A Report on the Financial and Human Investments made
in Isla Vista by Associated Students of UCSB
2013-2014
Report presented by:
Associated Students of UC, Santa Barbara
Office of the President
WHO IS ASSOCIATED STUDENTS?
The Associated Students (A.S.) of the University of California, Santa Barbara is a non-profit organization funded by undergraduate student fees. Through elected student positions and appointments we voice student concerns and express student opinion to the UCSB administration, UC system, our community, and state and local governments. We have dozens of boards, committees, and commissions that are organized and funded through A.S. to enrich student life and give students services and opportunities not offered by the administration. Our mission is to help students uphold the high academic standards and give them leadership, employment, cultural and growth opportunities to serve the campus community.
A.S. UCSB is one of the most dynamic and well-funded associated students in the entire UC system, with a budget of more than $10 million annually, and more than 30 career staff and 300 student employees.
ASSOCIATED STUDENTS IN ISLA VISTA
Associated Students engages with Isla Vista and the surrounding community throughout the year through a variety of efforts and initiatives, including but not limited to:
Voter registration drives, voter information drives on a variety of state propositions, recycling workshops, advising on Social Host Ordinance, crisis response (David Attias, Elliot Rogers), improvability and other alternatives to the party scene, funding, support of IV Clinic, census event, support appearances by state and local officials in IV, work with county on parking issues, Deltopia hydration station and other mitigation, ensure accountability of Foot Patrol and Sheriffs, participation in Isla Vista Recreation and Parks Department, organize town hall meetings and community forums to address issues of concern to students and the community.
A significant partnership between A.S. UCSB and the Isla Vista Food Cooperative in 2013 provided $40,000 towards the purchase of the Coop property located at 6571 Seville Rd. In exchange, the Cooperative provides A.S. with educational programming and event support. Funds were committed specifically from A.S. organizations, including the IV Tenants Union (IVTU), IV Community Relations Committee (IVCRC), Community Affairs Board (CAB), and Environmental Affairs Board (EAB).
A number of A.S. Units, Boards, and Commissions work directly in Isla Vista and make a combined financial investment of more than $540,000 annually in the community:
A.S. Bike Committee (ASBC)
Charge: The A.S. Bike Committee (A.S. Bike Comm) shall prioritize expenditures of funds collected from the A.S. and Graduate Students Association Bicycle Lock-In fees. The committee shall be responsive to student input related to bicycle paths and bicycle parking at UCSB. Finally, the committee shall be an active bicycle system advocate, and shall take all reasonable steps to increase student, staff, faculty, and administration awareness of bicycle system issues.
Work in Isla Vista: The bike path between Isla Vista and campus was recently repainted and repaved, with a new slurry coat added as well. This committee is responsible for bike path planning and funding. This committee spends approximately $98,000 annually.
A.S. Coastal Fund (CF)
Charge: The Coastal Fund (CF) shall provide funds to preserve, conserve, and protect and promote awareness of the terrestrial and marine environments associated with the University of California, Santa Barbara through preservation, education, open access, research, and restoration. The following five principles shall guide and govern the funding of projects by the Coastal Fund: Preservation, Education, Access, Research, and Restoration.
Work in Isla Vista: Funded projects include: Isla Vista beach and street cleanups, including HalloClean 2013: Halloween Clean-Up in Isla Vista. The Coastal Fund offers co-sponsorships to assist in the advancement of environmental goals in the Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Isla Vista communities, including: research project funding, funding for restoration and community events, like the Isla Vista Surfrider’s Concert for the Coast. In 2013-2014, the Coastal Fund grants supported the following projects directly aimed at Isla Vista: West Campus Bluffs Trail Restoration ($4,700), UCSB Campus Lagoon Restoration ($6,840), Adopt-A-Block Program ($2,574), and Mutt Mitt Program ($700) for a total of $3,274. In 2013-2014 spent over $264,000 funding projects that support the local area.
A.S. Community Affairs Board (CAB)
Charge: Community Affairs Board (CAB) is dedicated to enhancing both the educational and personal experiences of all UCSB students by providing easy access to community service opportunities. CAB accomplishes this mission by promoting the ethics of public service, maintaining information on community and campus volunteer opportunities, and by creating and sponsoring community service projects. Participation in volunteer activities is open to all UCSB students.
