Students United Will Never Be Defeated!
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Students united will never be defeated!
Dear Gauchos,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Gaucho family. However,
I would also like to take this time to introduce you to the two new associations
of which you are automatically a member, once you are enrolled as an undergraduate
here at UCSB. The first is our student government here at UCSB called Associated
Students (ASUCSB), and the other is our systemwide student government called the
University of California Student Association (UCSA). Every quarter when students
pay their fees, a portion of their fees go to the funding of both ASUCSB and UCSA.
The Associated Students officers are elected every Spring and are composed of four
executive officers and twenty legislative council voting members. Also, there are
a number of boards and committees that students are appointed to by the new executive
officers. All are responsible for expressing student opinions to the UCSB and UC
systemwide administration on all campus and university issues. As an undergraduate
at UCSB you automatically become a member of Associated Students. As an Associated
Students member, you are entitled to vote in all ASUCSB elections, benefit from
all ASUCSB services and programs, seek an elected or appointed ASUCSB office or
committee, and participate in all ASUCSB activities. As students, we are also members
of the University of California Student Association (UCSA). UCSA is a coalition
of UC student governments dedicated to networking, communicating, educating, organizing,
and advocating for students at the UC Office of the President, Board of Regents,
and across the state. UCSA works in coalition with the UC student governments to
educate students and California citizens on the importance of students' rights and
on an accessible and affordable UC education. Winning victories for students in
issues ranging from housing policies, to fee freezes and rollbacks, to free speech,
UCSA focuses on keeping the University in line with its public mission under the
Master Plan of Higher Education. Believing in that, UCSA advocates for a tuition-free
University that seeks to maintain a student body that represents a broad cross-section
of our State's diversity. Local, state, and national legislators make major decisions
that impact students' lives everyday. Now that you are entering the university,
I would like to challenge you not to underestimate the power that you have as a
student to influence these decisions that shape our lives. I urge you all to get
involved with ASUCSB and UCSA and together we can continue to educate, lobby, organize,
and fight for concrete goals that will serve our student needs. To make a difference
or for more information on how you can get involved in working to improve the quality,
cost, and diversity of our education, please contact your Associated Students office
at 893-2566, or visit them by the UCen next to AS Notetaking. Remember, student
unity is student power!
--Haady Lashkari
Sociology and Communication
Former A.S. External Vice President of Statewide Affairs
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