As Isla Vista partygoers walk down Del Playa Drive at night, the University of California in Isla Vista tent stands illuminated by glowing string lights. Each weekend, lines form outside the tent that houses a team of student representatives passing out supplies to aid famished, tired and inebriated students before they continue on their way into the Isla Vista night.

Student and non-student staff watch over the Isla Vista community from aid stations on popular streets. Courtesy of UCIV

The University of California in Isla Vista (UCIV) is a non-police affiliated organization of student representatives who oversee aid stations, providing free water and snacks to people passing by on Del Playa Drive and El Embarcadero Road on Friday and Saturday nights. They do not give citations and or report individuals to authorities for possession-related crimes.

UCIV representatives patrol I.V.’s busiest streets and help people who are inebriated, lost or need help getting home. Students primarily oversee the two aid stations at Camino Pescadero Park and the Pardall Center.

“We get about 300 to 500 people visiting our tents [on Friday and Saturday nights]. Sometimes people come in groups. Sometimes people come alone,” UCIV representative and fourth-year sociology major Alondra Jauregui said.

UCIV operates underneath the Associated Students (A.S.) External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA), with a budget of $30,000. It has recently bolstered its services with a second tent at Pardall Center during last fall quarter and increased its staff from 13 to 40. EVPLA and fourth-year history of public policy and law major Owen Meyers has worked to grow the program since being in office. 

UCIV workers get paid through A.S. honoraria every quarter based on the number of shifts they work. 

“If you go over a certain limit of shifts, it would count as volunteering hours, which is kind of good when it comes to applying for jobs or interviews or internships as well,” Jauregui said.

On Jan. 25, UCIV patrolled the streets in groups, while teams of around five people manned the two stations before rotating with the patrol groups. 

UCIV chair and third-year religious studies major Samira Casillas coordinates most ground operations. At 9:30 p.m., she was at the Pardall Center organizing the team’s shifts and assigning them to one of the two UCIV stations for the night. 

After taking over the role of chair last quarter, Casillas said she went to every shift to ensure operations ran smoothly. After her first quarter on the job, she assumed a more reserved role, only coming to one shift per weekend to organize her team.

“[Last quarter] I would come to see off every single shift, and that’s just to get everyone into their initial positions, make sure everyone’s here, that kind of thing. It got to be a lot for myself to do, be here every night,” Casillas said.

UCIV workers undergo a training process which includes learning automated external defibrillator (AED) training, as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to Casillas.

Once everyone has their assignment, they stock a pickup truck with gear including water, foldable tables, snacks, emergency medical kits and pop-up tents. At around 9:45 p.m., the team meets at one of the two tent locations to set-up. 

There are roughly five team members at each station, with pairs leaving periodically to patrol, carrying Narcan, snacks and water. They search for people who are alone, unable to stand or generally in trouble. They offer to call Ubers, friends or escort people home. 

The patrol teams also look out for people holding open alcoholic beverages and tell them to dispose of the drinks before they can receive a citation from Isla Vista Foot Patrol, according to Casillas. In I.V., holding an open container is a non-felony infraction, which can result in a fine of up to $100 on the first violation.

As UCIV prepares for Deltopia — Isla Vista’s annual unsanctioned street festival — this spring, Meyers hopes to acquire additional medical resources.

“I think it’d be great to have kind of like a mini field hospital with [emergency medical technicians] to basically help people with immediacy because I know it’s very difficult to get ambulances around [on Deltopia],” in said.

Until then, UCIV will continue to operate on weekend nights, gearing up for their busiest day of the year and continuing their work to maintain I.V.’s safety.

A version of this article appeared on p.6 of the Jan. 13, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.