These are the proposals submitted by each group/organization, explaining their need for more funding and the new or expanded services and programs they would offer if the measure passes.
Disabled Students Program
The current amount received from the A.S. Lock-In is intended to offset the costs of the Note Taking and Test Proctoring service for our students. The current amount received covers approximately 60% of the total costs.
We would use this increase as follows:
- Note Taking Service - Paper notes and E-Notes (typed MD Word versions)
- Test Proctoring Service
Office of Student Life
We currently have a CEC fee of $1.75/quarter and $1.00 for summer. Fifty-two percent of the fee goes to student-initiated late night programming, the remaining is split between leadership and first-year programming costs. We are currently at the limit on this fee and cannot offer any more services and staffing is strained to even accomplish the programming we do offer. With the Division of Student Affairs receiving 23% permanent budget cuts over the last four years and with the registration fee frozen for the last 10+ years, the resources that can be devoted to student services is strained.
With the new $1.50 per quarter (including summer session), we would expand our services to students in the leadership and first-year programs. We would offer the annual student leader retreat to more students; offer more intensive training in the Kouzes and Posner model (possibly including weekend retreats) which could include a certification in this model; create a statewide leadership conference; enhance our current leadership conference with more offerings for attendees, including bigger name speakers; and enhance our quarterly leadership series. We could offer more small group work for students interested in developing their leadership skills.
We would enhance the men's and women's programs and offer more programming to first year students, possibly including retreat offerings. We would also expand our advising to first-year students in support of their success and offer more workshops. INT 20, the University Success Course, could also be expanded to accommodate more freshmen and sophomores. We could also offer a version for transfer students. The fee would provide funding for programmatic costs and an additional entry-level Student Affairs Officer staff position.
We would also allocate money toward security costs for student-initiated programming.
Arts & Lectures
Arts & Lectures is requesting an increase in undergraduate student fees to help subsidize affordable student ticket prices. Over the last four years, A&L has consistently kept student ticket prices low even though the cost of artist fees and general ticket prices have gone up. It is an important part our mission that we make every event accessible to students. This increase in fees will help cover the gap between these increased costs and low student ticket prices.
Orfalea Family Children's Center
UCSB student teaching assistant employees are integral to our ability to provide the optimum level of early childcare and education. We are eager to build up our value as an employer for our student employees while enhancing the services provided to our families many of whom are themselves UCSB students. Mitigating UCSB Student parent child care tuition costs remains a high priority as well.
- Peer - Mentor Program: To create opportunities for student employee 'job advancement' and develop training skills, the Peer-Mentor program will pair exemplary UCSB student teaching assistants with 'new' student employees to augment training, provide focused feedback and encourage supportive student to student connections while improving direct service in the classroom. Benefits to Peer-Mentors include higher salary level, increased responsibilities and resume 'building'. Recruitment and retention of student employees, a high need, should be positively affected. This is especially important as we expand into our new location in the Student Resource Building.
- UCSB Student Teacher Assistant Education and Training: In conjunction with the Graduate School of Education the Children's Center program is working towards a stronger and more comprehensive educational/training component for UCSB student employees. A variety of additional training and educational elements will give added long term value to the students' work experience in the classroom. A plan to offer concurrent enrollment for academic units with the work experience is currently being developed.
- UCSB Student Teaching Assistant Salary Increase: UCSB student employees will receive a much needed and deserved salary increase from current average of $7.25/hr in order to better reflect the value of their work in the program.
- UCSB Student Parent Child Care Tuition Subsidy: UCSB students currently pay over 40% less than faculty and staff for child care services. In order to sustain this benefit at similar levels as program staffing costs increase, significant additional subsidy funds are needed.