Work in Isla Vista: In Isla Vista, CAB engages in community services through: Adopt-A-Block weekly litter pickup in the streets of Isla Vista. The Family Literacy Program matches up UCSB students to tutor a child in Isla Vista on a weekly basis. The weekly Breakfast Club provides homemade breakfast to the houseless in our community. Through the Adopt a Grandparent and Community Friends programs, students are matched up with residents for weekly one-on-one meetings. In addition, CAB hosts food and clothing drives, helps organize after school programs, holiday programs and giveaway backpack & school supplies at the start of each school year, as well as partners with local churches and organizations such as Casa Esperanza to serve the needs of the community. CAB also provides childcare grants to undergraduate parents, many who live in or next to IV, two times every quarter to assist with financial needs. In addition, CAB co-sponsors the following events Isla Vista: Pardall Carnival and Chilla Vista, and has funded numerous projects and entities that benefit the Isla Vista community, including: Hermanos Unidos: IV Community Thanksgiving Dinners, UCSB Honors: IV Tutoring Program, GIVE, the Pardall Center, IV Surfrider: 15th Annual Concert for the Coast. In 2013-2014 CAB spent over $50,000 on these projects and gave out over $24,000 in childcare grants.
A.S. Environmental Affairs Board (EAB)
Charge: The charge of the Environmental Affairs Board is to protect, preserve and enhance the natural environment, principally at UCSB and its surrounding communities, but also broadly. The Board shall accomplish these tasks by focusing on ecology, agriculture, energy, climate change, health, the economy, and environmental justice and racism, as such issues have a direct relation to the environment. The Board should coordinate with other groups to promote environmental perspectives throughout the University and the surrounding communities, as well as the state, national and global level.
Work in Isla Vista: EAB works in the Isla Vista through the following projects: Adopt a Block weekly litter pick up in the streets of Isla Vista, two major beach cleanups every quarter, tree planting and habitat restoration, work with IV School, organizes the annual Isla Vista Earth Day, and co-sponsors events with the Isla Vista Food Co-op. In 2013-2014 EAB spent over $10,000 on these projects.
A.S. External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA)
This Associated Students office functions as a liaison between UCSB students, UCSB administration, non-student community members, and various local agencies.
Work in Isla Vista: The Office of the EVPLA has sponsored the IV Community Spring Concert Series, the Winter Quarter Lighting Walk, Halloween mitigation, hydration station and clean up, Isla Vista street lighting and sidewalks, bluff top fencing along the parks on Del Playa, and community planning and convening efforts. The EVPLA (2013-14) facilitated an Isla Vista Needs Assessment survey and organized door-to-door canvassing. Most recently, the Office of the EVPLA organized a Self-Governance Town Hall in Isla Vista (July 21, 2014), attended by a broad cross-section of the community and campus and will hold another one in October. In 2013-2014 the EVPLA Office spent over $11,000 supporting Isla Vista.
A.S. Food Bank
The primary focus of the AS Food Bank is ensuring friendly, confidential service to UCSB students in need of non-perishable food and toiletries. The Food Bank also provides referrals to other services, tools and resources, and advocates for additional services.
Work in Isla Vista: In addition to the food pantry and toiletries available for registered UCSB undergraduate and graduate students, the Food Bank works extensively with IV Food Co-op to expand services and outreach to students, increase participation in the CalFresh program, increased awareness of food insecurity through the SNAP Challenge – F.L.O.W.E.R. program and the IV Food Co-op Internship Program, and collaborate on food demonstrations, the development of tools and resources, community efforts, and increased community access to services. In 2013-2014 the AS Food Bank spent over $108,000.
A.S. Isla Vista Tenants Union (IVTU)
Charge: The Isla Vista Tenants Union (IVTU) is a group of concerned residents interested in providing services to UCSB students who are tenants in Isla Vista, along with other tenants in the Isla Vista community. We aim to educate tenants on their rights and responsibilities, and to act as a resource when problems do arise. We believe people should be able to live without suffering discrimination, retaliation, or living with fear of eviction. We recognize the diversity of our community and we strive to meet the different needs of our members while uniting our common interests as tenants. In providing service to tenants in Isla Vista, we hope to build a sense of community in Isla Vista; one that is educated, proactive and united. In 2013-2014 IV Tenants Union spent over $95,000 supporting Isla Vista.
