The Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) at UCSB is dedicated to enhancing equity and support for all students by bridging the gap between campus resources and student needs. By identifying and addressing recurring challenges observed in our interactions with students, OSA actively works to drive impactful change that benefits the entire student body. Our approach integrates both direct support and policy advocacy, ensuring that students receive assistance while systemic improvements are pursued.
Highlighted below are examples of the policy projects our team have worked on.
As the year of 2026-2027, the Office of the Student Advocate expanded its case intake language options to 10 languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin (simplified), American Sign Language, Tamil, Japanese, Korean, German, Farsi, Vietnamese. This project reflects our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring that our services are accessible to all campus communities. We remain dedicated to expanding our linguistic support to meet the diverse needs of our students to the best of our ability.
GoGaucho is an app and website maintained under the sub-technology committee of OSA, under the leadership of James Fu. GoGaucho is a website and app designed to support UCSB students by providing essential academic and campus resources. GoGaucho offers features such as course planning tools, an interactive calendar, real-time building capacity updates, dining hall menu information, and pass time notifications to help students navigate their schedules efficiently. OSA ensures the platform remains updated, user-friendly, and responsive to student needs, performing regular maintenance, incorporating feedback, and optimizing features to enhance accessibility and usability.
Launched in the 2026–2027 academic year, OSA Reads is a student-led research and publication initiative by the Associated Students Office of the Student Advocate (OSA). Featuring articles researched, written, and peer-edited by OSA staff members, the series covers campus policy updates, institutional procedures, policy analysis, and reports on OSA’s advocacy work. By translating complex university policies and developments into accessible, student-centered publications, OSA Reads aims to promote transparency and empower students to make informed decisions. The name OSA Reads reflects the initiative’s dual purpose: OSA staff read, research, and critically examine issues affecting students, while inviting the broader UCSB community to read and engage alongside them. More OSA Reads series could be found here.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, the Associated Students Office of the Student Advocate (OSA), in collaboration with other Associated Students offices and campus and community partners, launched the Protect Your Peers Initiative to promote immigrant rights awareness, community safety, and student advocacy at UC Santa Barbara. Through educational workshops, Know Your Rights sessions, rapid response trainings, and community discussions, the initiative equipped students with practical knowledge of their legal rights, available resources, and ways to support vulnerable members of the campus community. In partnership with organizations such as 805 UndocuFund and UCSB’s Undocumented Student Services, the initiative sought to foster solidarity and empower students to protect and advocate for one another.
In response to the amendments introduced by AB 1575, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) is now officially collaborating with the Title IX Office at UCSB to provide students with access to advisors during student conduct adjudication processes. This initiative ensures that students are aware of their rights and have the necessary support when navigating conduct proceedings.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, the Associated Students Office of the Student Advocate (OSA), in collaboration with the Transfer Student Alliance (TSA) and Global Gaucho Commission (GGC), hosted a series of Resource Navigation Workshops to help students better understand and access university resources. Designed particularly for transfer and international students, the workshops introduced key campus services, explained how to navigate university procedures, and provided guidance on seeking assistance when facing academic, administrative, or personal challenges.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) hosted a panel discussion featuring professors and experts from the UCSB Office of Teaching and Learning and the Office of Student Conduct to explore both the opportunities and risks AI presents in an academic setting. This event provided clarity on responsible AI use, the potential consequences of misuse, and the evolving academic policies surrounding AI tools.
Through ongoing communication and collaboration with the Housing Conduct Office, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) is now officially recognized as a resource in the Housing Conduct Letter. This update ensures that students facing conduct issues are informed of OSA’s counseling and advisory services, providing them with critical support and guidance throughout the conduct process. By working closely with Housing Conduct, OSA has reinforced its commitment to student advocacy, transparency, and due process, ensuring that students are aware of their rights and have access to free, confidential assistance when navigating housing-related conduct proceedings.
In 2024-2025, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) launched a Housing Awareness survey in collaboration with the Isla Vista Tenants Union (IVTU) to address critical housing issues and provide resources to help students navigate the transition from on-campus to off-campus living. This project aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools needed to secure safe, affordable housing in Isla Vista and beyond.
To strengthen student engagement and raise awareness of its services, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) conducted quarterly tabling sessions throughout the academic year starting 2024. These outreach efforts provided students with direct access to free, confidential support on academic, conduct, housing, and other student-related issues.
Over the summers of 2024-2025, the Office of the Student Advocate led a proactive outreach initiative to establish and strengthen relationships with key campus departments, including the Office of Student Conduct, Title IX, the Registrar, Financial Aid, and others. The goal of this project was to build a collaborative bridge between the student body and campus administration, ensuring smooth communication and support for students.
Launched during the 2024–2025 academic year, the OSA Public Relations Revamp Project was a comprehensive initiative led by the External Office of the Associated Students Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) to transform the office’s public outreach, digital presence, and campus engagement strategies. The project focused on modernizing OSA’s website, revitalizing its social media presence, and strengthening collaborative outreach with campus organizations and university departments.
In 2023-2024, the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) led the INTW Course Revision Initiative to address concerns about the mandatory course adding to first-year students’ unit loads and the effectiveness of its resources. OSA met with school officials to discuss potential revisions, including alternative formats and resource improvements, ensuring the course better supports students without overwhelming their academic workload.
Office of the Student Advocate
OSA is a non-partisan executive branch of the UCSB Associated Student Government.
By students, for students.