Multi Cultural Center
- MCC programming in Isla Vista
- Additional staff position to serve students
- Funding for Student organizations to present programs on race, cultural and social justice
- Provide publicity for MCC affiliated student organizations
Recreational Sports
UCSB Recreational Sports is one of the largest student services on campus if not the largest. The program allows the campus community to utilize their leisure time in a constructive manner rather than the numerous destructive ones. The result is fun, fitness and friendship for all. The program also facilitates development of life skills and students learn competitive achievement, teamwork, communication, leadership, integrity and social responsibility through their participation.
Interest, not skill or the ability to pay, should be the only prerequisite for participation. Unfortunately, institutional support in the form of registration fees has dwindled away with budget cuts.
Programs Supported include:
- 21 sport club teams & student athletic training.
The intercollegiate sport club program provides for top-level competition in sports that are not part of the intercollegiate athletics department. We currently facilitate 21 teams with additional sports hoping for acceptance. No experience is necessary, and many of our club athletes have gone from being novices to receiving Olympic and international recognition. Over the past 18 years, sport clubs have won over 40 national championships for UCSB.
The operational cost for sport clubs is about two million dollars per year. Teams conduct fund-raisers, provide their own management, organization, leadership and pay team dues. Unfortunately, team dues are becoming cost prohibitive for most UCSB students. Cost for travel, uniforms, equipment and coaching continue to skyrocket.
The student leadership is a revolving door and is extremely difficult to achieve continuity, in particular relating to safety. As a result, we also need funding to address coaching, athletic training and other risk management practices. Although this fee will not cover the entire operating cost, it will substantially lower student dues allowing interested students to consider participating.
- Adventure Programs
The 10 Adventure Programs include Rock-climbing, Kayaking, SCUBA Diving, Ropes Course, Adventure Climbing Center, Canoeing, Wilderness First Aid, Leadership Training Course, Clinics, Backpacking, and Camping Trips. These programs develop students and take advantage of the amazing outdoor opportunities and trainings that exist in our local area and beyond.
The Adventure Programs serve approximately 8,000 participants annually with a primarily student staff of about 100.
This funding will create an opportunity to construct and operate a state of the art Outdoor Utility Pole Challenge Course which:
- Provides an effective alternative to "hazing" by offering a teambuilding environment focused on challenge, cooperation, communication, problem solving, etc.
- Provides funding for staffing and management of the Challenge Course.
- Employs and develops UCSB students in high growth positions which provide skills and experience relating to risk management, group dynamics, team management, organization and leadership.
- Intramural sports and overall support for all recreational sports programs. A large and diverse recreational sports program has different needs from year to year including one-time and large needs such as capital improvements, vehicles, ice machines, etc.
Intramural sports or sports within the walls of UCSB is the largest of the recreational sports programs. About 12,000 participants annually are involved in a diverse pool of offerings. We facilitate a student directed program with over 250 employees providing management, organization and leadership in a variety of jobs from gym/field supervisors, sport coordinators, head of officials, sport officials, Marketing/publicity, photographers, and student athletic trainers and office staff support.
Many have been involved in sports competition growing up, but for one reason or another are not competing at the intercollegiate level. Intramural sports provides these students with the opportunity to compete on a regular basis at a fun and skill appropriate level. In addition, because no experience is necessary, it provides students to try sports they have never experienced or have not played in years.
UCSB's recreational sports programs require a tremendous amount of financial support. Currently, these programs cost about $3 million dollars to operate. The overwhelming burden of this budget comes out of the pockets of students because institutional support has dwindled to only about $50,000. This equates to a minute 1.7% of the total operating cost. Thank you in advance of your support of our attempt to create a program solely based on the prerequisite of "interest" being the fundamental philosophy of UCSB recreational sports rather than "skill or an ability to pay".
Intramural Sports
Intramural Sports or sports "within the walls" of UCSB operates on the premise that interest is the only prerequisite for participation and not skill nor the ability to pay.
Registration fees provided 100% of the funding at one time. Budget cuts and inflation have eroded this funding and the program now charges entry fees for participation. Without additional funding, participation will soon become cost prohibitive and available only to those who can afford the cost to play.