Work in Isla Vista: IVTU provides ongoing case management, education, and advocacy out of the Pardall Center, in the heart of Isla Vista. In addition, they have sponsored workshops and hosted community gatherings around housing issues. IVTU has a partnership with the IV Food Coop to distribute free food items once a week to registered UCSB students at the Food Coop. Most recently IVTU held a Community Forum (April 8, 2014) and a Peace Conference, organized in response to Deltopia (April 11, 2014).
A.S. Isla Vista Community Relations Committee (IVCRC)
Charge: Isla Vista Community Relations Committee is responsible for the education of the campus and student communities regarding issues within the Isla Vista Community as a whole and Santa Barbara County, and shall serve as a funding and planning source for projects promoting community in Isla Vista. Such issues may include but are not limited to: safety, police/community relations, landlord/tenant relations, emergency and other vehicle access in Isla Vista, parking, and County and University funding for programs and services in Isla Vista. IVCRC shall collaborate with the Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA).
Administration of the A.S. Isla Vista Community Improvements Lock-In:
It is the charge of IVCRC to oversee the distribution of the Isla Vista Improvements Lock-In funds. The Lock-in is designated specifically “to go towards Isla Vista services and improvements such as I.V. Youth Projects, I.V. Teen Center, events [community clean-up days, concerts, etc.], and Housing and Parking improvements,” and represents one of only two student referenda focused specifically and solely on and for Isla Vista.
This fund has been established in order to facilitate community programs that seek to better the living environment of the students, families and residents of Isla Vista by providing financial, technical and administrative support for student initiated and/or non-profit community improvement services and projects.
Work in Isla Vista: IVCRC works to promote and educate the Isla Vista community as a whole by nurturing the relationships between the long-term and short-term residents. In addition, IVCRC funds on-campus and off-campus groups that work to improve the community. IVCRC is the organizer for Pardall Carnival, an annual event that offers free games, rides, food, and prizes to all members of the Isla Vista community, as well as Chilla Vista, a sustainable and environmental friendly community festival that is held in People’s Park every spring. IVCRC also annually funds the IV Teen Center and the IV Youth Project to hire UCSB students as tutors. In 2013-2014 IVCRC spent over $153,000 supporting Isla Vista.
A.S. KCSB-FM 91.9
The radio station at the University of California, Santa Barbara, KCSB-FM, is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the Regents of the University of California. KCSB is funded primarily by the students at UCSB and the community at large.
Work in Isla Vista: KCSB broadcasts in the Santa Barbara area, including Isla Vista. A number of shows focus on a range of IV (and campus) issues and include “KCSB News,” “KCSB Sports Spot,” “No Alibis,” “Our Apple” (an environmental program), “Radio Occupy,” “Latin American Journal,” “Class with CLAS,” “Eeds & Arj at Large,” “Freak Juice,” “Lady Second,” “Culture of Protest,” “Talking Brens Radio,” “Third World News Review,” “5432…fun!!!,” “The Freak Power Ticket,” “Inside/Out,” “LIFTED,” “The Homosexual Agenda,” “Joyful Cosmos,” and a number of others. Many students and Isla Vista residents are regular guests on KCSB .
In addition, KCSB hosts presentations, speakers, artists in Isla Vista and create public service announcements and provide airtime to a wide range of student groups (and voices), campus organizations and departments, and messages that are particular to Isla Vista, free of charge. KCSB regularly collaborates with entities like the IV Food Co-Op, Magic Lantern Films, and the SB Student Housing Cooperative.
A.S. Legal Resource Center (LRC)
Charge: The primary purpose of this service shall be to offer legal advice and education on any matters of concern to UCSB undergraduates that are not prohibited by its contract.
Work in Isla Vista: LRC offers UCSB students legal advice, education, information and/or referrals, and assists students in identifying and resolving their legal problems. The LRC has also entered into a partnership with IVTU to provide services to non-UCSB students in the midst of emergency housing situations, such as those that affect health or immediate evictions. In 2013-2014 the Legal Resource Center spent over $116,000 supporting Isla Vista.
A.S. Pardall Center in Isla Vista
The Pardall Center is a newly acquired space by the Associated Students in Isla Vista meant to serve the UCSB population and community members of Isla Vista. It hosts individual study spaces, group work areas, computer and basic printing facilities along with meeting spaces/times available for those needing a space to congregate. In 2013-2014 Associated Students spent over $100,000 to create and sustain the Pardall Center.
A.S. Program Board (ASPB)
Charge: The Associated Students Program Board is a student-funded, student-run campus organization dedicated to producing and supporting entertaining and culturally diverse events for the UCSB campus and surrounding community. The Board also provides an opportunity for students to gain a wide range of experience in planning and producing university activities and entertainment.
