Kyle Dent
A.S. Beat Reporter
Associated Students (A.S.) at UCSB is currently accepting applications for the Pearman Fellowship, a program in which new students at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) can get a head start in student government by offering them a chance to become a fully fledged member within an A.S. entity.
Currently holding applications, the fellowship offers freshman, transfer, and international students the opportunity to get involved. Fellows will work alongside and be mentored by a designated member of A.S. who will help them “learn about the different roles and functions of A.S.,” according to the program’s application.
In previous years, only A.S. executive offices could take on a fellow, but according to Bailee Mattos, the deputy chief of staff for the internal vice president, this is the first year the program is allowing senators (as well as committees) to actually take on a fellow.
“Typically, senators have their own projects that they’re working on, and when they take on a fellow they then have someone to bring along to help them … They also act as a mentor and show the fellow the ins-and-outs of what it’s like to be a senator in UCSB’s A.S.,” Mattos said in an interview with The Bottom Line.
Senators will take their fellow through the processes of A.S. and the Senate in general, such as keeping up to date on their special projects and BCUs (Boards, Committees and Units), alongside campus groups and organizations like the Food Bank Advisory Committee, Queer Commission, and the A.S. Bike Shop.
Deputy Chief Mattos hopes that the fellowship will help make A.S. more accessible to interested students and jump-start their careers in campus politics.
“We want to maintain hard work and drive within A.S., and we believe if fellows are trained and informed at an earlier stage of their college career, then that would be the most impactful approach,” Mattos explained.
This push for early and open accessibility to student government also influenced the move to allow transfers and international students to join the fellowship, as opposed to past years where only freshmen were offered spots.
“A.S. could be more accessible to interested students, and that is why this year we revamped the Pearman Fellowship Program to have a broader outreach … ” This, Mattos hopes, will allow even more interested students to make change on campus and leave them working and growing with A.S. for a long time.
The program lasts one quarter, and at the end, students will have the opportunity for a permanent spot in their assigned field, or one more to their liking. Mattos says that around this time, around six or seven of the 22 senators plan on taking a fellow, as well as the five executive offices, and various BCUs.
Applications are open at https://www.as.ucsb.edu/get-involved/fellowship-application until Oct. 18.