When University students filled out their online ballots for Central Student Government officers last spring, LSA senior Emily Lustig wasn’t on the presidential ticket.
However, Lustig assumed office as CSG’s vice president Tuesday. LSA junior Meagan Shokar, who was elected along with Public Policy senior Bobby Dishell in April, resigned Friday due to medical treatment. Within days, Dishell and Shokar tapped Lustig to fill the vacant slot and their choice was approved Tuesday by the CSG Executives Nominations Committee.
Though the leadership transition was abrupt, Lustig said CSG has been an integral piece of her college experience.
“I started off my freshman year as a rep on the assembly and that was phenomenal,” she said. “I really got a feel for how resolutions work, how to gauge student interest and how to really represent the student constituents as you’re supposed to as an assembly rep.”
Although 30 of 40 CSG representatives voted in favor of Lustig’s appointment, some CSG members felt the nomination and selection process failed to consider input from the entire student body.
“It’s really unfortunate that Meagan had to step down and I know that for her to be able to do that was a really big thing,” Lustig said. “It’s a position she has achieved and she won vice president, which is fantastic. I’m just going to try to make the best of a bad situation.”
Despite the circumstances, Lustig said she is prepared to manage a smooth transition.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I talked to the assembly at the meeting about how I think it’s going to be really important for me to sit down with each of them as well as the University Council members and reach out and really get to know them.”
Lustig has served as the chair of the Student Safety and Security CSG commission for the past two years and as an assistant with the Beyond the Diag program. She said she intends to continue her efforts to improve security for students in her new role. This includes a focus on improving campus lighting and starting “It’s On Us,” a sexual assault awareness program.
Additionally, she will remain involved in launching the Wolverine Support Network, a University-wide peer support network, next semester and will ensure the U-Go’s in the basement of the Union has fresh produce available to students everyday.
“I really would like to improve the campus image of Central Student Government,” Lustig said. “I think it’s something that we can really take on, especially by making these connections with the assembly so that the rest of the constituency can really see that we’re working together and trying to achieve the same things to make their Michigan experiences better.”