Intramural Sports provide employment opportunities to hundreds of UCSB students each year. Currently, we are not able to offer competitive wages and will not be able to meet the demands of rising minimum wage increases.
Intramural Sports currently requires participants to provide their own equipment. Office equipment and vehicles are also outdated. This funding will also allow the program to facilitate quality programs addressing necessary safety standards.
A popular slogan, "Intramural Sports is for everyone" is no longer true. It should be for everyone, not just those who can afford to pay.
Through participation in Intramural Sports, all students can benefit by learning about competitive achievement, teamwork, communication, leadership, integrity and social responsibility. Constructive use of leisure time culminating in fun, fitness and friendship will enhance the quality of life for UCSB students through Intramural Sports.
Student Health Services
- Hire two additional mental health professionals so that students in distress can be helped as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
- Increase access and convenience by adding Thursday evening appointment hours.
- Answer more informal medical questions without charge and without the need of a formal appointment by hiring an additional Nurse Advisor.
- Hire more staff to reduce the wait times for our appointment and walk-in patients.
- Provide more stress reduction services such as massage therapy and meditation groups.
- Keep the lid on increasing medical costs and help reduce the financial burden for those students who are least able to afford health care.
- Help maintain a robust student focused health clinic that serves the interest of the campus community, as opposed to an impersonal, bottom- line corporation.
Events Center Governance Board
The Events Center is still the largest venue available on the central coast for athletic events and concerts. However, it is a 1979 building that has a considerable amount of deferred maintenance and could become a great facility for student events if sufficient funds were available. A new air conditioning system is needed, new theater style seating to replace the lower bleachers, new sound system, expanded restrooms, and acoustic treatment to improve the sound quality for concerts. If the Events Center could improve its status from just a "gym" to a major multi-use facility, it could compete favorably with the County Bowl for major events. The list of improvements totals several million dollars and we have been saving most of the money from our initial fee referendum to accumulate enough to begin some major projects. We still don't have enough saved to really address any of the major issues listed.
University Center Governance Board
Two new major issues exist for the University Center: A) Increased student wages mandated by the state minimum wage law, and B) The cost of creating and programming an outstanding late night venue in The Hub.
Student Wage Increase: The UCen is one of the largest employers of students on campus (over 500 students total). The state minimum wage was just signed into law and it will increase to $7.30 an hour on January 1, 2007 and to $8.00 an hour the following January. We currently hire most students at $6.75. Since we are essentially a break-even operation, there is no way that we can retain our current hours of service and the current number of student employees. Not only will the minimum wage employees be increased, but all other student employees who have received increases over the years will also be raised by the same amount. We will have to cut hours and cut jobs. The total estimated annual increase due to this wage adjustment will be roughly $250,000.
The Hub: We currently have plans to remodel The Hub in order to make it a more attractive place for Concerts and other student events. This is part of a campus effort to offer a late night alternative to Isla Vista. Because the original renovation bid came in much higher than expected, we have been forced to delay the project and reduce its scope. With additional student fee money, we could once again enhance the project to really make it an outstanding venue where students would want to attend concerts, dances, and shows. In addition, we could create an annual programming budget of up to $100,000 to staff the venue on weekends and to provide funds for a variety of events that could complement the concerts put on by Program Board. We have learned from colleagues all across the country that regular weekend late night event venues can be very successful. However, they don't come close to generating enough income from food & drink sales or event ticket sales. As a result, the efforts that aren't backed with student fees always fail in the end. When students know that The HUB will always be open and that something worthwhile will be happening there, it can become a great alternative to Isla Vista.
Campus Learning Assistance Services
Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) has not recovered from the series of budget cuts it has experienced over the past several years. The cuts, plus the increase in operating expenses, have made it difficult to maintain our current level of services. Demand for current and new services remains strong across all disciplines. If we are to retain our current level of services without resorting to a fee-for-service model and if we are to accommodate additional tutoring requests and expand our study skills program, CLAS must replace lost funds, increase its operating budget, and full-time staff.
