{"id":10,"date":"2011-05-09T18:41:37","date_gmt":"2011-05-09T18:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flashback.as.ucsb.edu\/2010-11\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2012-07-24T17:12:31","modified_gmt":"2012-07-24T17:12:31","slug":"new-programs-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/flashback.as.ucsb.edu\/2010-11\/fast-facts\/new-programs-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"New Programs and Initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

BLUFFS TRAIL RIBBON CUTTING<\/h2>\n

Cyclists, joggers, surfers, and other beachgoers now have a much smoother ride, run, or walk to the beaches at Coal Oil Point. After seven years of negotiations and planning the West Campus Bluff Trail received much needed improvements this year. The half-mile long trail that snakes along the bluffs between the western edge of Isla Vista and Coal Oil Point is the main corridor for people to walk or ride from IV to Coal Oil Point.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The A.S. Coastal Fund <\/a>and A.S. BIKES<\/a> collaborated in the planning and gave over $150,000 to redesign and upgrade the trail to make it far more user friendly and durable. The California State Coastal Conservancy<\/a> provided\u00a0 $175,000 in matching funds for the project and the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration<\/a> (CCBER) donated an additional $32,000 and oversaw the restoration work, which was carried out by student interns.<\/p>\n

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The project entailed re-grading, widening, and stabilizing the trail, which had become rutted and otherwise degraded from overuse and poor drainage. In fact, the condition of the trail was so poor that visitors sought alternative routes, creating a network of \u201csocial trails\u201d that exacerbated erosion and impacted adjacent habitats. An ongoing feature of the project is to restore these areas with local native plants.<\/p>\n

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Completion of this project is a testament to the vision of the students who initiated the process. It also shows how the diligence of successive generations of students supported by A.S. staff members shepherded the project through the necessary university and state review processes and worked successfully with outside agencies to secure the matching funds that turned the original vision into reality.<\/p>\n

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HUMAN RIGHTS BOARD<\/h2>\n

<\/strong>A.S. added a new board this year. The Human Rights Board started out as the Human Rights Group an official Office of Student Life<\/a> campus organization created to inform and take action against human rights abuses internationally and here at home.<\/p>\n

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Upon careful consideration A.S. Legislative Council passed a bill to create the Human Rights Board, which has already addressed several issues, including access to higher education in California.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year HBR sponsored the Fair Trade Fair to draw attention to the Fair Trade movement. The goal of this movement is to ensure that international producers of commodities, primarily a variety of foodstuffs, including coffee and cacao, and handicrafts receive fair prices for their products to allow social development and the implementation of sustainable practices.<\/p>\n

FIRST ANNUAL ISLA VISTA PRIDE FESTIVAL<\/h2>\n

To cap off this year\u2019s UCSB Pride: Transcending the Rainbow week of events, Queer Commission<\/a> worked with the office of the Executive Vice President of Local Affairs to host the first Isla Vista Pride Festival.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The festival took place on Pardall Road and ran parallel to Chilla Vista in Anisq \u2018Oyo\u2019 Park. Every effort was made to make the two festivals complementary and indeed both were well attended with people moving freely between them.<\/p>\n

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The Pride Festival provided a variety of entertainment, including headliner Big Freedia<\/a>, DJ Mycole Beeson<\/a>, and Lemonade.\u00a0 It also provided information about the LGTBQIA community and drew attention to hate incidents that are an unfortunate reality in Isla Vista and the larger campus community.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Queer Com sponsored several events during Queer Pride Week, some in conjunction with the Queer Student Union. These included the week\u2019s opening ceremony in Storke Plaza. Keynote speaker writer performer and queer rights activist Ryka Aoki spoke in Storke Plaza about transcending the rainbow to be inclusive of a broader range of communities. Her performance included both her poetry and songs. Over the course of the week, a series of workshops, ranging from \u201cIntro to Intersexuality\u201d to \u201cThat\u2019s So Gay: The Impact of Microaggressions,\u201d covered topics including homophobia, stereotypes, and sexual assault.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>The week\u2019s activities also included both professional and student drag shows that played to capacity crowds. One of the highlights to cap off the week was the annual Queer Wedding officiated by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Michael Young.\u00a0 The ceremony is an affirmation of personal commitments and a public statement of solidarity that includes members of the LGTBQIA community and allies.<\/p>\n

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STAND\u00a0Against Sexual\/ Domestic Violence Conference<\/h2>\n

Text by Danielle Mayorga, Take Back the Night Co-Chair<\/p>\n

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On January 22-23, 2011, UCSB hosted the first UC wide conference for student sexual\/ domestic violence issue organizers: STAND Against Sexual\/ Domestic Violence Conference.<\/p>\n

Since some UC campuses do not have anti-sexual violence organizations, and some campus organizers do not receive any training before starting their work, STAND (Stratgeizing, Training, Advocating, Networking, Developing) Against Violence was developed as an opportunity for all UC\u2019s to receive equal training on sexual and domestic violence issues, as well as for organizers to share ideas and network with each other. Student organizers from UC Davis, UC Merced, UCLA, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara attended the conference. The conference included two training sessions, beginner and advanced, hosted by Jeff Bucholtz of We End Violence<\/a>, and Mia Mingus<\/a>, activist, writer, and speaker. Both sessions provided outstanding information and tactics that the student organizers were eager to use. Many conference attendees hosted their own workshops, such as Sexual Violence and the Queer community, Engaging Men, Stalking Awareness, and Prevention Techniques.<\/p>\n

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The conference also included an inclusivity and diversity training, presented by Just Communities. Attendees also participated in an open plenary in which they collectively decided the structure and mission of a UC-wide sexual violence organizing coalition. The coalition, named SPEAC (Students Preventing Educating and Advocating in California) Against Violence, will be responsible for future STAND conferences, as well as planning statewide campaigns. UCSB will have 2 delegates on the coalition. Interested students should apply through A.S. Take Back the Night to represent UCSB on the coalition.<\/p>\n

Conference Planning Committee:<\/p>\n