Work in Isla Vista: ASPB hosts numerous events annually in or near IV, including 44 Movies in IV Theater, 2 sneak previews (IV Theater), 2 outdoor screenings (IV Parks), 2 comedy shows (IV Theater), 2 IV park music events, 8 Open Mics (Giovannis). In addition, last year the Program Board co-sponsored approximately 60 Magic Lantern Films and approximately 20 Kinotek films, as well as the AS Park Show, ATO Talent Show, Rocky Horror special screening, Winter-Catalyst Launch Party, EAB Surf movie In IV Theater, a spoken word event, Spring-Pride Fest, Earth Day, Take Back the Night Rally, 2 EVPLA Park Shows, Chilla Vista, and People’s Park Pride Event. In 2013-2014 Program Board spent over $50,000 on events in Isla Vista.
A.S. Public Safety Commission (PSC) (Formerly COPS)
Charge: The A.S. C.O.P.S. will work to increase the level of safety throughout the Isla Vista and the UCSB campus. The committee will work on all safety issues concerning the student body as well as increasing student relations and communications with the local Isla Vista Foot Patrol, California Highway Patrol, UC Police Department, and the Office of Student Life in a positive manner. To help accomplish such improvement of relations and communications the committee shall hold at least one town hall meeting per quarter with the above-mentioned organizations.
Work in Isla Vista: Current projects include: Isla Vista United – They organized a forum on public safety at IV Theater (May 29, 2014), Students for a Safer Isla Vista (SFSIV), and Fence Isla Vista, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
A.S. Queer Commission
Charge: The A.S. Queer Commission shall serve as an educational and advocacy forum for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT), Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI) student’s rights, with a commitment to representing and improving the status of LGBTQI students on campus and in the community. The A.S. Queer Commission is working toward becoming a diverse group of members that increases awareness, educates, elicits appreciation, offers insights, towards the LGBTQI community at UCSB and also the Tri-County areas. The Commission will also work together with other campus and community groups to overcome problems such as homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and other forms of oppression.
Work in Isla Vista: The Queer Commission hosts annual Pride Week events in Isla Vista, including the Isla Vista Pride Festival, and has co-sponsored the Take Back the Night rally and march. In 2013-2014 Queer Commission spent over $30,000.
A.S. Rally Committee
Charge: The Associated Students Rally Committee is a student-funded, student-run campus organization dedicated to supporting UCSB’s athletic community. The Committee will work to increase Gaucho pride and foster an increased sense of community throughout the UC Santa Barbara student population. The Committee will work to honor the achievements of organizations and teams across the University.
Work in Isla Vista: The Rally Committee sponsors one event per quarter (3 total) in Isla Vista. In 2013-2014 Rally Committee spent almost $1,500.
A.S. Senate Finance and Business Committee (A.S. Finance Board)
Charge: The charge of the Associated Students Finance Board is to help registered student organizations put on successful events, provide necessary student services, hold conferences, and fund championship aspiring teams through the procurement of funds…. The Finance Board is responsible for allocating a yearly budget of over $9.4 million that is used to foster leadership, give to the community, and enhance the experience of UCSB students.
Work in Isla Vista: Recently funded events for IV: Laughology – Shows($23,890), Jesus Burgers – Jesus Burgers ($1,698), Hillel – Various Programs)($3,909), Kinotech – IV Theater Films ($1,370), Kappa Kappa Gamma – Kappa Dash ($1,125), Cultural Arts – Dia de Los Muertos ($861), Kappa Alpha Theta – Fundraising Dinner ($480), Sigma Chi Omega – Project Santa ($879), Alpha Epsilon Pi – Afroman ($5,000), Challah for Hunger – Fundraising ($300), IV Surfrider – Concert for the Coast ($1,500), Greek Life – Greek Week ($2,500), GIVE – GIVE Event ($5,166), Queer Student Union – Drag Show ($7,750), Alpha Phi Sorority – Events ($5,136), Vocal Motion – Guachella ($771), totaling $62,335 dedicated to events in Isla Vista. In 2013-2014 AS Finance Board gave out over $400,000 to UCSB student groups.
A.S. Take Back the Night (TBN)
A student-initiated committee dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence through activism, advocacy, and survivor empowerment.