The CLAS portion of the AS Initiative would help pay for the following:
- Maintain current group tutorials for Math, Physics, Biology (EEMB & MCDB,) Chemistry, Economics and Statistics undergraduate courses
- Maintain drop-in labs for Math, Statistics & Physics, Biology & Chemistry, Economics, Writing and Foreign Language
- Add group tutorial services for additional undergraduate courses
- Further develop our study skills program
- Develop CLAS services online
- Hire additional full-time staff
- Maintain CLAS evening hours of operation
- Maintain individual tutoring for students enrolled in the Disabled Students Program
- Maintain consistent staffing throughout all summer sessions
CLAS serves over 7,000 undergraduates annually, logging in upwards of 153,519 student contact hours. CLAS serves students in all disciplines and at all class levels by operating 5 drop-in labs and offering 600 tutorial groups and 201 academic skills workshops annually. CLAS hires between 75-150 undergraduate and graduate students. Currently, all CLAS services are free to UCSB undergraduates. In comparison, a student opting to hire a private tutor may pay from $30 to $60 for a single hour of tutoring. Helping CLAS to maintain its open door policy ensures that all students have equal access to academic services.
Associated Students
Associated Students provides and administers a wide range of services for UCSB students. However, we are at a critical juncture, because the student monies that cover these services have not been increased since 1974. Each of the groups or programs listed deserves your support because they provide services, advocacy, training, and in many cases paid employment for students. They include:
- Minimum funding of $250 per registered student organization plus the ability to apply for further event funding from the Finance Board.
- Grants for student groups to publish supplements to the Nexus regarding their organization.
- Academic Affairs Board advocates for students with faculty and UCSB administration.
- Academic Professional Conference Travel Grants help undergraduates present their research at professional conferences.
- Bike/Skate Alternative Transportation Center. The Bike Shop has needed a new facility for many years.
- Chilla Vista is a grassroots and hugely successful community event
- Improvability. Its audience has grown each year. AS funds help make this possible.
- Other Student Initiated Alternative Social Programming provides a range of on and off campus events specifically for students.
- Commission on Public Safety.
- Educational Research Grants will help undergraduates pursue research projects.
- Environmental Center will provide a range of information on environmental stewardship and sustainability.
- Finance Board will again be able to adequately fund over 300 student groups and other needed projects.
- First Year Council provides an introduction to the university's resources and to the many ways of getting involved in AS.
- Gaucho Loco Fan Club supports our sports teams.
- Internship Clearing House for connecting students with employers and organizations from here to DC.
- Media & Video Production Center will expand KCSB's media capabilities and provide training for students interested in making their voices heard through the broadcast media.
- Office of the Student Advocate represents students in cases involving the University.
- Publication Grants-Daily Nexus will allow student groups to promote their events in the Nexus.
- Student Groups (RCO's and Culture Weeks). AS funding for eligible events will be guaranteed
- Student Initiated Outreach Grants-provide funding for students doing outreach programs for under represented populations
- Student Lobby-representing students on a statewide and national level. "Educate, Organize, and mobilize for Social Change."
- Funding for 23 Boards, Committees and Commissions of Associated Students working to improve the quality of student life.
- UCSA Statewide Legislative Representation allows students to be heard at UC Regents meetings and in Sacramento. This is critical in difficult budgetary times.
- USSA National Legislative Representation. The student voice is critical when our nation's lawmakers actively work to cut funding to higher education.
- Womyn's Journal. This critical student voice will have stable funding.
- WORMS. The worm composting project is being embraced by local businesses and can be expanded.
Bike Shop
- Fund the building of a new facility for the Bike Shop. The facility is currently housed in a 40 year old cargo container not meant for human occupation. There are no bathrooms, the floors are rotting and it is a hazard to the students occupying the space.
