Sanchez said she had spoken with the USG cabinet to discuss how to move forward with its initiatives and projects to “ensure a sense of continuity” in spring 2025 following the changes in leadership.
“I feel very supported [by] my cabinet, all of our amazing officers within USG and also within the administration of USC itself,” Sanchez said. “I think we’re really focusing on making sure everyone has the resources to go forward.”
When the cabinet first learned of Fernandez’s decision to resign, Sanchez said the news of a second resignation in a short period “did cause a bit of instability.”
She also said she believes the changes forced the cabinet to refocus on USG’s priority: improving the student experience. The USG cabinet will take time over winter break to assess its plans going forward, she said.
Sanchez said her experience working closely with Fernandez since being elected this past February has prepared her to serve as the next president.
“We share a lot of similar roles of speaking to administration, really advocating for students,” Sanchez said. “I think that having that close experience with the president will allow me to kind of naturally step into the role.”
She and Fernandez initially focused their platform on building trust between USG senators, the executive cabinet and the student body, Sanchez said, but the series of challenges the two have faced throughout their term made the process more difficult.
Navigating the pro-Palestinian protests, changes in protocols for registered student organizations and recent resignations within USG contributed to the challenge of establishing trust, Sanchez said.
The incoming president said building that trust and working toward improving the student experience will be her priorities once she’s inaugurated.
“A change in leadership is always gonna be hard, but it’s really important to always emphasize that USG is always gonna be working toward the main goal,” Sanchez said. “I know it’s really hard to say that when all of these big things come up in the media… but we want the students to be able to see the impact we’re making and also benefit from all [USG] projects.”