Mexican folklórico dance group Raíces de mi Tierra will become a Board, Committee and Unit under Associated Students after the Senate approved it at a Nov. 20 meeting. The organization will use its new status and funding to continue supporting Latine students on campus and help both dance and Latine-centered groups navigate functioning on campus, according to its co-chairs.
Raíces has existed at UCSB for 35 years, serving primarily the Latine student population through regular dance events. Hanz Herman / Daily Nexus
Boards, Committees and Units (BCUs) are Associated Students (A.S.) entities that receive funding from A.S. and are under A.S. jurisdiction. Formerly as a Registered Campus Organization, Raíces received little money and resources from the university, often being told their funding requests were too high and unnecessary, according to fourth-year environmental studies major and Raíces co-chair Sarah Rodriguez.
“And just like history down the line from an alumni is that every time that we try to go for funding from the school, we’re usually denied,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll be requesting this much, and we would get shut down almost automatically, saying that it wasn’t deemed necessary for certain things.”
Raíces requires money primarily for practice spaces, a storage unit off campus and costumes, and typically student funded. As a BCU, Raíces is aiming to receive a budget of around $50,000.
Raíces has existed at UCSB for 35 years, serving primarily the Latine student population through regular dance events. After struggling to access university funding, expand programming and receive support from the university, Raíces members collaborated with Senators fourth-year Black studies major Alexa Butler and third-year political science major Alejandra Martinez to create legislation for becoming a BCU.
The organization holds biweekly dance practices in which board members lead lessons, performances at community events and regular social gatherings. In addition, Raíces held a program before the pandemic to teach school children dance on campus at a discounted cost. This program has since been discontinued due to Raíces’ lack of funds, leaving them unable to find practice spaces outside of Lot 22, according to the co-chairs.
“Raíces is a club dedicated to teaching and exposing people who are of any background who are interested in Mexican folk dance. So the dance is specific to certain states and regions of Mexico. It’s Mexican-centered, but we touch upon other Latin and Hispanic influences,” Rodriguez said.
According to third-year history of public policy and law major and Raíces co-chair Vanessa Toni Valtierra, Butler reached out to them on Oct. 11 after hearing about their struggles to get funding from the university and find practice spaces. Valtierra said they decided to pursue the process after she reached out.
Butler did not respond to requests for comment.
Raíces co-chairs worked alongside Butler and Martinez to draft legislation based on the Raíces constitution, outlining a proposal establishing Raíces as a BCU for Senate approval. The co-chairs also relayed information and ideas from their members to the senators, and then provided feedback on drafts of the bill.
At the Nov. 20 Senate meeting around 50 student supporters spoke in favor of the bill during a public forum. Anushka Ghosh Dastidar / Daily Nexus
“Senator Butler was like, this is the easiest bill I’ve ever had to write because most of the stuff within our constitution helped cover certain legal codes,” Rodriguez said. “The three of us [co-chairs] were involved every step of the way.”
The legislation was first presented last year at the Nov. 13 Senate meeting and was tabled for discussion to the next week after senators expressed concerns over finding funding in the A.S. budget. At the Nov. 20 Senate meeting, Butler and Martinez returned with the bill, alongside around 50 student supporters who spoke in favor of the bill during a public forum.
“We do have the support of the community, but the community is also our friends. We personally know these people. We’re personally friends with them, we hang out with them outside of school, whatever it may be. So it was also just personally reaching out to certain people,” fourth-year sociology major and Raíces co-chair Carlos Meza said.
UCSB Hispanic Serving Institution Director Veronica Fematt and Assistant Dean of Civic and Community Engagement Viviana Marsano were among staff members who addressed the senate, urging them to instate Raíces as a BCU.
“For over 35 years Raíces has enriched the UCSB campus by promoting cultural awareness, fostering commitment, engagement and providing a vital sense of belonging for Latine students, all without institutional support. This recognition is long overdue,” Fematt said at the senate meeting.
While some senators raised questions and concerns regarding a lack of funds for a new BCU and the Raíces mission statement being too narrow, the bill eventually passed with 17 votes, one vote no and four abstentions.
“We love the pushback, because one thing about us, we love educating. A lot of them were just not very knowledgeable on what we do and what we run,” Rodriguez said. “We even went up to certain senators and just invited them to, ‘Hey, if you want, like, we’re more than willing to speak to you afterwards.’”
As of now, the Raíces co-chairs aim to fully function as a BCU by the start of the next academic year. They are collaborating with several A.S. officials to determine a staff and a final budget.
“Our goal is to be up and running already set by the beginning of next academic year, and hopefully I’m still there to be at the forefront of that, alongside Senator Butler and Senator Martinez and the other senators who did help us,” Valtierra said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Jan. 16, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.