- Keep student charges at a minimum for parts and repairs.
- Continue to provide free tutoring to students in the repair of their bicycles.
- Part of the new shop would contain a training center and enhanced bicycle repair facilities.
A.S. Childcare Grant
Programs/projects and events for undergraduate students with dependent children
- Provide support/network/relationship with others
- Night out on the town - complimentary babysitting
- Provide funding support to develop a babysitting coop/play groups
- Extend babysitters to events and programs for enrichment for parents and children
- Fieldtrips to the Zoo and cultural events with the parents and some with childcare provided.
- Service projects for children with CAB members and parents
- End of the quarter Beach BBQ for parents and children
- Clean house Vouchers
- Organize conferences and workshops for undergraduates with dependent children
- Honoraria for all members
A.S. IVCRC/IV IMPROVEMENTS
- Develop and execute a survey for needs in the IV Community
- More programs/projects and events for undergraduate students and Isla Vista Community
- Career Fair for IV Elementary
- IV Youth Projects - After School Program: Organize and facilitate an Enrichment Class once a week
- Community to Community - Organize and facilitate a campaign to introduce IV Community members (students/families) to their community:
(via door hangers, events at a park/fair)
- Plan service projects with IV Elementary children and undergraduates. Including a Field Trip to an IV non-profit.
- Develop a quarterly newsletter for the community
- Highlight a non-profit
- Announce service projects
- Park Clean up day
- Calendar of Events
- Safety tips
- Organize a service project for the IVCRC Committee and open to all students involving the non-projects in the IV Community (Friendship Manor, Teen Center, IV Youth Projects)
- Develop and execute a survey for needs in the IV Community and an issue/concern on a quarterly basis.
- Honoraria for all members
A.S. CAB
- Attend more conferences
- Nexus Ads
- Increase CAB funds for special projects (budget cuts in the AS Staff Salary Reg. Fee accounts has decreased funds available for students to plan and execute philanthropic programs and events.
- Pay for Honoraria
- Provide funds for A.S. CAB Alumni yearly networking, quarterly newsletter, planning projects planning and programs, reunions.
KCSB
KCSB has not had a fee increase since 1989. Because we train more than 200 people a year in the fundamentals of radio broadcasting, we have substantial equipment costs annually. And in order to train people on equipment that they might find outside of the University, it is important to routinely upgrade equipment here. Our student managers routinely work far more hours than they get paid for and we would like to be able to correct that. Unlike other student organizations, we also have to pay for the maintenance of our building,, for custodial care, utilities and other major repairs and upgrades to the infrastructure. The University's costs for all of these things have continued to rise in the 17 years since our last lock-in increase. We are faced with major anticipated changes in technology in the next few years as broadcasting moves from analog to digital broadcasting. And, as we learned last year after our antenna was struck by lightening, even good planning can't anticipate acts of nature which can prove to be very costly.
Through the years, we have sought alternative sources of funding so that we didn't have to come back to students to request more. However, we are now regularly exceeding our budget by 40 to 50% annually, and it is foolhardy to count on soft money for that much of our budget. And, with a budget increase, we can undertake more events which are uniquely related to KCSB like the Amy Goodman lecture or musicians well outside the mainstream.
Some reasons to support us:
- KCSB provides non-commercial programming that can't be found anywhere else in the Santa Barbara area 24 hours a day, all year long.
- We provide free radio training to anyone who is interested at UCSB and in the community - whether you are interested in Djing, news, sports, or just volunteering.
- We present low cost educational and entertainment events - Some of these events have included lectures by Amy Goodman, Norm Solomon, and a performance by Living Legends. We also sponsor numerous local shows, film screenings, and other local cultural events.
- We are Santa Barbara's ONLY non-commercial, non-profit, educational station.
- Operating a radio station is very costly, for example, updating old or broken equipment, and the university does not support us.
