Paul Monge-Rodriguez is a fourth year undergraduate studying Sociology and Global Studies. The son of immigrant parents from El Salvador and a first-generation college student, Paul has invested his love and energy in serving and empowering the communities that he comes from. Paul has organized campaigns to improve labor contracts for services workers, mobilized students to combat hate incidents and hate crimes, and fought to strengthen student autonomy and decision-making power within the university. Locally, Paul has helped put on college outreach programs for youth of color and worked at law firms providing free legal counseling to low-income families in Santa Barbara. Additionally, he has served as a resident assistant, an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) academic advisor, and a board member for the United States Student Association. Paul is currently serving as president of the Associated Students at UCSB. Through his position, he hopes to continue advocating for students rights and roles in the governance of the UC.
Contact him at president@as.ucsb.edu
Hey Gauchos! My name is Marjan Riazi, but most people on campus know me as Marge and I’m the Chief of Staff for the Office of the President. I’m a third-year Environmental Studies major from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I love UCSB and I love getting to be a part of making positive change on this campus and that’s why I got more involved with Associated Students this year.
As Chief of Staff, I directly work with the Associated Students President that we, the students, elected last spring. Our office has seven commissioners that each work on various aspects of our campus and community and it is my duty to work with them regularly to make sure they are able to work with students, faculty, and staff in order to accomplish the goals of the students.
I’ve always been very involved in my communities and I knew that this position would enable me to really help students from the administrative level. I love working with people and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to better our school system. I’m looking forward to all collaborations, improvement projects, and successful changes to the campus that are going to come out of the office this year!
If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please feel free to contact me: OPchief@as.ucsb.edu
What’s up fellow Gauchos!? My name is Armando Guerrero, Jr. I am a fourth year undergraduate pursuing a bachelor of arts in Philosophy and Spanish with a minor in Educational Studies. As Commissioner of Budget and Resources I am responsible for overseeing the university’s budget on a local and system-wide level. Further, I offer student representation to some committees on campus dealing with the university’s budget, such as, the Student Fee Advisory committee and the Coordinating Committee on Budget Strategy. I am interested in the university’s budget because even though many of us try to avoid monesy as a problem, the fact is that it is very real and it is a problem for a lot of students. I would just like to ensure that our administrators are spending our money wisely and are held responsible when they do not. Through this office I hope to achieve transparency. I would like to see the university’s full budget accessible to students, not only reachable, but understandable.
If you would like to offer me your ideas or just get more information on what we are doing for you in the office of the president pertaining to the budget feel free to get a hold of me by email: guerrero.armando@me.com
Hey Gauchos, my name is Nadim Houssain and I am this year’s Commissioner of Diversity and Equity under the Office of the President. I am a second year double majoring in Global and Religious studies. I currently reside in Manzanita Village as the Resident Assistant for Tepusquet House, also known as the Multicultural House. Last year I was the Multicultural Awareness Chair for Manzanita and worked on promoting social justice and developing an appreciation for diversity within the Residence Halls.
As the Commissioner of Diversity and Equity I act as a liaison between the students and the administration on issues pertaining to the status and educational experience of students from underserved or underrepresented communities. I work to accomplish this by sitting on various committees with faculty and staff that address these issues and by working in collaboration with numerous A.S. boards, committees, and commissions to create policy proposals that aim to improve the status of underserved communities. Additionally, I aim to work with the many student organizations on campus to identify and overcome the most serious challenges facing the realization of social justice in our community.
This year I plan to organize various campaigns and projects that will address the recent rise in hate crimes that have swept through the UC system. I also look forward to working with faculty and staff in the Committee on Admissions, Enrollment, and Relations to reform our admissions policies into ones that will make the UCs more accessible to people of underserved and underrepresented backgrounds.
Please contact me if you have any ideas or questions! nadimh1@hotmail.com
I have a lot of goals for the year. I would like to improve campus awareness of campus resources that can improve wellness and mental wellbeing, increase involvement in wellness activities and promote participation in campus events related to health and wellness. I also want to create a Healthy Study campaign that will make fresh and healthy snack alternatives available during finals week as well as resources to help students deal with stress and anxiety. I also want to help bring campus organizations together to collaborate on events in order to make a greater impact on student wellbeing.
I am very interested in Positive Psychological principles and the impact that they have on improving health and increasing happiness. I am also interested in educating students on various health topics, alcohol/drugs, nutrition, wellness and safe sex practices, which can provide students with facts that will help them make informed decisions and also that can help establish positive health behaviors which can last a lifetime.
I enjoy rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Santa Barbara mountains. I also love spending time on the beach reading and enjoying the view. I am a member of COSWB, I was also an EOP mentor for the 2009-2010 school year, as well as a STAR (Students Teaching Alcohol/Drug Responsibilities) intern for the 2009-2010 school year. If you have any questions about these programs or my experience please feel free to ask me!
Contact me at: EBHershberger@gmail.com
Hello Everyone! It is my pleasure in serving in the Office of President this year as Commissioner of Student Services! As Commissioner of Student Services, my job is to actively represent the student voice and concerns to administrative bodies and help create, “policy proposals regarding the equality, protection, and improvement of Student Services.” I am enthusiastic about my position because not only do I get to represent my fellow UCSB friends in important decision making opportunities, but I also have the opportunity to build a relationship with the Directors of Student Services to ensure that these services stay transparent for students for years to come. My goal this year is to not only listen to your concerns as a student, but to do something about them. I want all Student Services to be accessible for everyone and I want everyone to feel confident walking into a service that will provide excellent aid to them feeling like UCSB is truly their home. This year I will be working with: CLAS, EOP, Career Services, Counseling Services, The MCC, Disabled Students, Financial Aid, Office of Judicial Affairs, Women’s Center, Recreation and The Visitor’s Center to discuss plans and status of the service. This is going to be a great year everyone! So if you have any questions, concerns, ideas or simply want to get involved in any of the projects I will offer this year, my contact information is below! So do not hesitate to contact me!
gcruz@umail.ucsb.edu or (626)513-5657
My parents call me Anthony Rum, however I have accumulated many nicknames over the years so feel free to call me rummy, rum, ant, tony, babe or whatever you feel fit. I transferred to UCSB last year from Appalachian State University, a school located in the mountains of North Carolina. Before experiencing the culture shock of moving to California I was fortunate enough to spend an amazing six months studying abroad in Australia. I came to UCSB to study business economics but shortly after transferring I became engrossed by the Bren school. I’m now pursuing a degree in both environmental studies and business economics.
At the University of California-Santa Barbara, sustainability is a fundamental precept valued in all areas of campus life. UCSB has taken aggressive steps to lead the nation in efforts to reduce emissions and has vowed to become a carbon neutral campus by 2050. To ensure this goal is reached it is part of my job as Commissioner of Sustainability to make recommendations on sustainability initiatives as well as help connect, monitor and develop campus services to improve the environmental quality at UCSB.
Contact me at: anthonyrum@gmail.com or 805-876-4786