Every two years, undergraduate students across the University of California system complete the UC Undergraduate Experience Survey, which measures perceptions of campus climate, belonging and respect. The survey captures how students of diverse races, ethnicities, genders and sexual identities experience university life across all UC campuses, providing a more inclusive and comprehensive picture of student experiences.
Within this context, Asian students — who make up 28% of UC Santa Barbara’s undergraduate student body, the third largest ethnic group on campus, and 36.3% of undergraduate students systemwide, the largest across the UC system — offer an important lens for examining how campus climate and inclusion are experienced in practice.
Systemwide results from the 2024 UC Undergraduate Experience Survey show that while most undergraduate Asian students report feeling respected on UC campuses, nonbinary students displayed a slightly more varied level of agreement. This disparity is more pronounced at UCSB, where the distribution of responses mirrors this UC-wide pattern, with some campus-specific variation.
Across the UC system, Asian students generally report feeling respected by peers and faculty, reflecting a positive campus climate in terms of identities, beliefs and personal backgrounds. However, among nonbinary Asian respondents, experiences of respect — especially regarding gender identity — are more varied, highlighting areas where the campus climate may not feel fully inclusive.
At UCSB, most Asian students reported feeling respected on campus, but nonbinary Asian students expressed more mixed experiences.
For some students, these differences are reflected less in direct negative experiences with peers and more in subtle variations in how they experience campus life.
“Most students have a neutral stance on my identity, but in a way that makes me feel like I’m more so being ‘tolerated’ than actually respected,” third-year psychological & brain sciences major Mina Chao said. “I don’t fit the image of a stereotypically white nonbinary person. People typically let themselves ignore important aspects of my identity.”
Chao explained that their experiences differ depending on the setting. Classroom environments varied by professor and housing choices created challenges during their first year. To seek affirmation, they sought out organizations made up of queer students of color.
“I chose to not do gender-inclusive housing in my first year and had a lot of trouble thinking about how my identity would make other people feel in terms of comfort,” Chao said. “It just felt really isolating in general. As for campus orgs, I’ve made an effort to specifically be a part of a lot of organizations that are made up of majority queer [persons of color] for my own comfort.”
Fourth-year psychological & brain sciences and sociology double major Mo Ouk pointed to gender-neutral restrooms and the use of pronouns in classrooms as ways the campus has acknowledged gender diversity.
“I believe that as a nonbinary Asian student at UCSB, the inclusion of gender neutrality assists in my sense of identity on campus. From the [gender-neutral] restrooms to procedures with instructors implementing pronouns into introductions, I generally feel included,” Ouk said. “It is difficult to state my experience as people see me as a feminine student anyway, so I usually get included into that binary when meshed with other Asian students. Older buildings lack [gender-neutral] restrooms.”
Ouk noted that while some diversity initiatives exist, their impact can feel limited.
“I do feel [diversity initiatives] make some impact, but due to their voluntary nature, they generally feel like symbolic gestures. Students who already care will attend, unlike students who are neutral or against all-inclusive spaces,” Ouk said.
For UCSB, the challenge moving forward is turning diversity from policy into practice — so that every student, across every identity, feels not just tolerated but truly respected.
“Because we are in an era of change, continuing to produce and perpetuate gender neutrality will assist in normalizing its existence,” Ouk said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 7 of the Oct. 9, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