- We haven't raised our fees since the 1989!
- If this initiative passes, we pledge to observe a 5 year moratorium on requests for new fees.
- This fee increase is not as costly as many other fee initiatives students have voted for, such as the Rec Cen.
- We are produced for the community, by the community!
- We provide news coverage and viewpoints often not seen in the mainstream news outlets.
- We also cover some UCSB athletics that no one else covers - soccer, volleyball, and baseball.
- We provide support and publicity for other on-campus organizations at no cost.
Communications Personnel
The Communications Personnel budget covers the salaries of all of KCSB's professional staff. It has not been increased since 1989. The station has grown considerably during that time and we have increased our staff from two positions to 3.5 positions. Like KCSB, we have avoided asking the students for lock-in increases and have developed some other sources of funding for staffing. However, we now exceed our AS budget by approximately $40,000 a year. We are also a very small staff for running a full time, full power radio station.
In addition to allowing us to maintain ourselves, a lock-in increase would allow us to consider some staff growth: a full time news director, a part-time web master, a part-time youth radio project coordinator. We also have occasional needs. For example, KCSB is 45 years old and has a great deal of archival material that needs digitizing and catalogueing. And we have an enormous music library on vinyl which would be more accessible if it were digitally organized.
Shoreline Preservation Fund
- An increase in funding for programs and services will only enhance the good work SPF already does.
- Increased funding will allow the creation of a capital reserve account which will set aside funds that will accumulate interest for large infrastructure improvement projects such as coastal stairways, trail maintenance, water quality improvement project (i.e. construction of bioswales), Campus network of educational signage along the bluffs
- Funding approved for several large capital projects has significantly diminished support for ongoing projects that depend on SPF funding as well as new programs that fit well within our Mission
- Coastal Service Program has seen exponential increase in participation and demand for funding. Additional funds would expand this program to more student organizations and areas for improvement
- UCSB Elwood Devereux Habitat Open Space Plan (to be approved this year) has identified areas for coastal access improvement for students staff and Faculty however no funding is currently available to implement. SPF can leverage funds to prioritize construction and implementation of these identified projects.
- Additional funding would allow for the following:
- Provide resources to Coal Oil Point reserve and CCBER to perform large scale restoration on campus
- New stair at Campus Point to alleviate erosion problem
- Maintenance and enhancement of existing Beach access stairways coastal trails
- Development of Educational signage along coastal pathways
- mplementation of new technologies in water quality improvement (ie bioswale and CDS units)
- Development of formal water quality monitoring program in ocean and water bodies adjacent to UCSB
Bicycle Systems
- Existing lock in fee is insufficient to complete priority bike system improvement projects such as West Campus Bluffs path improvement project, Library roundabout, Bren hall missing link to East Bluff Commuter path, new bike corrals at South Hall, Music North, and Kerr Hall
- Increased funding would allow for better bike path maintenance throughout campus and more frequent resurfacing
- Bike safety awareness and outreach
- Development of formal Campus Bike Master Plan
Recycling
- As campus grows the needs for recycling materials grows and the committee will require construction of at least 5 "4-in-1" Recycling cluster (Berthas) for new buildings. This campus expansion also calls for:
- Hiring additional employees to better maintain new berthas
- Parts and maintenance for existing Berthas
- Construction and replacement of recycling rigs (Bicycle and Trailer) as well as parts and maintenance for existing bicycles.
- New technologies that would include the purchase or rental of better electric vehicle
- Development and implementation of a permanent campus wide TechnoTrash Program including several new bins, cost of proper disposal, publicity and an additional employee to oversee the program
- Development of the Eucalyptus Grove into a sustainable recycling demonstration site for the education of UCSB campus, students, staff, and faculty, as well as the surrounding community and visitors. This will include extensive landscaping, construction and purchase of several types of recycling and composting demos, and hiring an additional employee to maintain the area.