Work in Isla Vista: Take Back the Night organizes an annual Take Back the Night rally and march in Anisq’Oyo Park in Isla Vista. In addition, this year they organized a Take Back the Streets Campaign in February and facilitated a Safe Space at the Pardall Center for women during Halloween. In 2013-2014 Take Back the Night spent over $8,500.
A.S. The Bottom Line
Charge: The Bottom Line publication was created as an alternative space to outreach to UCSB students, staff and faculty through a medium of socially conscious coverage within the campus community.
Work in Isla Vista: The Bottom Line features continuous coverage of Isla Vista news and information. In 2013-2014 The Bottom Line spent almost $37,000.
A.S. RESPONSE TO MAY 23
Immediately after the tragedy that took place in Isla Vista on May 23, 2014, Associated Students moved quickly to support and serve students in many capacities – offering comfort and emotional support individually and through student groups, referring students to available services on campus and in the community, holding space for students to come together, providing tenants rights counseling, organizing memorial events and community forums.
Response Overview:
- May 24th – Memorial Walk and Vigil at Storke Plaza
- May 26th to June 10th – Memorial Wall at Pardall Center
- May 26h to June 15th – Isla Vista Week of Solidarity: Healing Together
- May 27th – Day of Mourning and Reflection
- May 27th – Memorial Service at Harder Stadium
- May 27th – 10,000 Ribbons for UCSB
- May 28th – Memorial Paddle Out
- May 28th – 1,000 Cranes of Love
- May 29th – Forum on public safety
- May 30th – Community forum
- June 5th – Solidarity rally in support of the Seattle Pacific University
- June 7th to 11th – 24-hour Café
- July 21st – Isla Vista Self-Governance Town Hall
- August 14th – Our Isla Vista: Conversations for a Better Community
On May 24, the Memorial Walk and Vigil at Storke Plaza, organized by Associated Students, UCSB Administration and other concerned students, was attended by thousands of people, filling all of Storke Plaza and the surrounding area, and was followed by a procession through Isla Vista. The vigil was broadcast live by KCSB. From May 26th to June 10th the Memorial Wall at Pardall Center, (a series of wood structures donated by Home Depot) provided a place for students and community members to write messages. May 27 was declared a Day of Mourning and Reflection. A.S.-led events on that day included the Memorial Service at Harder Stadium, attended by more than 20,000 mourners who filled every seat in the stadium and half the field, and the 10,000 Ribbons for UCSB event. The following day, May 28, students organized the Memorial Paddle Out and 1,000 Cranes of Love. Students also held a solidarity rally on June 5th at the Pardall Center in support of the Seattle Pacific University community after the shooting there.
A.S. also organized four community forums, including a forum on public safety sponsored by A.S. Public Safety Commission at Isla Vista Theater on May 29, a community forum sponsored by Associated Students on May 30th, a Town Hall on Isla Vista Self-Governance, held on July 21st, and a community gathering, Our Isla Vista: Conversations for a Better Community on August 14th.
The Pardall Center, at the center of Isla Vista and across the street from the IV Deli, became a critical space for students and community to come together in mourning and in moving forward. A.S. student leaders and staff held the space open non-stop for the two weeks following the events and from June 7th to 11th sponsored a 24-hour Café in collaboration with the IV Food Co-op and the Coffee Collaborative. Memorial candles, photographs, flowers, cards, chalk messages filled the sidewalk in front of the building and was the site of the Memorial Wall and the SPU Solidarity Rally.
On the second floor of the Pardall Center, the Isla Vista Tenants Union and the Legal Resource Center provided tenants rights and legal counsel to students desperate to leave their apartments in Isla Vista.
In addition to the events organized by A.S., Associated Students served as a conduit for information of events that were being organized in Isla Vista and UCSB by students and community members as part of the Isla Vista Week of Solidarity: Healing Together from May 26 – June 15.
The media that descended on Isla Vista sought out student leaders for comments and the students developed a media response plan that allowed them to speak to the tragedy, but also request that the media honor the need for privacy and community space for mourning.
The work of Associated Students in the recovery effort continues with numerous initiatives and projects underway, including:
- September through December 2014 – AS Isla Vista Strategic Plan
- October – Come Together welcome back event (TBD)
- October 7 – Isla Vista Self-Governance Town Hall (Part II)
- Revitalization of the Isla Vista Safety Panel
- Partnership with CAPS to bring mental health resources to IV
- Ongoing support, collaboration and participation from Associated Students leadership in community based initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening Isla Vista.