Parents & Family Weekend is an annual event where loved ones of Gauchos are invited to campus to experience student life and the academic community at UC Santa Barbara. Campus organizations such as the Educational Opportunity Program held several events from Nov. 8 to Nov. 9, emphasizing the preservation of an inclusive and supportive academic environment for all students.
The Office of Black Student Development, Black Leadership Council, Multicultural Center and other student-led organizations were also in attendance at this celebration. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
The Chicanx/Latinx Cultural Resource Center of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) held its annual “Celebración de la Familia” on Nov. 8. UCSB students and their families mingled over various types of tacos, tamales, traditional pastries from Cristino’s Bakery and agua frescas from Super Cucas while overlooking the lagoon.
The Celebración de la Familia serves as a space to uplift Latiné-identifying UCSB students and their families through shared cultural values. It also provides a way for the University to inform students of the resources available to them through EOP, such as culturally-informed academic counseling, financial support and psychological support.
“We’re not afraid to be here and be present in this campus community,” Ashley Aguirre, a third-year history and sociology double major who works for EOP, said. “There’s obviously some concerns of less attendance due to fear about [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] presence on campus that we’ve been seeing recently. Hopefully families still feel like they can come here and show up.”
On Oct. 2 of this year, an unconfirmed immigration agent entered Santa Catalina Residence Hall and attempted to identify a resident. Per the University’s investigation, confirmation that this was an I.C.E. agent is unavailable. However, there has been an increase in I.C.E. presence in the greater Santa Barbara area.
Aguirre also expressed concerns about funding cuts EOP has been experiencing due to efforts from the Trump administration to remove diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on college campuses.
“Programming-wise for EOP has definitely felt a hit since the Trump administration,” Aguirre said. “We want to keep preserving all of the financial resources that get poured into it just because it’s so important for parents to see that their students are welcome here.”
Aguirre stressed the significance of Celebración de la Familia and its role in the protection of an inclusive and equitable academic environment on campus.
“These are unprecedented times we live in, so I feel like it’s even more important to build up the community in that sense and show as much as we can that this is a sanctuary for people from mixed-status families and undocumented students,” Aguirre said.
Students and their families mingled over various types of tacos, tamales, traditional pastries from Cristino’s Bakery and agua frescas from Super Cucas. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Keynote speaker Veronica Fematt, the Director for Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Student Initiatives at UCSB, expressed how much UCSB students have fought to have events such as the Celebración de la Familia happen.
UCSB became an HSI when the enrollment of Hispanic-identifying students reached 25% in 2014. However, she noted that it took 10 years and the efforts of UCSB students for her role as director to be created. Fematt specializes in ensuring a higher education environment that is inclusive and equitable for all students. Hispanic students make up around 29% of UCSB’s student population as of the 2024-25 academic year.
The event was topped off by a performance of Mexican folklórico by the Board, Committee and Unit Raices de mi Tierra, a student-led dance group.
That same afternoon, students, staff and families gathered in community at the Black Family Weekend celebration. The event brought together the African diaspora over traditional West African drumming and Southern soul food from Momma’s Soul Food in Isla Vista.
The event is hosted by the African diasporic Cultural Resource Center (AdCRC) within EOP and aims to support the academic development of UCSB students of the African diaspora.
Black Student Union (BSU) co-president Kamaya Jackson attended the event with her mom and said that the event served to reinforce the presence of the Black community on UCSB’s campus.
“With the anti-Blackness that happens on this campus, it’s amazing to see us in community, us together, us strong,” Jackson said.
On Oct. 22, Dean of Students Joaquin Becerra sent a campus-wide email acknowledging that a hate crime involving anti-Black vandalism had been found outside of the arts building two days prior. The University removed the vandalism and is investigating the incident, according to the email.
“Black students exist here, and we matter,” Jackson said.
Tara Jones, an academic achievement counselor and the AdCRC coordinator, highlighted the purpose of this event beyond celebration, which is to make sure that all Gauchos are connected to adequate academic resources through the EOP program.
“We never miss the opportunity to extend a helping hand to our students to show them the way to be the best Gaucho that they can be,” Jones said.
The Office of Black Student Development, Black Leadership Council, Multicultural Center and other student-led organizations were also in attendance at this celebration.
The event brought together the African diaspora over traditional West African drumming and Southern soul food from Momma’s Soul Food in Isla Vista. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Chancellor Dennis Assanis kicked off the afternoon by delivering a speech expressing his support for the Black student leaders who helped host the event. He also directly addressed the Gaucho parent attendees, thanking them for coming to show support for their students.
“You’re part of a team, and we have one job in life which is our students’ success,” Assanis said.
Samia Mungai, a fourth-year political science major and treasurer of the Nigerian Student Association, followed by holding a blessing and libation ceremony. According to Mungai, this ceremony brings people with African roots together across the different diasporas.
“There are people that are Black American, others are African, others are Caribbean. So it just breaks down those walls or borders through shared culture and shared values,” Mungai said.
According to the Office of Budget and Planning website, Black students make up roughly 5% of the undergraduate student population. Mungai expressed the significance of this annual event in holding space for Black students to come together.
“We only make up about 4% of the school, so this is a time to celebrate our presence on campus, our identity, as well as continue to uplift each other,” Mungai said. “It’s already difficult being in a predominantly white institution. This is just one of the things we do to ensure there is still community both within the school and within our support systems.”
A version of this article appeared on p.4 of the Nov. 13 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