Legal Resource Center
Currently:
- The LRC is only funded to operate 4 days a week, with limited hours. It currently offers free legal advice for 20-24 students per week, but 25-30 seek out these services, meaning about 5 students are turned away weekly. An increase would allow them to offer free services to more students.
- The LRC services do not include legal representation of students. For many students, the cost of legal representation is too high and public defenders are unavailable for certain cases. Consequently, they often face criminal charges without representation. An increase would make funds available so that limited representation could become a possibility (pending UC approval).
- The LRC's would not be able to afford to staff the center if it offered longer hours and more services. An increase would allow them to hire a third lawyer and legal assistant, as well as bring their income up to a comparable rate for legal work in the Santa Barbara area, thereby increasing the long term consistency of the center.
- The LRC is located on Pardall Road in Isla Vista. They pay market rent in exchange for a location that has, and continues to, bring in a growing number of students. An increase would help them better fund the cost of doing business in Isla Vista.
- The community need for Legal Resources was highlighted by the statistics recently released in the Annual Clery Report. The report states that at UCSB in 2005 there were 88 on-campus liquor law arrests, 144 drug law arrests, and 14 weapons laws arrests on campus alone. The community of Isla Vista, where the majority of students reside, accounts for most of the arrests in the county. Because of its unique status as unincorporated, Isla Vista is subject to policing by the UCPD, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, and the California Highway Patrol. The Legal Resource staff reports that there are many instances of UCSB students' rights being violated, as well as unfair arrests. A fee increase would help the LRC provide valuable legal help students cannot privately afford. This would include the special needs of UCSB students surrounding drug and liquor offense charges (many unfair) in Isla Vista, and could potentially save an innocent student a substance related Misdemeanor without them having to pay the minimum $800 cost of legal fees typical to a charge of this type.
Take Back the Night
Take Back the Night is an activist organization that fights sexual assault by raising awareness, empowering women and men to change their communities, and confronting the stigmas attached to survivors. Traditionally, we focus exclusively on our week of events in April; however, with increased funding, we could do additional programming and outreach as well as make that week even better.
Below is a breakdown of how the additional funds would be allocated.
If students approve a 100% increase, TBTN would be able to:
- Sell shirts for a minimum price (as opposed to "at cost") or even give them away.
- Hire a well-known band for the rally, while still maintaining our commitment to female or female-empowering performers.
- Sponsor members who want to travel to a Take Back the Night rally at another university for ideas and collaboration.
- Hold more workshops and programs, especially reaching out to first-year residents.
- Do events with other like-minded groups to build coalitions through programs.
- Have more money for donations to other groups.
The Student Commission On Racial Equality
The Student Commission On Racial Equality seeks to expand its collective ability to advocate on behalf of social justice issues as they pertain to and affect students of color throughout the state of California. As we expand our advocacy and campaigning, we see the need for additional funds for staff members within AS. We would like to either increase the focus and pay of existing staff members or hire a staff to work specifically for S.C.O.R.E. on local, statewide and national social justice campaigns.
Additionally, S.C.O.R.E. is a vehicle by which students at UCSB can attend statewide conferences throughout the year. These include the Student of Color Conference, the UCSA Lobby Conference in Sacramento, the USSA Legislative Conference in Washington DC and many more.
S.C.O.R.E. also allocates money to student organizations for their respective programming and advocacy. Increased funding for S.C.O.R.E. will translate into increased funding for student orgs throughout campus.
Furthermore, S.C.O.R.E. can and will continue to assist endangered student outreach and retention programs; particularly those that impact low income and under-represented student communities. To this end, we aim to establish an outreach and retention component through our office.
Finally, we would like to establish our own publication to advocate and advance our agenda on campus and statewide levels.
