Eileen Taing
Chancellor Yang is everywhere. Students have recently made the newest iteration of stickers and memes with his face on it. It’s common to see these Yang stickers when walking through the Arbor. The stickers are intended to be humorous, but they actually serve a beneficial purpose to society by giving students a way to be aware and involved with the campus administration.
Students have Chancellor Yang stickers and send Chancellor Yang-related memes for a simple reason; they find it humorous. It might also be humorous to people who do not know who Chancellor Yang is because normally stickers are company or organization logos or they are of places, names, or animated characters.
I think it is great that students have done this because it shows that they are actively aware of Chancellor Yang. At my community college, a majority of the students did not know who the president was or what current events were going on at the college. Some students were unaware about decisions that the president made regarding the college.
Here at UCSB, many students are actively involved in campus organizations and know what is going on with the school. For instance, last year student activists had organized a sit-in at Cheadle Hall in order to get Chancellor Yang to divest in fossil fuels.
This type of student engagement is positive because it shows Chancellor Yang and other university directors that students care about the university and the decisions the administration makes, which impact people outside the university. It also shows other students and faculty that activists will come together for a cause they believe in.
The community that UCSB students are creating is an amazing thing. Without student engagement, we would have an entirely different campus culture. For example, there would not be a Survivor Resource Center if it had not been for a sit-in regarding the mishandling of sexual assault cases.
Demonstrations like these put pressure on the university staff. As a result, the staff listens to students’ opinions and beliefs. This makes the university a better place to attend because students know that their voices are being heard. As a result, we can all feel a little more comfortable and confident.
I believe that Chancellor Yang stickers and memes are great because they highlight student awareness of important issues. Awareness of the university, current events, and faculty decisions only benefits students.
Without this awareness, the university would be like my community college where a majority of the students had no idea what was going on with their campus. Chancellor Yang stickers and memes show that UCSB students are proactive in creating the kind of community that they desire.