MCC director proposes campus-wide harm response system

MultiCultural Center Director Afiya Browne drafted a proposal to fill observed gaps in UC Santa Barbara’s consistency toward responding to and repairing identity-based harm.

Browne mentioned that students are requesting further transparency around the procedures and processes that follow after reports are made about discriminatory practices, especially if the report filed cannot be effectively addressed by existing advocacy resources.

A big issue Browne sees within the existing systems is that they are oftentimes “reactionary.” She sees the student body becoming increasingly diverse, which can lead to more differences to navigate on campus. Because of this, she believes a new system is necessary to proactively state what will happen when harm that affects the campus climate occurs.

Browne highlighted Campus Advocacy, Resources and Education (C.A.R.E.) as an “amazing” resource at UCSB to support those affected specifically by interpersonal violence.

“[C.A.R.E advocates will] be there to tell you, this is what that process is beforehand, they tell you what it means afterwards,” Browne said. “They’re able to sit there with you when you cry when it doesn’t get accepted as something that’s going to be continued in that office. They’re able to write notes to your faculty or to your boss and say, hey, we need accommodation for here. There’s this intentional care that’s happening for the student, the staff and the faculty, because C.A.R.E. helps everyone.” 

She then said there is no counterpart system for when racialized harm occurs. Browne explained an experience she had before the pandemic in which she worked with a student who had experienced an identity-based attack in Isla Vista.

The student had been recommended to talk to Browne in order to be heard, cared for and believed. Prior to speaking with Browne, the student had made local law enforcement aware of the situation, who had laughed in their face. Students are referred to talk to various existing resources about situations involving identity-based harm, but Browne highlighted how some students still slip through the cracks due to office workload, capacity and timing.

“We know harm is gonna happen on campus because it’s a whole bunch of different people together from different identities to different status on our campus,” Browne said. “If we already know harm is going to happen, we can be proactive in the tools that are going to be used to engage with it. And that’s just what I’m looking for.” 

Browne emphasized that she believes this is an issue that affects the campus climate and should be treated with the appropriate seriousness.

“Sometimes when we label things as race-based it gets brushed to the side or not taken to the seriousness that it will have an impact on all of campus, but if one group of students, or one student or someone doesn’t feel safe, we [all] aren’t gonna be able to feel safe,” Browne said.

Browne has tried to put her ideas into effect on multiple occasions following various identity-based harm situations. In 2021, the MultiCultural Center (MCC) council began to envision something like a race-based care department.

Last year, Browne began the conversation again with the Title IX office and the dean of students, but the conversation, again, ended.

Recently, El Congreso provided a list of demands, with the fifth demand calling for “the commitment to discuss how UCSB can better support students experiencing discrimination or mistreatment by university employees, including where existing resources such as the Ombuds, Title IX, and Student Advocate offices may fall short for marginalized students.” 

The demands inspired Browne to bring it back into conversation. She drafted a proposal last week and has since shared it with offices and individuals she wishes to collaborate with.

“It’s definitely collaborative because it shouldn’t be, it wouldn’t be able to just be based in the MCC, and so I drafted up stuff I’ve been sharing with folks. So there’s a number of different folks who work in cultural centers who are giving feedback, leaving comments and then we’re hoping to come together and meet with student affairs admin to then figure out [how to] get some things moving,” Browne said. 

Browne emphasized that her ideas have been formed into a  “very rough” proposal that has yet to get approved. However, she feels very strongly about the necessity for a program like this.

“Our campus needs this. We need more consistency with how we engage with campus climate issues, and I really feel that our student body and community is gonna do so much better with there just being transparency. I find this [proposal] allows for transparency that still honors the limitations that we have around [transparency] because of HR, or policy or legality,” Browne said. “Our campus is currently in the process of reimagining community safety and how we approach it, and I think this is part of that process.”

The proposed system would not replace current resources such as Ombuds, Title IX, the Student Advocate office or others. It is intended to aid students in navigating those options but also strengthening coordination across offices and clarifying responsibilities, which would then improve support and follow through. 

“I want us to adopt a healing justice-centered response system that establishes a clear, transparent process for responding to harm: who coordinates the response, how those impacted are supported, how progress is communicated and how the university works toward repair while addressing both immediate concerns and the underlying conditions that allow harm to continue,” Browne said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Nov. 5 print edition of the Daily Nexus.