Program Board
With an increased budget we could:
- Expand the number of members on Program Board. With better division of labor, it would be easier to program and execute shows
- Supply the students with more lectures by supplementing some of the cost with our larger budget
- Make our weekly movies on Tuesday nights in IV theatre free to students
- Provide larger free concerts more often
- Provide larger acts for the Hub at lower ticket prices
- Expand the Extravaganza line-up
- Purchase a second PAL system to rent out to student groups that require more than our current system and less than our large system
- Purchase a blow-up screen for showing movies in the lagoon or other outdoor venues
- Expand the lighting system in the Hub
- Professionally train members of our crew in lighting and sound
Isla Vista Tenant Union
IVTU's goal is to better the quality of life in Isla Vista by addressing tenants' rights issues in the community. However, IVTU is handicapped by a shoe-string budget and is a prime example of an under-funded organization. The 100% increase in funding would primarily provide:
- Increase in Special Projects - IVTU seeks to broaden its activities beyond day-to-day office work and:
- Expand Homegrown Revolution and community workshops/conferences
- Reinstate and expand a quarterly newsletter
- Have the capacity to provide immediate support to tenants who want to mobilize in "emergency" situations such as the recent Cedarwood evictions
- Honoraria - IVTU started the current school year with zero appointed committee members. Notes from last year also cite recruiting committed members as a major issue. Providing honoraria will be a key incentive to recruiting and retaining quality members who will push IVTU to its full potential.
- Increase in office capacity - IVTU student and professional staff are barely able to do more beyond day-to-day office activities during the school year because we have extremely limited staffing. There is only one, part-time Coordinator, and two part-time students at-most (currently one part-time student). We also have a very limited Operating budget and would like to expand so we may have our own tenants library, provide more literature for dissemination, have funds for advertising, and have adequate supplies.
Women's Commission
Women's Commission works to empower women identified individuals by providing them with a safe space to organize and address women issues. Women's Commission also serves as an umbrella organization for all women's groups by providing support, space, and funding. By receiving the increase we will be able to:
- Provide more funding to various organizations to support their programming while building strong coalitions.
- Increase the number of students we can send to annual conferences such as, UC-wide Womyn of Color Conference, UC-wide Student of Color Conference, UC-wide LGBTQ Conference, and other conferences during the school year.
- Provide funding to the UC-wide Womyn of Color Conference organizing committee, in order to minimize the financial constraints during the planning of this event.
- Increase funding for Women's Journal, Herstory, a feminist/womanist zine that serves to be an alternative media for students at UCSB while fostering activism through artistic expression.
- Provide additional workshops and quality events with up to date materials such as, independent films and reading materials as well as empowering speakers, presenters, and performers in relation to women's issues.
Environmental Affairs Board
- The production of a Green Guide - an all-encompassing environmental resource guide for UCSB students designed to provide a central point for all environmental opportunities and activities at UCSB and within Isla Vista. Included, among much more, will be a comprehensive listing of all environmental groups on campus, specific dates of environmental activities, alternative transportation options, restaurants and businesses participating in green business, past accomplishments of the university, future goals of the university, volunteer opportunities for students, internship opportunities, etc.
- Expansion of the Isla Vista Earthday Festival with an emphasis on creating a completely zero waste event and implementing a more educational direction for the festival through inviting guest speakers and green businesses.
- Funding of the Green AS Building Campaign, a campaign designed to make the Associated Students more environmentally sustainable.
- Implementation of higher quality, further-reaching publicity to advertise EAB at a level consistent with the growing interest and importance of environmentalism today.
- Funding of a paid position to maintain our new webpage with the goal of creating the most comprehensive online student resource for environmentalism at UCSB.
- Funding of additional campaigns including Grow Native and Wild, a project aimed at restoring plots of land on campus to native growth. Specifically we will be restoring the plot in front of the Old Little Theater this fall, and we need funding for tools. Our Greening the Greeks Campaign is designed to work one-on-one with selected Greek groups to implement sustainable practices within the Greek System. Funding will be needed to initiate aspects of the project to fulfill the goal of sustainability.