CORRECTION [10/8/2025 7:05 p.m.]: This article has been corrected to state that “State of the Association” meetings will be held during Week 8 and that Metzger is working on a Canvas page for Association members. A previous version of this article stated these meetings would be held at the start of the quarter and that Metzger is working on a web page.
This summer, the 2025-26 Associated Students President Le Anh Metzger focused on improving the association’s internal systems and laying the groundwork for her office’s fall quarter projects.
Metzger spent her summer streamlining communication between A.S. entities and bringing NARCAN nasal spray to students. Wesley Haver / Daily Nexus
As president, Metzger is responsible for setting the Association’s vision for the year, conducting projects alongside her office and serving as the student representative on various university committees, among other duties.
Fourth-year global studies, communication and Spanish triple major Metzger, who is the former chair of the Commission on Student Well-Being, aims to streamline communication between the numerous Associated Students (A.S.) entities and improve their visibility to students.
Metzger assumed the role last spring quarter and said she is “fortunate enough” to have the former president, fourth-year political science and sociology double major Nayali Broadway, as her head of staff.
“[Broadway] has all the experience and the knowledge, and whenever I need anything, I can just ask her. At the end of spring quarter, we had a lot of meetings to kind of onboard me,” Metzger said.
Metzger has been working to bring NARCAN Nasal Spray cabinets to all residence halls and university-owned apartments since the previous academic year. They will be ready for use during the upcoming fall quarter. A “Rate My Landlord” site is also being developed in collaboration with the Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs and Isla Vista Tenants Union.
Also, Metzger has been working alongside Student Advocate General Sydney Bivins and her Director of Dream Scholar Affairs to write a letter of support to undocumented and international students that will include campus resources. Metzger emphasized that under A.S. bylaws, Association staff are not allowed to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement enter A.S. buildings without a warrant. In addition, Metzger’s office is looking into creating an additional food grant for undocumented students outside of the $100 per quarter grant offered by UC Santa Barbara Basic Needs.
“[We’re] expressing that we’re standing with them [and] we’re supporting them,” Metzger said. “A.S. spaces are a safe space.”
Other initiatives will focus on A.S. transparency, such as a contact sheet for all A.S. entities, a monthly newsletter and bi-weekly coffee with the president at The Arbor. Metzger has also been working to plan the A.S. Kick-Off Fair on Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“I also have seen in my time in A.S. that there’s not a lot of visibility of A.S., not a lot of transparency in A.S. and also just not a lot of awareness about what A.S. is,” Metzger said. “So that’s kind of where some of my external goals have been.”
Some of the upcoming projects within her office include collaborating with local nonprofit, Standing Together to End Sexual Assault, on events and promoting the UC’s new contract with Adobe, which will offer the Adobe Creative Cloud at a roughly 90% discount. Other projects will focus on Isla Vista, such as a farmers market, renovations to the Pardall light tunnel to commemorate the 2014 I.V. massacre and Food Bank pop-ups at the Pardall Center.
Metzger is reviving the A.S. Living History Project, which aims to preserve the “legacy of student activism at UCSB while connecting it to today’s movements,” according to its recruitment post. Metzger said that committee positions have been vacant for several years and that she aims to strengthen its longevity.
“I think that, especially right now, we really need to uplift our history of student activism and not erase it and not let people forget about it,” Metzger said.
To increase collaboration between A.S. entities, Metzger plans on implementing a meeting for Boards, Committees and Units quarterly reports, as opposed to chairs presenting them during Senate meetings. These “State of the Association” quarterly meetings will occur during Week 8 and are open to the public.
“It’s really useful information, but it only goes to the 20 or so senators,” Metzger said. “If anyone’s interested, they can just come and hear literally everything about A.S. in one meeting. So I’m hoping it’ll really improve the accountability and the visibility of A.S.”
Other internal projects Metzger has been working on include planning the A.S. One Retreat, improving the Association’s office and creating a Canvas page that houses resources and training for members of the Association.
“I want [the office] to be a space where people, even students, can easily find and feel comfortable entering, so that they can have more face time with their representatives,” Metzger said.
Ahead of the upcoming academic year, Metzger met with Chancellor Dennis Assanis, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Michael Miller and the UCSB Police Department, among others. She plans on discussing how A.S. can help maintain student resources that have recently been cut, such as late-night library hours and the physical therapy department.
“I haven’t met with the library yet, but we plan to soon, and in that meeting, I hope to ask ‘How much does it cost to keep the library open?’ … and ‘How can A.S. potentially contribute to that because it’s such an important thing to students?’” Metzger said. “Things like physical therapy. Are there grants that we can do to provide the money for that resource for students who need it?”
Metzger concluded by saying that she is “really looking forward” to the upcoming academic year to meet with students and continue working on projects slated for fall.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Oct. 2, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
