Gauchos 4 Transparency
| Location | Santa Barbara, CA | |
| Sector | Grassroots, Guerrilla Marketing |
Gauchos 4 Transparency is a grassroots student organization at University of California, Santa Barbara calling for accountability and transparency in our student government, administration, & campus leaders. G4T advocates for transparency for all stakeholders of UCSB. G4T provides a voice for those who are being ignored by the institution and system.
Following the impact that was caused by the COVID pandemic, campus closures, and ever increasing disparities impacting our most vulnerable student communities, G4T took advantage of remote study to initiate an unprecedented social media campaign focused on informing students about issues that were extremely important, but not being addressed at UC Santa Barbara.
Gauchos 4 Transparency is a growing coalition on our campus that is actively changing the dynamics of our challenging remote study situation through coordinated social media messaging and strategic student engagement. In less than six months, G4T’s Instagram account grew from zero to almost 5,000 followers, making it one of the largest UC Santa Barbara social media accounts.
Achievements
Established UCSB’s first online campaign highlighting the inequalities faced by UCSB students by advocating for transparency and accountability within student leadership and UC administration, exacerbated by a lack of communication during pandemic.
Initiated Gauchos 4 Transparency social media accounts with over 40,000 weekly impressions, gaining over 4,000 followers in three months, creating 30+ digital and animated graphics with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva.
Recruited over 150 undergrad students in seven days in August including performing candidate searching and interviews, consolidated a team over 65 appointed staff and nine directors, currently developing leadership and advocacy program.
SB County Health Ordinance: Successfully spearheaded a month-long campaign to pass a COVID-19 Health Enforcement Ordinance. Allowed for fining violators of hosting large gatherings in Isla Vista to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
First Virtual COVID-19 Townhall: Organized a virtual townhall regarding UCSB’s handling of COVID-19 to hear student concerns and brainstorm action items for university accountability and support. Communicated results to administration to advocate for IV testing center.
